Sijbrandij Foundation
The Sijbrandij Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation based in San Francisco, California, established in 2021. As a 501(c)(3) organization, it pursues under-explored solutions with the potential for significant social impact across multiple sectors and geographic regions.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$79.2M
+14.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$5.4M
-49.6% YoY
Grant Count
16
-5.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$340K
-46.5% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sijbrandij Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation seeks projects that deliver impact at three levels:
- For individuals — creating access to opportunity and upward mobility
- For communities — fostering engagement and economic vitality
- For societies — supporting systemic change and incentive alignment
Primary areas of focus include:
- Education
- Healthcare
- Housing
- Climate solutions
- AI interpretability
- Big art
The foundation emphasizes funding unconventional ideas and visionary thinkers who challenge norms and pursue bold solutions that others overlook. Recent activity includes funding bold cancer research, investing in synthetic natural gas development, scaling global digital education, and using public big art as a catalyst for economic development.
Grantmaking
The foundation indicates "preselected only" status on its tax filings, suggesting grants are made to organizations identified by the foundation rather than through open application processes.
Grant Range
$250,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds projects across multiple U.S. states and cities, including:
- California
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Virginia
Primary activity centers in major urban areas including San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $68.9 million
- Total Revenue: $28.1 million
- Total Expenses: $11.2 million
- Total Liabilities: $100,000
Tax Status: Tax-exempt since April 2021 (EIN: 85-4270305)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $79,175,143 | $68,932,147 | $51,990,254 |
| Revenue | $17,940,646 | $28,089,797 | $577,085 |
| Expenses | $6,189,173 | $11,191,347 | $7,532,721 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $6,156,697 | $10,986,899 | $7,528,721 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,803,964 | $1,365,751 | $518,085 |
| Distributable Amount | $3,239,273 | $2,379,409 | $2,791,706 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
47 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Open Research Lab ($1,500,000), Information Age Academy (the Levit Lab Inc) ($1,000,000), Global Impact ($505,810).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| INFORMATION AGE ACADEMY (THE LEVIT LAB INC) BOULDER, CO | LAUNCH HIGH SCHOOL | $1,000,000 |
| MID MARKET FOUNDATION (ACCESSIBLE BIG ART - HEARTFULLNESS) SAN FRANCISCO, CA | BIG ART SF SCULPTURE | $18,000 |
| ILLUMINATE (ACCESSIBLE BIG ART - NAGA AND THE CAPTAINESS) SAN FRANCISCO, CA | BIG ART SF SCULPTURE | $249,522 |
| DIGITAL HARBOR FOUNDATION (TALENT MOBILITY FUND) BALTIMORE, MD | HIGHLY SKILLED IMMIGRATION | $250,000 |
| GLOBAL IMPACT ALEXANDRIA, VA | GLOBAL INCOME COIN | $399,629 |
| ABUNDANCE NETWORK EDUCATION SAN FRANCISCO, CA | A NEW LEGISLATIVE TOOL, LAUNCHING WITH THE CA ASSEMBLY | $100,000 |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CICAGO, IL | ALIGNING INCENTIVES IN HEALTHCARE SUPPLY: THE ROLE OF ENTRY BARRIERS | $109,208 |
| UCLA FOUNDATION LOS ANGELES, CA | HOUSING, INCENTIVES, AND PREEMPTION | $60,000 |
| UCLA FOUNDATION (HOUSING VOICE PODCAST - JANA GALLUS) LOS ANGELES, CA | HOUSING PODCAST | $31,950 |
| THIRD SECTOR BOSTON, MA | UPSKILLING LOW INCOME WORKERS THROUGH PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS | $220,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Board of Directors and Officers:
- Sytse Sijbrandij — Chair and Director
- Karen Sijbrandij — Treasurer and Director
- Eefje Chalmers — Secretary and Director
- Welmoed Fokkema — Director
- Ramy Adeeb — Director
Staff:
- Ivan French — Chief Executive Officer
- Paige Reeve Uher — Chief Executive Officer
- Scott Williams — Lead Principal Software Engineer
- Nathan Gartlan — Lead Software Engineer
- Ben Zeno — Program Officer
Board members serve on a voluntary basis without compensation.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYTSE RIENTS SIJBRANDIJ | PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| KAREN XANDRA ESTHER SIJBRANDIJ | TREASURER AND DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| EEFJE CHALMERS | SECRETARY AND DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| WELMOED FOKKEMA | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| RAMY ADEEB | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| IVAN FRENCH | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 40 | $199,385 |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has undertaken several notable initiatives:
**Big Art Loop:** A project to place large-scale temporary sculptures in public spaces around San Francisco to create a walking and biking loop. The project features works by multiple artists and has generated discussion about public art oversight and community engagement in San Francisco.
Private Funding and Public Art: In Whose Best Interest?**Incentive Design Studies:** The foundation supports consulting and community building services addressing incentive design in education, health, and housing sectors.
**Misalignment Museum:** Support for learning about artificial intelligence and reflection on technology possibilities through thought-provoking art pieces and events.
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Sijbrandij Foundation fund?
The foundation seeks projects that deliver impact at three levels: • **For individuals** — creating access to opportunity and upward mobility • **For communities** — fostering engagement and economic vitality • **For societies** — supporting systemic change and incentive alignment Primary areas of focus include: • Education • Healthcare • Housing • Climate solutions • AI interpretability • Big art The foundation emphasizes funding unconventional ideas and visionary thinkers who challenge norms …
How do I apply for a grant from Sijbrandij Foundation?
**Grant Activity:** • 16 grants reported in recent filings • Median grant size: $250,000 • Grant range: $18,000 to $1.5 million • Total giving in 2023: $10.8 million **Recent Grants:** • GitLab Foundation: Three grants of $1,675,000 each (2023) • Third Sector Capital Partners: $1 million grant for expanding work to help adult learners access education and training **Application Process:** The foundation indicates "preselected only" status on its tax filings, suggesting grants are made to organi…
Where does Sijbrandij Foundation make grants?
The foundation funds projects across multiple U.S. states and cities, including: • California • Connecticut • District of Columbia • Massachusetts • New York • Virginia Primary activity centers in major urban areas including San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
What size grants does Sijbrandij Foundation award?
In 2024, Sijbrandij Foundation awarded 16 grants totaling $5.4M — an average of about $340K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Sijbrandij Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Sijbrandij Foundation reported a distributable amount of $3.2M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Sijbrandij Foundation's EIN?
Sijbrandij Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-4270305. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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