Waverley Street Foundation logo

Waverley Street Foundation

PALO ALTO, CA EIN: 81-3242506 Website

Waverley Street Foundation is a private, non-operating grantmaking foundation based in Palo Alto, California. Established in 2016, the foundation operates as an independent charitable organization focused on investing in community-led programs and innovative solutions to address critical challenges.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.7B

-1.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$282.1M

+25.1% YoY

Grant Count

144

+34.6% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$2.0M

-7.0% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's work centers on turning imagination into reality by investing in community-led programs across several key areas:

  • Climate change and environmental solutions
  • Sustainable food systems and farmland preservation
  • Clean and affordable energy
  • Business innovation and economic development
  • Healing and environmental restoration

The foundation emphasizes core values in its approach:

  • Imagination: Supporting big ideas and creative thinking to catalyze breakthroughs and shape new narratives
  • Collaboration: Welcoming diverse perspectives and including communities previously left out of conversations
  • Joy: Celebrating nature, food, art, movement, and music as part of climate action and community engagement
  • Inspiration: Cultivating a culture of action, optimism, and trust through community connection

Grantmaking

The foundation has demonstrated significant grantmaking activity:

Grant Range

**: $5,000 to $36 million

Average Grant

amount**: $2.5 million

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grantmaking is concentrated primarily in:

  • California
  • New York
  • District of Columbia

These three states account for 56% of all grants. The foundation's reach extends across 25 states, with international presence in Mexico and Brazil.

Grant Distribution by State

26states
+18 more states

Cities

AlbanyAlbuquerqueAlrlingtonArcataArlingtonAtlantAtlantaBasaltBaysideBerkeleyBerkelyBillingsBostonBoulderBrawleyBrooklineBrooklynBurtonsvilleBurtonvilleCambridge

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets and Income:

  • Total assets (2024): $2.74 billion
  • Total assets (2023): $2.78 billion
  • Annual income (2024): $709.1 million
  • Total liabilities (2024): $0

Historical asset growth:

  • 2019: $1.78 billion
  • 2020: $2.99 billion
  • 2021: $2.99 billion
  • 2022: $2.84 billion
  • 2023: $2.78 billion
  • 2024: $2.74 billion
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$361M$721M$1.1B$1.4B20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$2,738,173,726$2,783,969,793$2,844,578,227
Revenue$290,111,328$209,773,699$45,531,839
Expenses$335,907,395$270,382,133$193,913,087
Qualifying Distributions$311,163,099$237,463,886$168,206,559
Net Investment Income$270,251,428$241,180,650$83,769,311
Distributable Amount$163,419,238$165,765,914$156,712,239

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$71M$141M$212M$282M21 grants202024 grants202160 grants2022107 grants2023144 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

CLIMATE IMPERATIVE FOUND…$18.0MTIDES FOUNDATION$10.0MPOTENTIAL ENERGY COALITI…$7.0MROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY…$5.0MCALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS FUND$5.0MVERENIGING MILIEUDEFENSIE$5.0MEQUATION CAMPAIGN AND GL…$5.0MEARTH ISLAND INSTITUTE INC$5.0MBUILDING DECARBONIZATION…$4.5MTAPROOT EARTH$4.0M

Grant Size Distribution

195 grants across all recorded years

2<$50K4$50–100K12$100–250K22$250–500K28$500K–1M97$1–5M30$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Key leadership includes:

  • Jared Blumenfeld: President
  • Jagadha Sivan: Chief Operating Officer
  • Amanda Eller: Strategy Director
  • Emiliano Martinez: General Counsel
  • Nathan Jayappa: Director, Finance
  • Michelle Thompson: Director, People

The foundation is governed by 12 officers and trustees and employs 34 staff members.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

JARED BLUMENFELDPRESIDENT$920KJAGADHA SIVANCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER$659K

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
LAURENE POWELL JOBSVICE CHAIR/DIRECTOR4
ANNE MARIE BURGOYNETREASURER/SECRETARY/DIRECTOR4
J BRADLEY POWELLDIRECTOR4
REED JOBSDIRECTOR4
MONA SIMPSONDIRECTOR4
MICHAEL KLEINDIRECTOR4
LISA JACKSONCHAIR OF THE BOARD/Director6
JARED BLUMENFELDPRESIDENT40$920,193
JAGADHA SIVANCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER40$658,941
DARREN WALKERDIRECTOR4
RAFAEL REIFDIRECTOR4
RADHIKA FOXDIRECTOR4

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

Recent grant announcements demonstrate the foundation's active grantmaking:

$25 million awarded to GRID Alternatives Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund for renewable energy initiatives

GRID Alternatives Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund Awarded $25 million from

$5 million grant to USC Equity Research Institute to strengthen its equity research mission

$5M grant strengthens USC Equity Research Institute's mission for ...

$5 million grant to the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs' Justice Climate Fund

Indigenous Resilience Center receives $2 million grant from ...

$2 million grant to the Indigenous Resilience Center

Indigenous Resilience Center receives $2 million grant from ...

The foundation maintains an active web presence and engages directly with communities and stakeholders as part of its collaborative approach to grantmaking.

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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