The TomKat Foundation is a private independent foundation based in San Francisco, California, established in 2006 by Thomas F. "Tom" Steyer and Kathryn "Kat" Taylor. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization and creates and partners with innovative organizations focused on climate stability, sustainable food systems, and broad prosperity.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$42.8M
-12.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$5.0M
-38.4% YoY
Grant Count
50
+150.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$100K
-75.4% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tomkat Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The TomKat Foundation's mission is to create and partner with innovative organizations that envision a world with climate stability, a healthy and just food system, and broad prosperity. The foundation embraces the interconnectedness of complex systems and believes that understanding the relationships between financial practices, energy usage, and food production methods is critical to sustaining a healthy planet.
The foundation organizes its grantmaking around three primary priorities:
Good Money: The foundation supports the development of a fair and transparent financial system that builds financial literacy and economic prosperity. It focuses on beneficial banking, the empowerment of consumers and communities in their financial actions, and alternatives to predatory financial services. The foundation prioritizes organizations that lend to businesses and nonprofits meeting human needs in a just and sustainable manner.
Good Food: The foundation supports lasting solutions to global climate change, ecosystem degradation, and feeding a growing human population through innovation and collaboration that brings together the interests of agriculture, the environment, and sustainability.
Good Energy: The foundation supports climate change mitigation and clean energy resources.
Additional funding interests include higher education and arts and culture.
Grantmaking
Grant Range
s:** The foundation makes grants ranging from $10,000 to $4.7 million, with typical awards between $5,000 and $3,000,000.
Invitation Only
** The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and operates through invitation-only grantmaking. There is no public application process. The foundation works mainly through ongoing collaborative relationships with national organizations.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's grantmaking is primarily focused on the United States, with a strong emphasis on California. Additional grantmaking activity has been noted in Colorado and Vermont.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $49.1 million
- Total Revenues: $12.4 million
- Total Expenses: $8.3 million
- Total Liabilities: $10,000
Revenue Breakdown (2023):
- Grants and contributions: $12,169,245
- Investment income and dividends: $52,067
- Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: $144,145
Tax Status: Tax-exempt since May 2023; EIN: 92-1160421
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $42,795,689 | $49,126,680 | $46,406,503 |
| Revenue | $5,535,246 | $12,365,457 | — |
| Expenses | $5,236,946 | $8,311,481 | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | $5,192,332 | $8,300,448 | — |
| Net Investment Income | $2,683,989 | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | $2,166,024 | $2,061,812 | — |
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 2024
Grant Size Distribution
70 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Center for Ecoliteracy ($750,000), Nextgen Climate America ($650,000), Regenesis Community Development ($650,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ACTA NON VERBA YOUTH URBAN GARDEN PROJECT OAKLAND, CA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $10,000 |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION TEMPE, AZ | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $20,000 |
| CALIFORNIA FARMLINK APTOS, CA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $25,000 |
| CAMPTI FIELD OF DREAMS RUSTON, LA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $50,000 |
| CANA SAN FRANCISCO, CA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $50,000 |
| CENTER FOR ECOLITERACY BERKELEY, CA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $750,000 |
| CENTER FOR RURAL ENTERPRISE & ENVIRONMENT MADISON, AL | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $10,000 |
| COMMUNITY MOVEMENT BUILDERS CLARKSTON, GA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $10,000 |
| COMPTON KIDZ CLUB PLAYA VISTA, CA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $100,000 |
| CURIODYSSEY SAN MATEO, CA | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT | $60,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Founders: Thomas F. "Tom" Steyer and Kathryn "Kat" Taylor
Kat Taylor is co-founder and CEO of Beneficial State Bank. The foundation's mission reflects the couple's philosophy articulated as "Good food. Good money. Good energy."
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KATHRYN A TAYLOR | PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| THOMAS STEYER | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The TomKat Foundation is part of the broader Steyer philanthropic network, which succeeded the TomKat Charitable Trust that operated from 2008-2015 with $132 million in assets. The foundation's giving increasingly flows into organizations founded or deeply influenced by the couple, including the Beneficial State Foundation and TomKat Ranch.
TomKat Graduate Fellowships Awarded to Move Research Toward TranslationalThe foundation's founders have also made significant contributions to higher education sustainability initiatives, including $40 million to create the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy at Stanford University and $25 million to establish Yale's Energy Sciences Institute.
Stanford teams move emerging sustainability technologies and business modelsSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Tomkat Foundation fund?
The TomKat Foundation's mission is to create and partner with innovative organizations that envision a world with climate stability, a healthy and just food system, and broad prosperity. The foundation embraces the interconnectedness of complex systems and believes that understanding the relationships between financial practices, energy usage, and food production methods is critical to sustaining a healthy planet. The foundation organizes its grantmaking around three primary priorities: **Good …
How do I apply for a grant from Tomkat Foundation?
**Grant Sizes:** The foundation makes grants ranging from $10,000 to $4.7 million, with typical awards between $5,000 and $3,000,000. **Annual Giving:** The foundation distributed $8.3 million in grants in 2023. **Recent Grants (2023):** • NextGen Education Fund: $3,000,000 (unrestricted charitable grant) • NextGen Policy: $2,940,000 (unrestricted charitable grant) • Center for Ecoliteracy: $500,000 (unrestricted charitable grant) **Application Process:** The foundation does not accept unsolici…
Where does Tomkat Foundation make grants?
The foundation's grantmaking is primarily focused on the United States, with a strong emphasis on California. Additional grantmaking activity has been noted in Colorado and Vermont.
What size grants does Tomkat Foundation award?
In 2024, Tomkat Foundation awarded 50 grants totaling $5.0M — an average of about $100K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Tomkat Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Tomkat Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.2M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Tomkat Foundation's EIN?
Tomkat Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 92-1160421. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Tomkat Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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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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