The Benificus Foundation is a private foundation established in 1997 and based in San Carlos, California. It is classified as a 501(c)(3) private grantmaking foundation (NTEE code T20). The foundation conducts what its founders describe as "venture philanthropy," providing millions annually to high-potential but often high-risk projects aligned with its core interests.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$8.3M
-31.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$186.0M
-15.5% YoY
Grant Count
56
+30.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$3.3M
-35.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Benificus Foundation's primary areas of focus are:
- K-12 education reform
- Climate change
- Health equity
- Global development
The foundation is known for its significant support of K-12 school reform and climate action initiatives. A landmark 2022 gift established Stanford University's Doerr School of Sustainability. Recent tax filings from 2023 indicate a substantially increased commitment to climate organizations.
Grantmaking
The foundation's giving varies considerably from year to year. In 2023, the foundation made 10 grants totaling $217,840,409. Notable 2023 grants included:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's grantmaking is primarily concentrated in California, the District of Columbia, and New York.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
2023 Financial Data
- Total Assets: $12,065,869
- Total Revenues: $2,579,850
- Total Expenses: $220,283,579
- Total Giving: $217,840,409
Historical Assets
The foundation's assets have fluctuated over time, with reported assets ranging from approximately $8.3 million to $24.4 million depending on the reporting source and year.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $8,272,321 | $12,065,869 | $12,363,256 |
| Revenue | $42,360,819 | $2,579,850 | $2,742,801 |
| Expenses | $186,693,536 | $220,283,579 | $100,161,609 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $186,078,117 | $220,114,874 | $99,932,701 |
| Net Investment Income | $42,225,744 | $2,441,345 | $2,579,113 |
| Distributable Amount | $8,565,787 | $16,870,857 | $23,295,048 |
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
205 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Founders & Key Personnel
L. John Doerr – Founder. A venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Doerr studied electrical engineering at Rice University and earned an MBA from Harvard. He was employed at Intel before joining Kleiner Perkins in 1980. His venture capital firm provided early-stage funding to major technology companies including Amazon, Google, Compaq, Netscape, Symantec, Sun Microsystems, Intuit, and drugstore.com. In 2009, Doerr was appointed to President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
Ann Howland Doerr – Founder and President of Benificus Foundation. She also serves as board chair for Khan Academy.
Trustees – L. John Doerr III, Ann Howland Doerr, and Barbara S. Hager
Both John and Ann Doerr are billionaire signatories of the Giving Pledge, committing to give away at least half of their wealth to philanthropy.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| L JOHN DOERR III | VICE PRESIDENT | — | — |
| ANN HOWLAND DOERR | PRESIDENT, CFO, AND SECRETARY | — | — |
| BARBARA S HAGER | CEO | 2 | — |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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