Giving University
Giving University is a private foundation based in Anaheim, California. It teaches people to evaluate charitable organizations and practice informed giving through free classes, trips, and opportunities to recommend charities for funding.
Giving University at a glance
In short: Giving University gave $410K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), top state California. 96% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $409,869
- +42.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $17,820
- +30.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $11,000
- Total assets
- $606,300
- +2.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 96% first-time grantees (22 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (21% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Giving University
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5500 E La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92807
Phone: (714) 507-1864
Website: https://givinguniversity.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Giving University funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Kathmandu Vineyard ($65K). Together the top 10 received $291K.
Grant Size Distribution
166 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 131 grants of 166 (79%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
For 2025 grant dollars, the reported recipient-state distribution was 66% in the category marked “?”, 21% in California, 5% in Colorado, 5% in Washington, D.C., and 2% in Ohio. The website describes educational research trips to countries including Cambodia, Kenya, Nepal, Lebanon, and Ukraine, among others.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Giving University open to new grantees?
96%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 22 of 23 grantees (96%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $18K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $11K first-time, $12K repeat.
- 4% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 80% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $288K (2024) to $2.1M (2022). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $410K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu Vineyard | General grant | $65,000 |
| PMCA - New Life | General grant | $55,645 |
| Every Nations Church Bhutan | General grant | $35,000 |
| Pakistan Partnership Initiative | General grant | $30,300 |
| New Day for Children Alamo, CA | General grant | $30,000 |
| Solva | General grant | $24,824 |
| Friends Lanka Child Foundation | General grant | $14,000 |
| Freedom House Foundation | General grant | $12,100 |
| Coast Hills Church Aliso Viejo, CA | General grant | $12,000 |
| Jachie Special Needs | General grant | $12,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Giving University?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $606,300 | $1,639,281 | $1,409,502 | $409,869 | 23 | $1,366,128 | $42 | $7,766 |
| 2024 | $590,195 | $1,052,459 | $1,278,670 | $287,913 | 21 | $1,239,056 | $61 | $4,482 |
| 2023 | $712,637 | $1,682,625 | $1,518,330 | $795,950 | 30 | $1,490,492 | $74 | $5,269 |
| 2022 | $590,687 | $2,785,866 | $3,176,116 | $2,068,022 | 52 | $3,150,945 | $40 | $6,458 |
| 2021 | $1,002,140 | $2,395,612 | $2,174,501 | $1,817,680 | 40 | — | $20 | $5,977 |
| 2020 | $826,877 | $2,070,675 | $1,939,131 | $1,882,942 | 159 | — | — | $18,208 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Giving University reported a distributable amount of $8K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Giving University’s stated purpose is to teach people to practice generosity effectively and intelligently, helping them assess nonprofit effectiveness and maximize charitable impact. Its 2024 filing describes direct charitable activities that include investigating and funding organizations serving people in need, sending students and graduates to countries affected by poverty or disasters to identify organizations, and supporting live events with worship and spiritual growth.
Its 2025 grants included support for New Day for Children, whose stated mission is “transforming lives by healing the mind, body, and spirit of American girls rescued from sex trafficking.” Influence Church, another 2025 grantee, states its mission is “to influence the world and spread God's fame, that many may believe that he is the Christ, the son of the living God.”
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Giving University reported 23 grants totaling $409,869. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $65,000, with a median of $11,000. Listed grants include $65,000 to Kathmandu Vineyard, $55,645 to PMCA - New Life, $35,000 to Every Nations Church Bhutan, $30,300 to Pakistan Partnership Initiative, and $30,000 to New Day for Children.
The foundation also provides each class graduate with $1,000 to donate to a local charity the student proposes. This is a participant-directed program, not an open grant program for outside applicants.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sam Cerny as president; Mike Lang as secretary; Steven E Nameroff as treasurer; and Steve Bray, Dan Dyk, Nancy J Bray, and Anna Bray as directors.
Giving University is led by Sam Cerny, President since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sam Cerny
President
Director → President, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy J. Bray
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Bray
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dan Dyk
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Anna Bray
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mike Lang
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven E. Nameroff
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Giving University
How much does Giving University give each year?
Giving University gave $410K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $288K across 21 grants.
What is Giving University's typical grant size?
Giving University's median grant in 2025 was $11,000, and its average grant was $17,820, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Giving University that year got $18K on average.
Where does Giving University give grants?
Giving University's top state is California, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was Colorado (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Giving University give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Giving University's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (23 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Giving University's largest grantees?
Giving University's largest 2025 grantees include Kathmandu Vineyard ($65,000), PMCA - New Life ($55,645) and Every Nations Church Bhutan ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Giving University?
Giving University reported $606K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $8K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Giving University fund?
Giving University’s stated purpose is to teach people to practice generosity effectively and intelligently, helping them assess nonprofit effectiveness and maximize charitable impact. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Giving University?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Giving University's EIN?
Giving University's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-2168191. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Giving University accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Giving University's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Giving University funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/giving-university-morg_fe1793376f8c4507828de4c6dedcd2d4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_912168191_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Giving University funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/giving-university-morg_fe1793376f8c4507828de4c6dedcd2d4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Giving University's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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