The Oak Foundation Usa

NEW YORK, NY EIN: 13-3321196

The Oak Foundation USA is a private foundation and 501(c)(3) organization based in New York, NY (located at 1 Rockefeller Plaza, 18th Floor). Established in 1986, it operates as a corporate foundation affiliated with Oak Furnitureland. The foundation is part of a larger global Oak Foundation network with administrative headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and offices in multiple countries worldwide.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$17.4M

-27.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$7.4M

-40.6% YoY

Grant Count

-40.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$825K

-1.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Oak Foundation Usa reported a distributable amount of $1.0M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The Oak Foundation makes grants across the following priority areas:

Environment and climate
Sustainable agriculture and clean energy
Housing and homelessness
Human rights
Women's causes
Learning differences
Violence prevention and child sexual abuse prevention
Investigative journalism
Psychological violence research
Shareholder activism on plastics pollution

The foundation works primarily through long-standing partnerships with organizations that have demonstrated success in its areas of interest. The foundation has shifted its grantmaking approach to direct more resources toward general operating support rather than specific programs and initiatives.

Grantmaking

The Oak Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications. The foundation accepts online letters of enquiry from organizations with strong alignment to its priorities. The foundation maintains a detailed grants database available online and is considered a transparent funder.

Grant Range

$71,000 to $7,731,500

How to Apply

Ready to take the next step with The Oak Foundation Usa?

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grantmaking is global, with significant proportions of giving directed to organizations in:

Denmark
United States
United Kingdom
Zimbabwe

Recent grant activity also shows funding in Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina.

Grant Distribution by State

California $17.3M (27%)

Massachusetts $13.6M (21%)

Hawaii $12.0M (19%)

New York $7.4M (12%)

District of Columbia $4.9M (8%)

North Carolina $3.3M (5%)

Virginia $1.7M (3%)

Pennsylvania $1.5M (2%)

+7 more states

States

Alaska Arkansas California District of Columbia Hawaii Illinois Massachusetts North Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania South Carolina Texas Virginia Washington

Cities

AnchorageArlingtonBerkeleyBostonBrooklynCambridgeChicagoDurhamHonoluluLynnfieldMcleanMontclairNeedhamNew YorkNomeNorth CharlestonPhiladelphiaPittsboroRichmondSan Antonio

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Most Recent Filing (2024):

Total Assets: $17,359,462
Total Revenue: $827,919
Total Expenses: $71,768
Net Income: $756,151
Total Giving: $7,452,050

2023 Filing:

Total Assets: $24,037,557
Total Revenues: $1,699,470
Total Expenses: $32,905,066

Staffing:

1 employee listed on 2023 filing

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$17,359,462	$24,037,557	$35,737,118
Revenue	$827,919	$1,699,470	$32,902,551
Expenses	$71,768	$32,905,066	$7,200,905
Qualifying Distributions	$7,452,050	$13,349,513	$7,167,567
Net Investment Income	$799,283	$891,964	$139,008
Distributable Amount	$1,019,129	$1,384,683	$742,621

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 9 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

100 grants across all recorded years

Open Grants

5 open opportunities from The Oak Foundation Usa

Show all 5 →

Foundation

International Human Rights Grant Programme

THE OAK FOUNDATION USA

Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Foundation

Issues Affecting Women Grant Programme

THE OAK FOUNDATION USA

Amount

More than US $25,000

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Foundation

Oak Foundation - Housing and Homelessness Grant Program

THE OAK FOUNDATION USA

Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Hawaii Community Foundation ($4,286,500), Book Harvest ($750,000), Cast Inc ($500,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ARC4JUSTICE INC NEEDHAM, MA	TO SUPPORT THE CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION, BASED IN THE US, WHICH WORKS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF MARGINALIZED AND VULNERABLE PEOPLE.	$99,064
BOOK HARVEST DURHAM, NC	TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO BOOK HARVEST IN ITS EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM LITERACY FOR UNDER-RESOURCED CHILDREN ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA.	$750,000
CAST INC LYNNFIELD, MA	TO PROVIDE CORE SUPPORT TO CAST IN ITS WORK TO TRANSFORM EDUCATION DESIGN AND PRACTICE IN THE US, UNTIL LEARNING HAS NO LIMITS.	$500,000
HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION HONOLULU, HI	TO SUPPORT HCF'S VISION OF AN EQUITABLE AND VIBRANT HAWAII, WHERE ALL ISLAND COMMUNITIES THRIVE.	$4,286,500
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.	$401,520
PROTEUS FUND NEW YORK, NY	TO PROVIDE CORE SUPPORT TO PUENTES.	$300,000
UPSTREAM USA INC BOSTON, MA	TO PROVIDE CORE SUPPORT TO UPSTREAM US IN THE US.	$500,000
VOCAL-NY BROOKLYN, NY	TO PROVIDE GENERAL SUPPORT TO VOCAL-NY, A GRASSROOTS MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION BASED IN NEW YORK CITY THAT BUILDS THE COLLECTIVE VOICE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON LOW-INCOMES AND ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS TO CREATE HEALTHY AND JUST COMMUNITIES.	$400,000
PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE, MA	TO ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORIENTED POLICY SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS INDIA'S CLIMATE AND ENERGY CHALLENGES.	$185,990

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Board & Governance:

Douglas Griffiths, President
Caroline Turner, President/Treasurer/Trustee
Heather Graham, Vice President and Director of Learning Differences Programme
Kristian Parker, Trustee
Natalie Parker, Trustee
James Zha, Secretary

Program Directors:

Adrian Arena, Director of International Human Rights Programme
Nathan Argent, Director of Global Climate Initiative Programme
Julie Broome, Director of Issues Affecting Women Programme
Brigette De Lay, Director of Prevent Child Sexual Abuse Programme
Heather Graham, Director of Learning Differences Programme
Masego Madzwamuse, Director of Environment Programme
Brian Robson, Director of Housing and Homelessness Programme
Rachel Quick, Director of Special Interest

The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes the Parker family. An Advisory Panel supports the foundation's work across various grantmaking issues. The organization employs just over 90 staff members representing 37 nationalities.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
HEATHER GRAHAM	VICE PRESIDENT	1	—
CAROLINE TURNER	PRESIDENT/TREASURER/TRUSTEE	1	—
KRISTIAN PARKER	TRUSTEE	1	—
NATALIE PARKER	TRUSTEE	1	—
JAMES ZHA	SECRETARY	1	—

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

The Oak Foundation has made several significant recent grants and partnerships:

Climate Justice Resilience Fund received a major grant from the foundation

Climate Justice Resilience Fund receives major grant

Understood.org was awarded an Oak Foundation grant to launch a digital resource for students with learning and thinking differences

Understood.org Awarded Oak Foundation Grant to Launch Groundbreaking Digital

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) partnered with the Oak Foundation to combat child sexual abuse

RAINN and Oak Foundation Join Forces to Combat Child Sexual Abuse

Darkness to Light received a multi-million dollar grant from the foundation

Understood.org Awarded Oak Foundation Grant to Launch Groundbreaking Digital

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Oak Foundation Usa fund?

The Oak Foundation makes grants across the following priority areas: • Environment and climate • Sustainable agriculture and clean energy • Housing and homelessness • Human rights • Women's causes • Learning differences • Violence prevention and child sexual abuse prevention • Investigative journalism • Psychological violence research • Shareholder activism on plastics pollution The foundation works primarily through long-standing partnerships with organizations that have demonstrated success i…

How do I apply for a grant from The Oak Foundation Usa?

**Grant Activity:** • Made 18 grants in 2023 and 41 grants in the most recent filing period • Grant range: $71,000 to $7,731,500 • Median grant amount: $299,125 • Giving rate: 36.0% **Recent Grants (2023-2024):** • Hawaii Community Foundation: $7,731,500 • Book Harvest: $750,000 • CAST: $500,000 • Center for Social Innovation: $99,064 (average) • New Teacher Center: $401,520 (average) • VOCAL-NY: $400,000 (average) **Application Process:** The Oak Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant ap…

Where does The Oak Foundation Usa make grants?

Grantmaking is global, with significant proportions of giving directed to organizations in: • Denmark • United States • United Kingdom • Zimbabwe Recent grant activity also shows funding in Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina.

What size grants does The Oak Foundation Usa award?

In 2024, The Oak Foundation Usa awarded 9 grants totaling $7.4M — an average of about $825K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Oak Foundation Usa required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Oak Foundation Usa reported a distributable amount of $1.0M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.