The Oak Foundation USA
The Oak Foundation USA is a private foundation based in New York, New York. It supports not-for-profit organizations working toward a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world.
Key facts about The Oak Foundation USA
In short: The Oak Foundation USA gave $6.9M across 7 grants in 2025 (avg $985K), mostly in Hawaii. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 13-3321196
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,892,320
- Grants made (2025)
- 7
- Average grant
- $984,617
- Median grant
- $390,000
- Total assets
- $10,775,305
- Primary geography
- Hawaii (67% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to apply
- The foundation accepts unsolicited requests through its online letter-of-enquiry process. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- N/A.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$10.8M
-37.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$6.9M
-7.2% YoY
Grant Count
7
-22.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$985K
+19.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Oak Foundation USA reported a distributable amount of $638K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Oak Foundation USA gives
- Giving grew 67% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
Oak Foundation’s mission is to contribute to a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world. It supports registered not-for-profit organizations, including organizations that re-grant to not-for-profits globally. It says its partners are rooted in the communities where they work and have the expertise to set and lead their own strategies.
Its currently listed grant programs include preventing child sexual abuse, housing and homelessness, and issues affecting women. The foundation’s website describes its child sexual abuse work as supporting survivors, researchers, and other change makers; its housing and homelessness work as addressing homelessness and housing insecurity; and its women’s program as supporting movements led by women addressing violence and discrimination.
The 2024 grants illustrate support for a range of organizations and purposes. Book Harvest describes its mission as providing books to children and engaging families and communities to promote lifelong literacy and academic success. CAST says it works to design equitable, inclusive learning experiences through its Universal Design for Learning framework. Upstream USA says it works to make patient-centered contraceptive care basic healthcare. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 9 grants totaling $7,423,074. Individual grants ranged from $99,064 to $4,286,500, with a median of $401,520. Oak Foundation’s website describes its broader grantmaking as making more than 300 grants per year, with an average award of USD 900,000 and awards ranging from USD 25,000 to USD 10 million; it says most awards are multi-year. Its general approach is to provide multi-year core support or flexible project grants.
Review Cycle
** N/A.
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from The Oak Foundation USA
International Human Rights Grant Programme
The Oak Foundation USA
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Issues Affecting Women Grant Programme
The Oak Foundation USA
Amount
More than US $25,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Oak Foundation - Housing and Homelessness Grant Program
The Oak Foundation USA
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with The Oak Foundation USA?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Oak Foundation says its work supports organizations in approximately 40 countries. In the foundation’s 2024 grants, recipient-state shares of grant dollars were Hawaii 58%, Massachusetts 17%, North Carolina 10%, New York 9%, and California 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 7 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 7 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Honolulu, HI | TO SUPPORT HCF'S VISION OF AN EQUITABLE AND VIBRANT HAWAII, WHERE ALL ISLAND COMMUNITIES THRIVE. | $4,598,750 |
| CAST INC Lynnfield, MA | TO PROVIDE CORE SUPPORT TO CAST IN ITS WORK TO TRANSFORM EDUCATION DESIGN AND PRACTICE IN THE US. | $500,000 |
| UPSTREAM USA INC Boston, MA | TO PROVIDE CORE SUPPORT TO UPSTREAM US TO TRANSFORM CONTRACEPTIVE CARE IN HEALTH CENTERS IN THE US. | $500,000 |
| THE ARMY OF SURVIVORS INC Lansing, MI | TO PROVIDE CORE SUPPORT TO RAISE AWARENESS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TRANSPARENCY ON THE ISSUE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST ATHLETES IN THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONALLY. | $390,000 |
| NEW TEACHER CENTER Santa Cruz, CA | TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THE NEW TEACHER CENTER, BASED IN CALIFORNIA, TO PILOT INNOVATIVE PROFESSIONAL TEACHING THAT EQUIPS TEACHERS AND STAFF TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES. | $353,570 |
| PROTEUS FUND New York, NY | TO PROVIDE CORE SUPPORT TO PUENTES, A COMMUNICATIONS HUB IN LATIN AMERICA. | $300,000 |
| STUDENT U Durham, NC | TO HELP STUDENTS AND FAMILIES IN DURHAM THRIVE THROUGH ONGOING ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL SUPPORT. | $250,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $17,359,462 | $827,919 | $71,768 | $7,423,074 | 9 |
| 2023 | $24,037,557 | $1,699,470 | $32,905,066 | $12,492,180 | 15 |
| 2022 | $35,737,118 | $32,902,551 | $7,200,905 | $4,138,758 | 18 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $10,775,305 | $17,359,462 | $24,037,557 |
| Revenue | $375,053 | $827,919 | $1,699,470 |
| Expenses | $1,748,378 | $71,768 | $32,905,066 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $6,922,575 | $7,452,050 | $13,349,513 |
| Net Investment Income | $345,164 | $799,283 | $891,964 |
| Distributable Amount | $638,287 | $1,019,129 | $1,384,683 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Heather Graham as vice president; Caroline Turner as president, treasurer, and trustee; Kristian Parker and Natalie Parker as trustees; and James Zha as secretary.
The Oak Foundation USA is led by Caroline Turner, President, Treasurer & Trustee on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Caroline Turner
President, Treasurer & Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$96K (2020) → $0 (2025)
Kristian Parker
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Natalie Parker
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Zha
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Heather Graham (2020–2024) — Vice President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2023 IRS filing
Contact
Application contact: Jill Bernabo
Mailing address: 55 Vilcom Center Drive Suite 340, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: (919) 951-0585
Website: https://www.oakfnd.org
Frequently asked questions about The Oak Foundation USA
How much does The Oak Foundation USA give each year?
The Oak Foundation USA gave $6.9M across 7 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $7.4M across 9 grants.
What is The Oak Foundation USA's typical grant size?
The Oak Foundation USA's median grant in 2025 was $390,000, and its average grant was $984,617, across 7 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Oak Foundation USA give grants?
The Oak Foundation USA gives mostly in Hawaii: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Massachusetts (15%) and Michigan (6%).
Does The Oak Foundation USA give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 7 grants with a stated purpose on The Oak Foundation USA's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Oak Foundation USA's largest grantees?
The Oak Foundation USA's largest 2025 grantees include Hawaii Community Foundation ($4,598,750), Cast Inc ($500,000) and Upstream USA Inc ($500,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 81% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Oak Foundation USA?
The Oak Foundation USA reported $10.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $638K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Oak Foundation USA fund?
Oak Foundation’s mission is to contribute to a safer, fairer, and more sustainable world. It supports registered not-for-profit organizations, including organizations that re-grant to not-for-profits globally. It says its partners are rooted in the communities where they work and have the expertise to set and lead their own strategies. Its currently listed grant programs include preventing child sexual abuse, housing and homelessness, and issues affecting women. The foundation’s website describ…
How do I apply for a grant from The Oak Foundation USA?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests through its online letter-of-enquiry process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Oak Foundation USA's EIN?
The Oak Foundation USA's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3321196. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Oak Foundation USA accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching The Oak Foundation USA by hand.
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Browse active grant opportunities in The Oak Foundation USA's focus areas in our free grants database
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