Knight Foundation

BEAVERTON, OR EIN: 91-1791788

Knight Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in BEAVERTON, OR. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $4.5B in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 9 grants totaling $226.5M. Net investment income was $303.3M.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$4.5B

+5.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$226.5M

+18.4% YoY

Grant Count

9

-25.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$25.2M

+57.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Knight Foundation reported a distributable amount of $260.5M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

About Knight Foundation

Based on IRS filings

Knight Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in BEAVERTON, OR. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $4.5B in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 9 grants totaling $226.5M. Net investment income was $303.3M.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

6states

Cities

BeavertonChicagoEugeneNew YorkNutleyPortlandStanfordWashingtin DcWashington

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$540M$1.1B$1.6B$2.2B20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$4,473,731,655$4,230,106,111$3,385,598,902
Revenue$520,024,706$1,730,391,596$202,421,977
Expenses$277,515,298$244,066,344$252,585,656
Qualifying Distributions$226,548,000$191,354,333$212,502,400
Net Investment Income$303,343,552$778,954,732$168,951,066
Distributable Amount$260,539,676$226,729,328$195,791,041

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$57M$113M$170M$227M2 grants20203 grants202112 grants202212 grants20239 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 9 recipients in 2024

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON FOU…$182.0MALBINA HEAD START$10.0MSEI INC$10.0M1803 FUND$8.5MPROVIDENCE ST VINCENT ME…$7.5MBLUE MERIDIAN PARTNERS$5.2MTHE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION$2.0MFANCONI ANEMIA RESEARCH …$1.0MPORTLAOISE GAA CLUB$335K

Grant Size Distribution

38 grants across all recorded years

<$50K$50–100K1$100–250K2$250–500K$500K–1M10$1–5M25$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include University of Oregon Foundation ($182,000,000), Albina Head Start ($10,000,000), Sei Inc ($10,000,000).

RecipientPurposeAmount
ALBINA HEAD START PORTLAND, ORTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT.$10,000,000
BLUE MERIDIAN PARTNERS NEW YORK, NYTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT.$5,213,000
FANCONI ANEMIA RESEARCH FUND EUGENE, ORTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT.$1,000,000
PROVIDENCE ST VINCENT MEDICAL FOUNDATION PORTLAND, ORTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED TO THE CARDIOLOGY PROGRAM.$7,500,000
SEI INC PORTLAND, ORTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT.$10,000,000
THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION WASHINGTON, DCTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR THE FOREIGN POLICY PROGRAM.$2,000,000
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON FOUNDATION EUGENE, ORTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR THE CAMPUS FOR ACCELERATING SCIENTIFIC IMPACT (THE "CASI PROGRAM") AS WELL AS GENERAL OPERATING AND PROGRAM SUPPORT.$182,000,000
1803 FUND PORTLAND, ORTHIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT.$8,500,000
PORTLAOISE GAA CLUB THIS GIFT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.$335,000

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
PHILIP H KNIGHTPRESIDENT/TREAS1
PENELOPE P KNIGHTDIRECTOR/VP1
LISA MCKILLIPSASST SEC/ASST TREAS1
TRAVIS A KNIGHTVP/SEC/DIRECTOR1

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Knight Foundation?

Knight Foundation is a private foundation focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in BEAVERTON, OR. It holds $4.5B in total assets as of 2024.

How large is Knight Foundation?

As of 2024, Knight Foundation holds $4.5B in total assets with $520.0M in annual revenue. It awarded 9 grants totaling $226.5M in 2024.

Where does Knight Foundation operate?

Knight Foundation has awarded grants in California, District of Columbia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon.

What size grants does Knight Foundation award?

In 2024, Knight Foundation awarded 9 grants totaling $226.5M — an average of about $25.2M per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Knight Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Knight Foundation reported a distributable amount of $260.5M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Knight Foundation's EIN?

Knight Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1791788. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Explore Open Grants

Browse active grant opportunities in Knight Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database

Related Funders

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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.

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