Kelson Foundation
The Kelson Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. It supports organizations helping overlooked and underserved populations, with partners that provide tools, space, and education to people working to improve their lives, communities, and the planet.
Kelson Foundation at a glance
In short: Kelson Foundation gave $8.2M across 65 grants in 2024 (avg $126K), top state District of Columbia. 32% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $8,218,500
- -5.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 65
- -32.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $126,438
- +39.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $149,047,301
- -0.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (20 of 63, 2024)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (24% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Kelson Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1660 Bush St Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: (415) 561-6540
Website: https://kelson.foundation
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Kelson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Middlebury College ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $4.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
552 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 343 grants of 552 (62%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Washington, DC (24%), New York (23%), California (19%), Vermont (12%), and Massachusetts (7%). These figures describe the distribution of 2024 grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 65 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Kelson Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 20 of 63 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $216K; repeat grants $91K. How we count
Medians: $200K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 62% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 43% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 112% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $5.1M (2020) to $8.7M (2023). In 2024 it made 65 grants totaling $8.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Middlebury College Middlebury, VT | The elizabeth hackett robinson 84 innovation hub endowed fund | $1,000,000 |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Washington, DC | General Support to the Democracy Frontlines Fund | $500,000 |
| George Washington University Washington, DC | General support to gw school of law multi-racial democracy project | $500,000 |
| Neo Philanthropy Inc New York, NY | General Support to More Equitable Democracy | $500,000 |
| Protect Democracy Project Washington, DC | General Support | $500,000 |
| Representwomen Inc Silver Spring, MD | General Support | $300,000 |
| Vote Mama Foundation Inc Amityville, NY | General Support | $300,000 |
| Vote Run Lead Hartsdale, NY | General Support | $300,000 |
| Cornell University Ithaca, NY | General Support to MGGG Redistricting Lab | $250,000 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College Cambridge, MA | To the harvard law school election law clinic for efforts aimed at advancing prison reform | $250,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $149,047,301 | $8,090,595 | $7,607,566 | $8,218,500 | 65 | $8,267,931 | $10,410,843 | $7,349,676 |
| 2023 | $150,209,559 | $1,798,886 | $8,554,338 | $8,700,000 | 96 | $8,755,607 | $1,177,470 | $7,425,308 |
| 2022 | $156,438,079 | $6,565,332 | $9,907,915 | $6,524,250 | 119 | $6,570,474 | $49,367 | $8,180,075 |
| 2021 | $158,809,460 | $38,630,708 | $6,527,981 | $5,733,000 | 137 | $5,777,529 | $43,959,069 | $5,110,428 |
| 2020 | $115,033,167 | $47,620,571 | $6,652,225 | $5,120,000 | 135 | — | $44,514,983 | $3,085,678 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Kelson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $7.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s website says, “We give people means, not ends.” It describes the kelson as a ship’s unseen, essential wooden spine, a metaphor for the structure it provides to enable meaningful change.
Its 2024 grants included support for organizations working on democracy and civic participation, women’s political leadership, education, and trail stewardship. These examples describe the work of recipients, not a formal list of foundation focus areas. Protect Democracy Project says it works to strengthen checks and balances and prevent democratic backsliding. Vote Mama Foundation describes its work as researching mothers’ political participation and reducing barriers to their candidacy. Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship says it maintains and restores trails and supports environmental preservation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 65 grants totaling $8,218,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $1,000,000, with a median grant of $50,000.
The largest grant was $1,000,000 to Middlebury College for the Elizabeth Hackett Robinson ’84 Innovation Hub Endowed Fund. Other notable grants included $500,000 each to Amalgamated Charitable Foundation for general support to the Democracy Frontlines Fund, George Washington University for general support to its Multi-Racial Democracy Project, NEO Philanthropy for general support to More Equitable Democracy, and Protect Democracy Project for general support. The foundation also gave $300,000 each to RepresentWomen, Vote Mama Foundation, and Vote Run Lead.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jake Moritz as president; Michael Moritz as secretary and treasurer; Melissa Narula as CEO and assistant secretary; Gretchen Selfridge as audit chair; and Katherine Dwyer Fielding as director.
Kelson Foundation is led by Melissa Narula, CEO & Assistant Secretary on every filing since 2021; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Melissa Narula
CEO & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jake Moritz
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gretchen Selfridge
Audit Chair
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Katherine Dwyer Fielding
Director
New on the 2024 filing
No compensation reported
Michael Moritz
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Wendy Yu Einhorn (2022) — Audit Chair
- Former: Jackie Downing (2020) — Assistant Secretary
- Former: Judi Powell (2020) — Audit Chair
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Kelson Foundation
How much does Kelson Foundation give each year?
Kelson Foundation gave $8.2M across 65 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $8.7M across 96 grants.
What is Kelson Foundation's typical grant size?
Kelson Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $50,000, and its average grant was $126,438, across 65 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Kelson Foundation that year got $216K on average.
Where does Kelson Foundation give grants?
Kelson Foundation's top state is District of Columbia, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (23%) and California (19%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (13 grants), Washington, DC (7 grants), New York, NY (5 grants) and Oakland, CA (5 grants).
Does Kelson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 86% of Kelson Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (56 of 65) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Kelson Foundation's largest grantees?
Kelson Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Middlebury College ($1,000,000), Neo Philanthropy ($600,000 across 2 grants) and Amalgamated Charitable Foundation ($500,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 26% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Kelson Foundation?
Kelson Foundation reported $149.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $8.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $7.3M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Kelson Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website says, “We give people means, not ends.” It describes the kelson as a ship’s unseen, essential wooden spine, a metaphor for the structure it provides to enable meaningful change. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Kelson Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Kelson Foundation's EIN?
Kelson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-3588323. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Kelson Foundation 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Kelson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Kelson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/kelson-foundation-morg_a92ace705c464f4eb185c346a8b08ea7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_813588323_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Kelson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/kelson-foundation-morg_a92ace705c464f4eb185c346a8b08ea7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Kelson Foundation'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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