Unlikely Collaborators Foundation
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation is a private independent foundation based in Wichita, Kansas, established in March 2023. The foundation operates as a corporate foundation of Tiny Blue Dot Inc., based in Santa Monica, California. It is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization and holds tax-exempt status.
Key facts about Unlikely Collaborators Foundation
- EIN
- 88-0946264
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,764,969
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- Average grant
- $117,665
- Median grant
- $55,000
- Total assets
- $37,025,937
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (45% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated June 2026.
Who Unlikely Collaborators Foundation funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's 15 itemized 2024 grants were Massachusetts (45%), California (20%) and New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (3 grants) and Boulder, CO (2 grants). 7% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$37.0M
+12.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.8M
-25.4% YoY
Grant Count
15
-54.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$118K
+64.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Unlikely Collaborators Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.6M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation primarily funds trauma-informed yoga programs that support the mental and emotional health of incarcerated individuals and correctional officers. Beyond this core focus, the foundation supports initiatives related to perception, identity, belief systems, and human development. The foundation's work is grounded in the "Perception Box™" framework—an internal filters concept that examines how memory, emotion, physiology, environment, and narrative shape perception and behavior.
The foundation supports more than 100 nonprofit organizations working to strengthen community, resilience, and human understanding. Its funding priorities include:
- Mental health and wellness initiatives
- Neuroscience and psychology research
- Adolescent development
- Mindfulness and resilience programs
- First responder support and training
- Education-focused mental health initiatives
- Integrative mental health approaches
Grantmaking
The foundation has demonstrated active grantmaking across diverse sectors. Recent grants include:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, but funds organizations nationally, with notable activity in California and across the United States.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $37,000,000
- Total Revenue: $5,840,000
- Total Expenses: $1,850,000
- Total Liabilities: $0
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $33,031,415
- Total Revenue: $683,009
- Total Expenses: $2,421,510
- Total Giving: $2,364,360
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $37,025,937 | $33,031,415 | $34,769,916 |
| Revenue | $5,843,333 | $683,009 | $35,004,936 |
| Expenses | $1,848,811 | $2,421,510 | $235,020 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,792,519 | $2,410,712 | $235,000 |
| Net Investment Income | $807,041 | $673,311 | $4,916 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,585,332 | $1,565,490 | $854,176 |
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
53 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Northeastern University ($799,153), Project Ijtihad DBA Moral Courage Project ($230,000), Pen America Los Angeles ($130,566).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world for her revolutionary research in psychology and neuroscience. She is a University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University. UC supports Dr. Barrett's research into the evolution and development of the human brain for the sake of understanding meaning-making and the Science of Perception Box. | $799,153 |
| Project Ijtihad DBA Moral Courage Project Brooklyn, NY | The Moral Courage Project teaches people to turn contentious issues and divisive dialogues into constructive conversations and healthy teamwork with UC supporting all of its efforts. | $230,000 |
| Pen America Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | PEN America supports emerging writers in finding their voice and sharing their stories. The UC grant funds in person writing workshops in Los Angeles that help early career and underrepresented writers reflect on personal experience and expand perception box through creative expression. | $130,566 |
| Naropa University Boulder, CO | Naropa University is an accredited university and the only school in the country that grounds the student experience in contemplative education principles. Whether students are studying to become a therapist, an educator, an artist, or an entrepreneur, Naropa infuses contemplative education into every program because awareness of the present moment will serve anyone in their future career. UC supports psychedelic training scholarships and training retreats for underrepresented groups, cosponsorship of space at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Conference, the Psilocybin Facilitator Program, and the Naropa Tea House, all with the goal of psychedelics being utilized in therapy to aid participants in getting a deeper understanding of their traumas and stories. | $122,750 |
| Holistic Life Foundation Baltimore, MD | Unlikely Collaborators' grant supports the Holistic Life Foundation in expanding the Perception Box by bringing mindfulness practices into schools across six U.S. cities through the Mindful Moment (MM) program. Designed for both students and staff, MM provides a safe space to slow down, regain emotional control, and practice mindfulness techniques such as yoga and meditation. By offering tools to recognize and manage unhealthy emotional states, the program fosters conflict reduction, violence prevention, and long-term resilience, empowering participants to cultivate inner peace and self-awareness beyond the immediate moment. | $100,000 |
| Harvest Home Santa Monica, CA | The grant is earmarked to support Harvest Home's Alumnae Program providing graduates of the residential program with case management and emotional wellbeing support, coaching and mentorship, leadership development, skills building workshops, and community building and resourcing events. | $75,000 |
| KALW Public Media Inc San Francisco, CA | Uncuffed is the country's leading radio and podcast training program for individuals in prisons to empower them to tell their stories while developing job skills and inspiring change. The UC grant enables expansion and implementation of programs at San Quentin and Solano prisons and launching of the program at the California Institution for Women. | $75,000 |
| John P McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science Houston, TX | The Health Museum inspires passion and curiosity in health, the medical sciences, and the human body. UC supports the implementation and evaluation of art-based initiatives to expand perspectives on health and thus the walls of their Perception Box. | $55,000 |
| Creative Visions Foundation Malibu, CA | Unlikely Collaborators' grant supports Take Me Out Feet First, a powerful documentary project produced by Creative Visions Foundation. The funding will underwrite one of the series' eleven episodes, featuring the voices of 20-25 terminally ill individuals across the U.S. illuminating their courage and dignity at the end of life. | $35,000 |
| Swan Songs Musical Last Wishes Austin, TX | Swan Songs creates a sense of connection for individuals near the end of life by gifting them private concerts and supports live music in a community by compensating artists for those concerts. UC's support will enable the growth of Community Affiliates programs to expand Swan Songs beyond Austin to more locales. | $30,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Elizabeth R. Koch serves as Founder and CEO. She is a writer, social entrepreneur, and visionary founder who developed the Perception Box™ framework. Koch founded Unlikely Collaborators as a nonprofit storytelling and experiential organization that convenes scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, veterans, educators, and creative thinkers to examine how identity, belief, and adversity reshape perception. She also founded Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, which supports research in neuroscience, psychology, and adolescent development, and The Elizabeth R. Koch Foundation, which supports Los Angeles-based organizations serving caregivers, families, and community health initiatives.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
No officer/director data available.
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has announced multiple grants in recent periods supporting:
Integrative mental health education and training
First responder resilience and mental health support
Unlikely Collaborators Announces Grant to Support Mindfulness First's "MakingMindfulness accessibility and education initiatives
Trauma-informed approaches to mental health in correctional settings
The foundation's approach emphasizes collaboration with leaders and communities addressing "Perception Box" issues across the United States, prioritizing solutions rooted in credibility and empowerment from those with lived experience of the problems being addressed.
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Unlikely Collaborators Foundation fund?
The foundation primarily funds trauma-informed yoga programs that support the mental and emotional health of incarcerated individuals and correctional officers. Beyond this core focus, the foundation supports initiatives related to perception, identity, belief systems, and human development. The foundation's work is grounded in the "Perception Box™" framework—an internal filters concept that examines how memory, emotion, physiology, environment, and narrative shape perception and behavior. The …
How do I apply for a grant from Unlikely Collaborators Foundation?
The foundation has demonstrated active grantmaking across diverse sectors. Recent grants include: • **Northeastern University**: $779,372 to support Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett's research on the evolution and development of the human brain, meaning-making, and the science of perception • **Moral Courage Project**: Support for curriculum development focused on teaching tools to transform contentious issues into constructive conversations • **Inside Outside Circle Foundation**: Funding for trauma-in…
Where does Unlikely Collaborators Foundation make grants?
The foundation is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, but funds organizations nationally, with notable activity in California and across the United States.
What size grants does Unlikely Collaborators Foundation award?
In 2024, Unlikely Collaborators Foundation awarded 15 grants totaling $1.8M — an average of about $118K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Unlikely Collaborators Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Unlikely Collaborators Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.6M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's EIN?
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-0946264. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2024.
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.