Laural Foundation
Laural Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working on environmental conservation, water, parks, and related efforts.
Laural Foundation at a glance
In short: Laural Foundation gave $18.6M across 84 grants in 2024 (avg $221K), mostly in California. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $18,585,500
- +63.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 84
- +44.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $221,256
- +13.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $82,931,616
- +11.4% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- California (60% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Laural Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 193809, San Francisco, CA 94119-3809
Phone: (415) 284-8602
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Laural Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Water Foundation ($2.1M across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $10.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
238 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 86 grants of 238 (36%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 60% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 17% to recipients in the District of Columbia, 15% to recipients in New York, 5% to recipients in Virginia, and 1% to recipients in Idaho.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 84 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Laural Foundation gives
- 59% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 387% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 425% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $2.8M (2020) to $18.6M (2024). In 2024 it made 84 grants totaling $18.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Park Foundation Washington, DC | Increased partnership between the national park foundation, national park service and park partners. | $1,000,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated New York City, NY | Supporting American West Water Supply | $1,000,000 |
| Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | Support for the Point Reyes Conservation Campaign | $1,000,000 |
| New Venture Fund Washington, DC | Colorado River Sustainability Campaign | $1,000,000 |
| Water Foundation Sacramento, CA | Support for the clean water campaign and general operating support | $1,000,000 |
| Water Foundation Sacramento, CA | General Operating Support | $1,000,000 |
| Tides Foundation Los Angeles, CA | General operating support for fast's mission to mitigate super pollutants | $500,000 |
| Parks California Sacramento, CA | Support the Resources Stewardship Program | $500,000 |
| Watershed Solutions Network Sacramento, CA | General Operating Support | $500,000 |
| Land Trust Alliance Incorporated Washington, DC | Support for Western Division and General Operations. | $500,000 |
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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 | $82,931,616 | $27,230,031 | $18,762,637 | $18,585,500 | 84 | $18,648,240 | $8,230,031 | $4,389,163 |
| 2023 | $74,433,450 | $14,620,100 | $11,475,481 | $11,360,777 | 58 | $11,440,803 | $2,494,813 | $3,962,077 |
| 2022 | $71,301,528 | $16,360,652 | $8,653,364 | $8,475,500 | 54 | $8,515,653 | $9,906,198 | $3,617,867 |
| 2021 | $63,612,544 | $10,817,297 | $3,937,246 | $3,815,500 | 28 | $3,854,475 | $5,815,359 | $3,856,743 |
| 2020 | $56,697,141 | $5,902,578 | $2,857,615 | $2,780,000 | 14 | — | $2,902,578 | $2,866,208 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Laural Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grant purposes include water supply and clean-water campaigns, Colorado River sustainability, conservation, park partnerships, and land stewardship.
Among its grantees, the Water Foundation says it works to secure safe water, restore and sustain freshwater ecosystems, and build climate resilience. The National Park Foundation describes its work as protecting and enhancing America’s national parks. Environmental Defense Fund says it works to preserve natural systems and find practical, lasting solutions to environmental problems. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not statements of the foundation’s own mission.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 84 grants totaling $18,585,500. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $1,000,000, with a median of $100,000.
Notable 2024 awards included $1,000,000 to the National Park Foundation for increased partnership with the National Park Service and park partners; $1,000,000 to Environmental Defense Fund for American West water supply; $1,000,000 to New Venture Fund for the Colorado River Sustainability Campaign; and two $1,000,000 grants to the Water Foundation—one for the Clean Water Campaign and general operating support, and one for general operating support. Other listed awards included $1,000,000 to the Nature Conservancy for the Point Reyes Conservation Campaign and $500,000 to Big Sur Land Trust for Ferrini Ranch.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Lauren B Dachs as president and director; Alan M Dachs as vice president and director; Margaret Fong as director; Erin Wilms as secretary and director; and Susan Warburg as treasurer and director.
Laural Foundation is led by Lauren B. Dachs, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Lauren B. Dachs
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Alan M. Dachs
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Erin Wilms
Secretary & Director
Treasurer → Secretary & Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Margaret Fong
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Susan Warburg
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Nancy Wong (2021–2022) — Treasurer & Director
- Former: Bryn Rowe (2020) — Director
- Former: Patricia Leicher (2020) — Director
- Former: Susan Harvey (2020) — Secretary & Director
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 Laural Foundation
How much does Laural Foundation give each year?
Laural Foundation gave $18.6M across 84 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $11.4M across 58 grants.
What is Laural Foundation's typical grant size?
Laural Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $100,000, and its average grant was $221,256, across 84 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Laural Foundation give grants?
Laural Foundation gives mostly in California: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (17%) and New York (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (15 grants), Sacramento, CA (8 grants), New York City, NY (7 grants) and Washington, DC (6 grants).
Does Laural Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 42% of Laural Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (35 of 84) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Laural Foundation's largest grantees?
Laural Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Water Foundation ($2,100,000 across 3 grants), Environmental Defense Fund Incorporated ($1,500,000 across 2 grants) and Parks California ($1,070,000 across 3 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Laural Foundation?
Laural Foundation reported $82.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $18.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Laural Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grant purposes include water supply and clean-water campaigns, Colorado River sustainability, conservation, park partnerships, and land stewardship. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Laural Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Laural Foundation's EIN?
Laural Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-2417772. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Laural 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Browse active grant opportunities in Laural Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Laural Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/laural-foundation-morg_8011d1c000db46928f52b3cd3990e2ea
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_942417772_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Laural Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/laural-foundation-morg_8011d1c000db46928f52b3cd3990e2ea},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Laural 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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