Unlikely Collaborators Foundation
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation is a private foundation based in Wichita, Kansas. Its 2024 grants supported projects including brain research, constructive dialogue, creative writing, mindfulness in schools, and support for people facing illness or major life transitions. The foundation’s website refers to welcoming grantees into its “Perception Box” work.
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation at a glance
In short: Unlikely Collaborators Foundation gave $1.8M across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $118K), top state Massachusetts. 27% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,764,969
- -25.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- -54.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $117,665
- +64.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $55,000
- Total assets
- $37,025,937
- +12.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (4 of 15, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (45% 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 Unlikely Collaborators Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Its website says the grant portal is temporarily closed while the foundation prepares a refreshed RFP model, which it announced for spring 2026.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 5004, Wichita, KS 67201
Phone: (316) 828-0900
Website: https://www.unlikely.foundation
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Unlikely Collaborators Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Northeastern University ($799K). Together the top 10 received $1.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
53 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 28 grants of 53 (53%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Wichita, Kansas, and its 2024 grants went to organizations in multiple states. By share of 2024 grant dollars, Massachusetts received 45%, California 20%, New York 13%, Colorado 8%, and Maryland 6%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Unlikely Collaborators Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 15 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $60K; repeat grants $139K. How we count
Medians: $43K first-time, $75K repeat.
- 73% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 113% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2024). 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 2022 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $235K (2022) to $2.4M (2023). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $1.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| 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 |
Ready to take the next step with Unlikely Collaborators 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 | $37,025,937 | $5,843,333 | $1,848,811 | $1,764,969 | 15 | $1,792,519 | $807,041 | $1,585,332 |
| 2023 | $33,031,415 | $683,009 | $2,421,510 | $2,364,360 | 33 | $2,410,712 | $673,311 | $1,565,490 |
| 2022 | $34,769,916 | $35,004,936 | $235,020 | $235,000 | 5 | $235,000 | $4,916 | $854,176 |
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.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available sources do not state a formal mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of activities, including psychology and neuroscience research, writing workshops, programs that encourage constructive conversations, mindfulness and resilience, and services for people experiencing housing instability or nearing the end of life.
The supported organizations describe their own work in varied terms. PEN America Los Angeles says its mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Naropa University says it educates the whole person and fosters compassionate service, learning, and self-understanding. The Holistic Life Foundation describes work in research and education related to physical and mental improvement, and KALW Public Media says it educates the public through noncommercial radio and other media.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $1,764,969. Grant amounts ranged from $12,500 to $799,153, with a median of $55,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $799,153 to Northeastern University for brain research related to meaning-making and perception; $230,000 to Project Ijtihad DBA Moral Courage Project for efforts to turn divisive dialogue into constructive conversations; and $130,566 to PEN America Los Angeles for in-person writing workshops. Other notable grants included $122,750 to Naropa University for psychedelic training and related programs, and $100,000 to Holistic Life Foundation for its Mindful Moment program in schools.
The foundation also gave $75,000 to Harvest Home for its Alumnae Program and $75,000 to KALW Public Media for its Uncuffed program in California prisons. Additional reported grants included $55,000 to the John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, $35,000 to Creative Visions Foundation, and $30,000 to Swan Songs Musical Last Wishes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Lisa Gregorian as director and president, Zach Goren as director, secretary, and treasurer, and Elizabeth R. Koch as director and chair.
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation is led by Lisa Gregorian, Director & President on every filing since 2022; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Lisa Gregorian
Director & President
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth R. Koch
Director & Chair
On filings since 2023
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Zach Goren
Director, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2022
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2024. "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 Unlikely Collaborators Foundation
How much does Unlikely Collaborators Foundation give each year?
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation gave $1.8M across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $2.4M across 33 grants.
What is Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's typical grant size?
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $55,000, and its average grant was $117,665, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Unlikely Collaborators Foundation that year got $60K on average.
Where does Unlikely Collaborators Foundation give grants?
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's top state is Massachusetts, with 45% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were California (20%) and New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (3 grants) and Boulder, CO (2 grants).
Does Unlikely Collaborators Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 7% of Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's largest grantees?
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Northeastern University ($799,153), Project Ijtihad DBA Moral Courage Project ($230,000) and Pen America Los Angeles ($130,566), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Unlikely Collaborators Foundation?
Unlikely Collaborators Foundation reported $37.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.6M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Unlikely Collaborators Foundation fund?
The available sources do not state a formal mission for the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Unlikely Collaborators Foundation?
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 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.
Does Unlikely Collaborators 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Unlikely Collaborators Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/unlikely-collaborators-foundation-morg_a17f8bc3fded415d8435b340cbcbcbe9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_880946264_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Unlikely Collaborators Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/unlikely-collaborators-foundation-morg_a17f8bc3fded415d8435b340cbcbcbe9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Unlikely Collaborators 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.
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