The San Diego Foundation
THE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION INSPIRES ENDURING PHILANTHROPY AND ENABLES COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR REGION.
Key facts about The San Diego Foundation
- EIN
- 95-2942582
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $94,296,130
- Grants made (2025)
- 1,158
- Average grant
- $81,430
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (308 of 1,157, 2025)
- Total assets
- $1,651,991,058
- Primary geography
- California (87% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who The San Diego Foundation funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for The San Diego Foundation's 1,158 itemized 2025 grants were California (87%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Diego, CA (419 grants), La Jolla, CA (37 grants), Washington, DC (30 grants) and New York, NY (27 grants). 46% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "For Scholarships" (80 grants), "For Use as Needed" (5 grants) and "A 2024 Cox Charities Community Grant" (4 grants).
Is The San Diego Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 308 of 1,157 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $44K; repeat grants $95K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $30K repeat.
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with The San Diego Foundation
- How to evaluate The San Diego Foundation as a funder
Our grant prospecting guide: read the 990-PF, check fit, and decide whether to apply.
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Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$1.7B
+6.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$94.3M
-7.8% YoY
Grant Count
1,158
+11.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$81K
-17.2% YoY
About The San Diego Foundation
Based on IRS filings
The San Diego Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in San Diego, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $1.7B in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 1,158 grants totaling $94.3M. Net investment income was $83.2M.
Focus Areas
Ready to take the next step with The San Diego Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 1,158 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,651,991,058 | $1,547,963,068 | $1,449,190,327 |
| Revenue | $196,946,092 | $218,410,559 | $268,696,192 |
| Expenses | $150,764,759 | $151,459,377 | $159,687,256 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $83,246,134 | $81,189,938 | $36,868,015 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
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 2025
Grant Size Distribution
5,139 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest recipients include Community Foundation for Monterey County ($4,956,124), Uc San Diego Foundation ($3,739,925), Policy & Innovation Center ($2,195,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY COUNTY Monterey, CA | FOR THE "BOB" FUND AT CFMC. | $4,956,124 |
| UC SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION La Jolla, CA | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT | $3,739,925 |
| POLICY & INNOVATION CENTER San Diego, CA | FOR SUPPORT OF THE SAN DIEGO REGIONAL POLICY AND INNOVATION CENTER PER AGREEMENT. $1,250,000 GRANT TO BE PAID $250,000 PER YEAR FOR 5 YEARS IN FY22 - FY26 | $2,195,000 |
| JUST TRANSITION ALLIANCE San Diego, CA | TO SUPPORT JUST TRANSITION ALLIANCES TIME AS PART OF THE TCC POST AWARD CONSULTATION (PAC) | $1,912,356 |
| WTA FOUNDATION INC St Petersburg, FL | FOR GLOBAL WOMEN'S HEALTH SUPPORT | $1,500,000 |
| CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE San Diego, CA | TO COMPLETE MAINTENANCE DREDGING AT BATIQUITOS LAGOON | $1,500,000 |
| UC SAN DIEGO La Jolla, CA | 1059 - FRAHIWOT LEGESS - A18300514 | $1,492,102 |
| CAMPANILE FOUNDATION San Diego, CA | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT | $1,358,614 |
| SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY COLLEGE AUXILIARY ORGANIZATION San Diego, CA | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT | $1,205,000 |
| ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO San Diego, CA | FOR GENERAL SUPPORT | $1,197,224 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pam Luster | Chair | 2 | — |
| Steven Klosterman | Vice Chair | 2 | — |
| Dr Pradeep Gidwani MD MPH | Secretary | 2 | — |
| Cindy J Bertrand | Treasurer | 2 | — |
| Alessandra Lezama | Governor (Thru 6/25) | 1.3 | — |
| Allen Young | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Amanda Montgomery | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Amina Sheik Mohamad | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Clifford Schireson | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Dr Becky Petitt | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Elvin Lai | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Gisele Bonitz | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Gloria Corral | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Ken Derrett | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Kevin Hamilton | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Leena Gupta | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Liza Crisafi | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Mel Katz | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| P Kay Coleman | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Rafael Castellanos | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Rudy Johnson | Governor | 1.3 | — |
| Mark a Stuart Cfre | President & CEO | 40 | $641,727 |
| James Howell | VP, Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $457,686 |
| Matt Fettig | VP, Chief Investment Officer | 40 | $407,606 |
| Susan L Guinn | Chief Innovation Officer | 40 | $670,117 |
| Brian Zumbano | VP, Development & Stewards | 40 | $372,131 |
| Pamela G Payton VP Chief | Impact & Partnerships Officer | 40 | $293,295 |
| Theresa Nakata | VP, Chief Communications Officer | 40 | $287,181 |
| Kelly Feuillet | AVP of Finance, Controller | 40 | $268,930 |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The San Diego Foundation?
The San Diego Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, based in San Diego, CA. It holds $1.7B in total assets as of 2025.
How large is The San Diego Foundation?
As of 2025, The San Diego Foundation holds $1.7B in total assets with $196.9M in annual revenue. It awarded 1,158 grants totaling $94.3M in 2025.
Where does The San Diego Foundation operate?
The San Diego Foundation has awarded grants in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
What size grants does The San Diego Foundation award?
In 2025, The San Diego Foundation awarded 1,158 grants totaling $94.3M — an average of about $81K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is The San Diego Foundation's EIN?
The San Diego Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-2942582. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–propublica_summary.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The San Diego Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.