The Packard Humanities Institute
The Packard Humanities Institute (PHI) is a non-profit foundation established in 1987 and headquartered in Los Altos, California. PHI operates as an active operating foundation rather than a purely grant-making entity, undertaking a small number of long-term projects with direct professional staff participation. The organization employs approximately 26-37 staff members and maintains a significant web presence with over 100,000 monthly visits.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$918.5M
+7.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.7M
-62.7% YoY
Grant Count
8
-52.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$459K
-20.7% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Packard Humanities Institute reported a distributable amount of $37.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
PHI was established to create tools for basic research in the Humanities and to foster public interest in the history, literature, and music of the past. The foundation's primary focus areas include:
- Archaeology
- Music preservation and publication
- Film preservation and digitization
- Historical archives and conservation
- Greek epigraphy
- Early education
The institute's current operating activities include editing and publishing the musical scores of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, creating facsimile editions of Mozart's operas, and supporting humanities database projects. PHI has also created databases on Latin literature, Bible texts, texts in Arabic and Coptic, Ancient Greek papyri and inscriptions, and the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Grantmaking
PHI functions primarily as an operating foundation with long-term project commitments rather than a traditional grant-making foundation. Most PHI projects are expected to last a decade or more, involving long-term financial commitments and professional partnerships with teams of scholars at major universities.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
PHI's grant-making focuses primarily on California and New York, with national and international reach for its humanities database and music publication projects.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $918,496,536
- Total revenue: $16,233,758
- Total expenses: $23,032,313
- Net income: -$6,798,555
- Total liabilities: $4,810,000
Tax Status:
- 501(c)(3) organization
- Tax-exempt since November 1987
- EIN: 94-3038401
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $918,496,536 | $853,186,056 | $833,843,798 |
| Revenue | $16,233,758 | $14,352,831 | $16,849,267 |
| Expenses | $23,032,313 | $25,790,468 | $36,056,188 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $16,375,516 | $49,488,473 | $32,540,769 |
| Net Investment Income | $12,542,121 | $12,340,875 | $18,955,247 |
| Distributable Amount | $37,154,072 | $31,752,848 | $31,354,845 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 8 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
83 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies Athens ($1,400,000), Stanford Theatre Foundation ($1,000,000), University of Oxford ($320,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN SCHOOL IN ATHENS | TO SUPPORT THE AGORA EXCAVATIONS POJECT | $312,000 |
| GEORGE EASTMAN MUSEUM ROCHESTER, NY | TO SUPPORT FUNDING OF STAFFING POSITIONS | $87,040 |
| IRISH INSTITUTE OF HELLENIC STUDIES ATHENS | TO SUPPORT THE PURCHASE OF BUILDING TO HOUSE THE IRISH ISNTITUTE | $1,400,000 |
| LEIDEN UNIVERSITY | TO SUPPORT FOR THE STUDY OF THE HINTERLAND OF MEDIEVAL CHALKIDA | $250,000 |
| STANFORD THEATRE FOUNDATION LOS ALTOS, CA | TO SUPPORT STANFORD THEATRE BUILDING REFURBISHMENT | $1,000,000 |
| STANFORD THEATRE FOUNDATION LOS ALTOS, CA | TO SUPPORT STANFORD THEATRE GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES. | $200,000 |
| UCLA FILM ARCHIVE SANTA CLARITA, CA | TO SOF COLLECTION SERVICES STAFF SALARIES AND BENEFITS | $100,000 |
| UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD | CHARITABLE DONATION | $320,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- President: David Woodley Packard
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAVID W PACKARD | PRES/CHAIR/DIR | 30 | — |
| BARBARA P WRIGHT | SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| SI WHITE | TREASURER/CFO | 25 | $191,385 |
| WALTER B HEWLETT | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| WILLIAM A JOHNSON | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| CHRISTOPH J WOLFF | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| RICHARD HODGES | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ARIANNA PACKARD MARTELL | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| WOODLEY PACKARD | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
PHI has made significant recent commitments to humanities initiatives, including major funding for the I Tatti Renaissance Library at Harvard University's Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. The institute continues its long-standing work in music publication, particularly the comprehensive multi-volume edition of C.P.E. Bach's compositions and facsimile editions of Mozart's operas, making these works available to professional musicians, scholars, students, libraries, colleges, and universities in the United States and abroad.
2026 Humanities and AI Virtual Institute Development Awards - Schmidt SciencesFrequently Asked Questions
What does The Packard Humanities Institute fund?
PHI was established to create tools for basic research in the Humanities and to foster public interest in the history, literature, and music of the past. The foundation's primary focus areas include: • **Archaeology** • **Music preservation and publication** • **Film preservation and digitization** • **Historical archives and conservation** • **Greek epigraphy** • **Early education** The institute's current operating activities include editing and publishing the musical scores of Carl Philipp E…
How do I apply for a grant from The Packard Humanities Institute?
PHI functions primarily as an operating foundation with long-term project commitments rather than a traditional grant-making foundation. Most PHI projects are expected to last a decade or more, involving long-term financial commitments and professional partnerships with teams of scholars at major universities. **Financial Activity (2024):** • Total giving: $3,669,040 • Typical award range: $3,000–$7,100,000 **Recent Grant Recipients:** • I Tatti Renaissance Library (Harvard University Center fo…
Where does The Packard Humanities Institute make grants?
PHI's grant-making focuses primarily on California and New York, with national and international reach for its humanities database and music publication projects.
What size grants does The Packard Humanities Institute award?
In 2024, The Packard Humanities Institute awarded 8 grants totaling $3.7M — an average of about $459K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Packard Humanities Institute required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Packard Humanities Institute reported a distributable amount of $37.2M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Packard Humanities Institute's EIN?
The Packard Humanities Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3038401. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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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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