Nepheli Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Berkeley, CA EIN: 94-3379122

Nepheli Foundation is a private foundation based in Berkeley, California. Its 2025 filing reports 18 grants totaling $62,683 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in health services, community services, education, and journalism.

Nepheli Foundation at a glance

In short: Nepheli Foundation gave $63K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in California. 50% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$62,683
-96.9% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
18
+63.6% vs 2024
Average grant
$3,482
-98.1% vs 2024
Median grant
$379
Total assets
$22,409,099
+13830.2% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
50% first-time grantees (9 of 18, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
California (98% 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 Nepheli Foundation

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 for funds. Its filing lists Dominic Montagu as the person to contact.

Contact

Application contact: Dominic Montagu
Mailing address: 823 Mendocino Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94707
Phone: (510) 558-3355

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Nepheli Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Metrics for Management: $55KMetrics for Management$55KPossibility Labs: $2KPossibility Labs$2KEnvironmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC): $1KEnvironmental Action Committeeof West Marin (EAC)$1KPlanned Parenthood Mar Monte: $1KPlanned Parenthood Mar Monte$1KKqed: $500Kqed$500University of California Berkeley Foundation: $500University of CaliforniaBerkeley Foundation$500The Playwrights Workshop: $500The Playwrights Workshop$500West Marin Community Services: $500West Marin Community Services$500Bay City News Foundation: $500Bay City News Foundation$500Commonwealth School: $258Commonwealth School$258

The largest 2025 recipient was Metrics for Management ($55K). Together the top 10 received $61K.

Grant Size Distribution

82 grants across all recorded years

79<$50K2$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 82 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation is based in Berkeley, California. In 2025, the reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were California 98%, New York 1%, Massachusetts 1%, and Wisconsin 0%.

Grant Distribution by State

10states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.

Cities

San FranciscoBerkeleyPoint Reyes StationEl CerritoBostonCambridgeNew YorkSan JoseOaklandWashingtonBerkeleDorsetInvernessConcordGrass ValleyHagerstownHartsdaleLos AngelesMarlowMilpitas

Is Nepheli Foundation open to new grantees?

50%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 9 of 18 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $483; repeat grants $6K. How we count

Medians: $250 first-time, $500 repeat.

  • 33% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 218% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 15% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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

$0$1M$2M$3M5 grants2019 12 grants2020 11 grants2021 21 grants2022 21 grants2023 11 grants2024 18 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $13K (2023) to $2.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $63K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Metrics for Management Oakland, CAGeneral Purpose$54,675
Possibility Labs Concord, CAGeneral Purpose$2,000
Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) Point Reyes Station, CAGeneral Purpose$1,000
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte San Jose, CAGeneral Purpose$1,000
Kqed San Francisco, CAGeneral Purpose$500
University of California Berkeley Foundation Berkeley, CAGeneral Purpose$500
The Playwrights Workshop Hartsdale, NYGeneral Purpose$500
West Marin Community Services Point Reyes Station, CAGeneral Purpose$500
Bay City News Foundation Berkeley, CAGeneral Purpose$500
Commonwealth School Boston, MAGeneral Purpose$258
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$22,409,099$35,756,134$169,900$62,68318$62,683$15,522,457$418,540
2024$160,867$3,404,781$2,061,604$2,052,85011$2,052,850$1,399,268$1,996
2023$171,230$24,163$21,262$13,42521$13,425$16,326$19,592
2022$159,538$12,713$28,274$19,71321$19,713—$18,262
2021$175,099$22,533$45,664$37,35011$37,350$14,219$22,602
2020$198,230$16,218$45,750$38,29012—$8,758$20,235
2019$227,762$7,767$33,311$25,7035——$18,924

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nepheli Foundation reported a distributable amount of $419K 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

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Metrics for Management says its mission is to create evidence-based, standardized performance measures to improve health services in low- and middle-income countries. West Marin Community Services says it supports programs and services for the well-being of individuals and families in West Marin. Bay City News Foundation says its Local News Matters website publishes journalism that benefits the general public. Prospect Sierra School says it educates children in transitional kindergarten through grade 8 and aims to help shape compassionate future leaders.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 18 grants totaling $62,683. Grant amounts ranged from $50 to $54,675, with a median of $379. The largest grant was $54,675 to Metrics for Management, for general purpose. Other reported grants included $2,000 to Possibility Labs and $1,000 each to Environmental Action Committee of West Marin and Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, all for general purpose.

Other recipients included KQED ($500), the University of California Berkeley Foundation ($500), Bay City News Foundation ($500), West Marin Community Services ($500), and Prospect Sierra School ($250). These grants were also reported for general purpose.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Dominic Montagu as president and Diep Doan as secretary.

Nepheli Foundation is led by Dominic Montagu, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Dominic Montagu

    President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Diep Doan

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Nepheli Foundation

How much does Nepheli Foundation give each year?

Nepheli Foundation gave $63K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.1M across 11 grants.

What is Nepheli Foundation's typical grant size?

Nepheli Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $379, and its average grant was $3,482, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Nepheli Foundation that year got $483 on average.

Where does Nepheli Foundation give grants?

Nepheli Foundation gives mostly in California: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (3 grants), Point Reyes Station, CA (2 grants), Berkeley, CA (2 grants) and Inverness, CA (2 grants).

Does Nepheli Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Nepheli Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Nepheli Foundation's largest grantees?

Nepheli Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Metrics for Management ($54,675), Possibility Labs ($2,000) and Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) ($1,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Nepheli Foundation?

Nepheli Foundation reported $22.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $63K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $419K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.

What does Nepheli Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. Metrics for Management says its mission is to create evidence-based, standardized performance measures to improve health services in low- and middle-income countries. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Nepheli Foundation?

The foundation states that it 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 Nepheli Foundation's EIN?

Nepheli Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3379122. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Nepheli 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

(3)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 26, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Nepheli Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nepheli-foundation-morg_8b174159bbc34f8fb619092aeb8e73ee

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943379122_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Nepheli Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/nepheli-foundation-morg_8b174159bbc34f8fb619092aeb8e73ee},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Nepheli 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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