The Gifford Foundation Inc
The Gifford Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to universities, schools, and other organizations, with stated purposes including scholarships, sports programs, and general support.
The Gifford Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: The Gifford Foundation Inc gave $878K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $55K), mostly in California. 47% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $878,124
- +59.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $54,883
- +49.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $14,287
- Total assets
- $9,212,903
- -1.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (7 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (91% 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 The Gifford Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 620 Sand Hill Road Apt No 206D, Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: (408) 772-5060
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Gifford Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Leland Stanford Junior University ($500K). Together the top 10 received $855K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($21,008), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 73 grants of 87 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 9% to recipients in Pennsylvania. The filing also reports 0% for Utah and 0% for Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Gifford Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 15 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $85K; repeat grants $35K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 53% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 186% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $552K (2024) to $878K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $878K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Leland Stanford Junior University Stanford, CA | Head Men's Coaches Tennis Office Naming | $500,000 |
| East Palo Alto Tennis Tutoring Stanford, CA | General Fund-sports & education | $106,000 |
| UCLA Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Men's Baseball | $100,000 |
| San Jose Sate University San Jose, CA | Tower Foundation - Baseball | $50,000 |
| Temple University Philadelphia, PA | Scholarship | $36,452 |
| West Chester University West Chester, PA | Scholarship | $27,030 |
| 2 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $21,008 |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA | Scholarship | $18,573 |
| Junipero Serra High School San Mateo, CA | Volleyball program | $10,000 |
| RAC Gift Fund Palo Alto, CA | General Support | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $9,212,903 | $463,485 | $952,403 | $878,124 | 16 | $878,124 | $339,063 | $470,921 |
| 2024 | $9,390,090 | $7,513 | $623,473 | $551,755 | 15 | $551,755 | $126,554 | $434,167 |
| 2023 | $8,811,653 | $-971,405 | $618,127 | $556,897 | 18 | $556,897 | $134,386 | $431,375 |
| 2022 | $10,201,185 | $-388,083 | $754,104 | $575,459 | 17 | $575,459 | $310,039 | $549,819 |
| 2021 | $11,343,373 | $4,783,385 | $698,880 | $587,153 | 21 | — | $6,160,996 | $384,251 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gifford Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $471K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for scholarships, athletics, and general operating or program support. Among its grantees, East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring describes its work as helping under-resourced K–12 students prepare for college, careers, and life; UCLA Foundation describes itself as the giving, receiving, and investing arm of the UCLA campus; and Silicon Valley Community Foundation says it connects people, ideas, and resources to support equity and opportunity.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $878,124. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $500,000, with a median of $14,286. Selected awards included $500,000 to Leland Stanford Junior University for “Head Men's Coaches Tennis Office Naming,” $106,000 to East Palo Alto Tennis Tutoring for “General Fund-sports & education,” and $100,000 to UCLA Foundation for “Men's Baseball.” Other reported awards included $50,000 to San Jose Sate University for baseball, $36,452 to Temple University for a scholarship, and $27,030 to West Chester University for a scholarship.
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Rhodine R Gifford as president.
The Gifford Foundation Inc is led by Rhodine R Gifford, President on every filing since 2021 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rhodine R Gifford
President
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 The Gifford Foundation Inc
How much does The Gifford Foundation Inc give each year?
The Gifford Foundation Inc gave $878K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $552K across 15 grants.
What is The Gifford Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
The Gifford Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $14,287, and its average grant was $54,883, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Gifford Foundation Inc that year got $85K on average.
Where does The Gifford Foundation Inc give grants?
The Gifford Foundation Inc gives mostly in California: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Pennsylvania (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Stanford, CA (2 grants) and Mountain View, CA (2 grants).
Does The Gifford Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 44% of The Gifford Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (5 grants).
Who are The Gifford Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
The Gifford Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Leland Stanford Junior University ($500,000), East Palo Alto Tennis Tutoring ($106,000) and UCLA Foundation ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($21,008), which are not listed by name. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Gifford Foundation Inc?
The Gifford Foundation Inc reported $9.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $878K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $471K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Gifford Foundation Inc fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for scholarships, athletics, and general operating or program support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Gifford Foundation Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Gifford Foundation Inc's EIN?
The Gifford Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3303273. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The Gifford Foundation Inc 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Gifford Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-gifford-foundation-inc-morg_c2ec1eebe389498ab4718ca5e42017ed
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943303273_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Gifford Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-gifford-foundation-inc-morg_c2ec1eebe389498ab4718ca5e42017ed},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 The Gifford Foundation Inc'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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