The Yelp Foundation
The Yelp Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. Yelp Inc. established it in 2011 with one percent of company equity to support charitable organizations and activities addressing local community needs.
The Yelp Foundation at a glance
In short: The Yelp Foundation gave $886K across 644 grants in 2024 (avg $1K), top state California. 42% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $885,894
- +2.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 644
- -3.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,376
- +6.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $151
- Total assets
- $6,150,024
- -28.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 42% first-time grantees (267 of 640, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (24% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Yelp Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Its website invites representatives of 501(c)(3) organizations to submit information to receive notifications when grant contests launch.
- Contact
Mailing address: 350 Mission St 10Th Fl, San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (415) 908-3801
Website: https://yelpfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Yelp Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Seed Spot ($55K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $485K.
Grant Size Distribution
3,486 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 3,417 grants of 3,486 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares were California (24%), New York (19%), Washington, DC (14%), and Arizona (12%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 644 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Yelp Foundation open to new grantees?
42%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 267 of 640 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $100 first-time, $200 repeat.
- 41% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−8%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 275% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2024). 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 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $862K (2023) to $2.8M (2020). In 2024 it made 644 grants totaling $886K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of The Press Foundation | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| Seed Spot San Francisco, CA | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| Inner City Computer Stars Fdn Washington, DC | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| LA Cocina Inc San Francisco, CA | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| Raising A Reader New York, NY | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| Local First Arizona Foundation Phoenix, AZ | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| Valencia Orlando, FL | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| Building Pathways Inc Roxbury, MA | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| NY Helmets Hardhat New York, NY | contribution to charitable organization | $50,000 |
| Girls Garage Milpitas, CA | contribution to charitable organization | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Yelp Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6,150,024 | $718,875 | $948,170 | $885,894 | 644 | $885,878 | $718,875 | $322,309 |
| 2023 | $8,560,195 | $694,503 | $863,343 | $861,624 | 667 | $861,519 | $694,503 | $362,025 |
| 2022 | $5,939,169 | $563,785 | $1,142,745 | $1,112,868 | 692 | $1,112,763 | $563,785 | $369,954 |
| 2021 | $8,910,791 | $807,396 | $940,703 | $963,200 | 769 | $959,483 | $807,101 | $470,705 |
| 2020 | $8,716,124 | $589,767 | $2,796,862 | $2,794,820 | 714 | — | $589,767 | $394,024 |
| 2019 | $12,293,422 | $706,586 | $949,124 | $910,525 | 624 | — | $706,586 | $635,870 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Yelp Foundation reported a distributable amount of $322K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to support local communities through work addressing access to information, education, local economic development, and freedom of expression, while promoting a culture of philanthropy among Yelp employees.
Its 2024 grantees illustrate a range of supported work. Building Pathways describes its mission as providing pre-apprenticeship workforce training and opportunities for low-income and underrepresented people in the building trades. Local First Arizona Foundation says it provides community and economic development programs and support to people, businesses, and neighborhoods across Arizona. La Cocina describes its work as providing affordable commercial kitchen space and hands-on technical assistance to low-income and immigrant entrepreneurs. Girls Garage describes itself as a design and building program for girls and gender-expansive youth, with programming in STEM, architecture, and carpentry.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 644 grants totaling $885,894. Grant amounts ranged from $3 to $50,000, with a median grant of $150. Among the largest awards were $50,000 each to Freedom of the Press Foundation, Building Pathways, Local First Arizona Foundation, and La Cocina; Girls Garage received $30,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jeremy Richard Stoppelman as director, Joseph Jed Nachman as president, Miriam Warren as chairperson, David Schwarzbach as treasurer, and Shirley McLaughlin as secretary.
The Yelp Foundation is led by Joseph Jed Nachman, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Joseph Jed Nachman
President
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Miriam Warren
Chairperson
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeremy Richard Stoppelman
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shirley McLaughlin
Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Schwarzbach
Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: James Miln (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Laurence Anthony Wilson (2019–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Charles C Baker (2019) — CFO & Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Yelp Foundation
How much does The Yelp Foundation give each year?
The Yelp Foundation gave $886K across 644 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $862K across 667 grants.
What is The Yelp Foundation's typical grant size?
The Yelp Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $151, and its average grant was $1,376, across 644 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Yelp Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does The Yelp Foundation give grants?
The Yelp Foundation's top state is California, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (19%) and District of Columbia (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (50 grants), San Francisco, CA (44 grants), Washington, DC (35 grants) and Phoenix, AZ (25 grants).
Does The Yelp Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 644 grants with a stated purpose on The Yelp Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Matching Contribution Made by Employee of Yelp, IN" (570 grants), "Matching Contribution Made by Employee of Yelp, Inc." (47 grants) and "Contribution to Charitable Organization" (26 grants).
Who are The Yelp Foundation's largest grantees?
The Yelp Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Seed Spot ($55,000 across 2 grants), Freedom of The Press Foundation ($50,000) and Inner City Computer Stars Fdn ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Yelp Foundation?
The Yelp Foundation reported $6.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $886K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $322K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Yelp Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to support local communities through work addressing access to information, education, local economic development, and freedom of expression, while promoting a culture of philanthropy among Yelp employees. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Yelp Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it states that it 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 Yelp Foundation's EIN?
The Yelp Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-4001403. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Does The Yelp Foundation 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Yelp Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Yelp Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-yelp-foundation-morg_721696355306452ca659affd88dbb8d4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_454001403_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Yelp Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-yelp-foundation-morg_721696355306452ca659affd88dbb8d4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-07. 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 Yelp Foundation'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.
The Yelp Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?