Visa Foundation
Visa Foundation is a private foundation based in San Francisco, California. It supports financial inclusion, community impact and humanitarian assistance, with a focus on helping women-owned and other underserved small businesses access capital, digital skills and business resources.
Visa Foundation at a glance
In short: Visa Foundation gave $38.8M across 81 grants in 2025 (avg $479K), top state Delaware. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $38,788,508
- +8.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 81
- -9.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $478,870
- +19.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $250,000
- Total assets
- $402,618,578
- -7.6% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Delaware (21% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Visa Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Next open deadline
- October 21, 2026 (Visa Foundation U.S. Small Business Growth and Innovation Program)
- Contact
Mailing address: 300 Toni Stone Crossing 2Nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Website: https://corporate.visa.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Visa Foundation
Who Visa Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was American Online Giving Foundation Inc ($8.1M across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $22.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
312 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 75 grants of 312 (24%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Visa Foundation describes its work as global. Its website reports direct funding commitments across more than 60 countries and says its financial-inclusion work has reached small and micro businesses around the world. Visa Foundation Gives focuses on local issues in places where Visa employees live and work; the foundation names Toronto, Johannesburg, London, Miami, the Bay Area and Singapore among locations where it has funded projects.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 81 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Visa Foundation gives
- 54% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 38% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 172% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). 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 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $10.1M (2019) to $38.8M (2025). In 2025 it made 81 grants totaling $38.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc Newark, DE | General & Unrestricted | $6,600,733 |
| African Guarantee Fund - for Small and Medium Size | Expenditure Responsibility Grant | $2,000,000 |
| International Bank for Reconstruction and Developm Washington, DC | Support the growth and resilience of SMBs by collaborating with government and financial institutions to 1) improve access to business & digital training and 2) improve access to financing | $2,000,000 |
| La Clippers Foundation Bellevue, WA | To support the purposes of the FireAid funds being raised in connection with the FireAid Benefit Concert | $2,000,000 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc Newark, DE | General & Unrestricted | $1,500,000 |
| Kiva Microfunds San Francisco, CA | Donor Adviser Fund - K-DAF | $1,450,000 |
| Tipping Point Community San Francisco, CA | Addressing youth homelessness in the Bay Area | $1,250,000 |
| Womens World Banking Inc New York, NY | Empowering Women-Owned Small and Micro Businesses | $1,200,000 |
| 2X Global Limited | the Climate Gender Equity Fund (CGEF) | $1,000,000 |
| Black Economic Alliance Foundation Washington, DC | To support the CBE | $1,000,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Visa Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation’s website separately reports that, from October 2017 through September 2023, it made $80 million in grants and $120.5 million in investments through financial-inclusion partnerships.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $402,618,578 | $9,334,910 | $42,651,320 | $38,788,508 | 81 | $39,697,509 | $6,462,449 | $23,101,479 |
| 2024 | $435,934,988 | $70,248,317 | $39,763,158 | $35,777,048 | 89 | $40,050,388 | $5,258,735 | $26,143,926 |
| 2023 | $405,449,829 | $9,980,232 | $37,797,982 | $35,053,968 | 65 | $35,942,942 | $8,297,859 | $19,620,269 |
| 2022 | $433,267,579 | $12,486,969 | $31,339,247 | $28,077,795 | 35 | $40,979,540 | $10,190,091 | $22,415,892 |
| 2021 | $452,119,857 | $75,228,376 | $28,098,824 | $25,981,450 | 42 | — | $74,552,461 | $23,575,698 |
| 2020 | $404,990,305 | $28,103,636 | $23,520,353 | $22,672,894 | 34 | — | $27,632,741 | $21,024,815 |
| 2019 | $400,407,022 | $11,329,407 | $12,423,858 | $10,056,006 | 12 | — | $11,212,197 | $20,117,382 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Visa Foundation reported a distributable amount of $23.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Visa Foundation describes its aim as promoting thriving communities through economic inclusion and creative solutions. Its stated areas of work include financial inclusion, community impact and humanitarian assistance. The foundation says its financial-inclusion efforts support women-owned and other underserved small and micro businesses with access to capital, digital and financial skills, and business resources.
Its 2025 grants illustrate a range of supported organizations and purposes. For example, the foundation reported a $1.25 million grant to Tipping Point Community to address youth homelessness in the Bay Area; Tipping Point describes its mission as building community to advance promising poverty-fighting solutions. A $1.2 million grant to Women’s World Banking supported women-owned small and micro businesses; the organization describes its mission as expanding the economic assets, participation and power of low-income women and their households. Other 2025 recipients included Kiva Microfunds, which describes its work as expanding financial access for underserved communities through a global microloan platform, and the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, which focuses on economic progress in Black communities through research, education and public policy development.
Visa Foundation Gives makes multi-year grants for local social issues in communities where Visa employees live and work. The foundation also describes employee matching and volunteering, and support for humanitarian relief during crises.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Visa Foundation reported 81 grants totaling $38,788,508. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $6,600,733, with a median grant of $250,000. The largest reported grant was $6,600,733 to American Online Giving Foundation, listed as general and unrestricted. Other large grants included $2 million to the African Guarantee Fund for an expenditure-responsibility grant, $2 million to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support SMB growth and resilience, and $2 million to the LA Clippers Foundation for FireAid funds.
Other reported 2025 grants included $1.45 million to Kiva Microfunds, $1.25 million to Tipping Point Community, $1.2 million to Women’s World Banking, and $1 million each to 2X Global, the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, Charities Aid Foundation America and Pro Mujer.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Graham Macmillan as president and director, and Kelly Mahon Tullier as chair of the board and director. Other listed directors are Frank Cooper, Oliver Jenkyn, Kathleen Kavanagh, Ryan McInerney and Chris Suh. Brooke D Arena is listed as secretary, and Colleen Ostrowski as treasurer.
Visa Foundation is led by Graham Macmillan, President & Director since 2020 (on filings since 2019); none of the 9 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Graham Macmillan
President & Director
President → President & Director, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kelly Mahon Tullier
Director & Chair of the Board
Director → Director & Chair of the Board, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ryan McInerney
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Frank Cooper
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Suh
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Kavanagh
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Oliver Jenkyn
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Colleen Ostrowski
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brooke D Arena
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (15)
- Former: Alfred F Kelly Jr. (2019–2024) — Director & Chair of the Board
- Former: Vasant Prabhu (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Michelle Gethers-Clark (2021–2023) — Director & Vice Chair
- Former: Bill Sheedy (2019–2022) — Director & Chair of the Board
- Former: Lynne Biggar (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Najada Kumbuli (2020–2022) — Head of Mission Investments
- Former: Payal Pathak (2020–2022) — Program Officer
- Former: Robert Meloche (2020–2022) — Head of Programs
- Former: Beth Hurvitz (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Benjamin Kwakye (2019–2020) — Assistant Secretary
- Former: Jolen Anderson (2019–2020) — Secretary
- Former: Jennifer Grant (2020) — Director
- Former: Marianne Mwaniki (2020) — Director
- Former: Douglas Sabo (2019) — Director & President
- Former: Ellen Richey (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Visa Foundation
How much does Visa Foundation give each year?
Visa Foundation gave $38.8M across 81 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $35.8M across 89 grants.
What is Visa Foundation's typical grant size?
Visa Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $250,000, and its average grant was $478,870, across 81 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Visa Foundation give grants?
Visa Foundation's top state is Delaware, with 21% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (13%) and California (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (15 grants), San Francisco, CA (6 grants), Washington, DC (6 grants) and Oakland, CA (4 grants).
Does Visa Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 20% of Visa Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 81) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Expenditure Responsibility" (3 grants).
Who are Visa Foundation's largest grantees?
Visa Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include American Online Giving Foundation Inc ($8,100,733 across 2 grants), African Guarantee Fund - for Small and Medium Size ($2,000,000) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Developm ($2,000,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Visa Foundation?
Visa Foundation reported $402.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $39.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $23.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Visa Foundation fund?
Visa Foundation describes its aim as promoting thriving communities through economic inclusion and creative solutions. Its stated areas of work include financial inclusion, community impact and humanitarian assistance. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Visa Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Visa Foundation's EIN?
Visa Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4503596. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Visa 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 14, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Visa Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Visa Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/visa-foundation-morg_f38cb4ecbfe04eaea554c1b455ca9220
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814503596_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Visa Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/visa-foundation-morg_f38cb4ecbfe04eaea554c1b455ca9220},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Visa 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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