XQ Institute
XQ Institute is an Oakland, California-based private foundation that works to transform high school education in America so students graduate prepared for college, career, and life. It works with communities, educators, and policymakers on school redesign, teaching and learning, and policy.
XQ Institute at a glance
In short: XQ Institute gave $14.1M across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $1.0M), mostly in California. 43% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $14,094,180
- -30.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- -41.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $1,006,727
- +19.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $286,750
- Total assets
- $10,834,287
- +120.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (6 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (61% 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 XQ Institute
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
XQ states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 248 3Rd Street 319, Oakland, CA 94607
Phone: (650) 210-5118
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who XQ Institute funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching ($6.9M). Together the top 10 received $13.8M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($250,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
132 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 45 grants of 132 (34%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
XQ says it has a presence in more than 150 sites through its partnerships, resources, and tools; its About page describes a presence in over 180 sites across the country. In 2024, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 22% to Washington, DC, 14% to New York, 2% to Tennessee, and 1% to Idaho.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is XQ Institute open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 6 of 14 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $174K; repeat grants $1.6M. How we count
Medians: $160K first-time, $822K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $14.1M (2024) to $33.5M (2022). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $14.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Stanford, CA | Support to re-imagine and redefine the high school learning experience | $6,933,052 |
| DC Public Education Fund Washington, DC | Support dc public schools in their work to re-imagine and re-design their schools | $2,403,959 |
| Fund for Public Schools Inc New York, NY | Support nydoe in their work to re-imagine and re-design their schools | $1,830,569 |
| Iovine and Young Foundation Los Angeles, CA | Support the creation of new school, the iovine and young center | $1,000,000 |
| Education for Change Oakland, CA | Support the high school in their work to re-imagine and re-design their school | $643,875 |
| United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Washington, DC | Support development of a redesigned high school to be a model exemplar. | $350,000 |
| Bureau of Indian Education Washington, DC | Support high school math badging system within bie funded schools. | $323,500 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $250,000 |
| The 74 Media Inc New York, NY | Grant in support of journalistic content, focused on amplifying message of rethinking high school education | $150,000 |
| Idaho State University Foundation Inc Pocatello, ID | Support the professional development of math badging initiatives at schools | $70,200 |
Ready to take the next step with XQ Institute?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Amounts are in dollars.
In its 2024 filing, XQ stated that it had no plans to dissolve or reduce operations and attributed the reduction in total net assets to the timing of charitable grants and other activities.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $10,834,287 | $69,425,077 | $70,000,353 | $14,094,180 | 14 | $62,696,067 | $329,318 |
| 2023 | $4,904,857 | $64,656,700 | $73,486,092 | $20,200,043 | 24 | $72,522,561 | $936 |
| 2022 | $12,771,318 | $73,370,038 | $76,120,353 | $33,487,466 | 35 | $75,188,088 | $1,349 |
| 2021 | $14,589,368 | $51,717,404 | $52,734,405 | $23,055,267 | 36 | $52,839,281 | $1,453 |
| 2020 | $15,711,245 | $57,650,011 | $46,645,237 | $23,755,073 | 23 | — | $1,163 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
XQ’s stated mission is to transform high school in America so every student graduates ready for the world they are entering—prepared to thrive in college, career, and life.
Its charitable activities include movement building and public awareness through media, storytelling, reports, donated advertising, and public speaking. It also works with individual schools and school systems to develop new high school designs and shares open-source tools and resources intended to help communities pursue more rigorous and equitable schools.
The 2024 grants show support for a range of organizations working on school redesign and related education efforts. For example, the Iovine and Young Foundation says its primary purpose is to provide enhanced educational opportunities through partnerships with school systems. Education for Change says it seeks to provide a superior public education to Oakland’s most underserved children. Crosstown High School describes its work as preparing students for college, career, and life through personalized learning and project-based learning. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, XQ reported 14 grants totaling $14,094,180. Grant amounts ranged from $930 to $6,933,052, with a median of $286,750. Among the largest awards were $6,933,052 to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to support reimagining and redefining the high school learning experience; $2,403,959 to DC Public Education Fund for DC Public Schools’ school redesign work; and $1,830,569 to Fund for Public Schools Inc. for New York City Department of Education school redesign work.
Other 2024 grants included $1,000,000 to Iovine and Young Foundation to support creation of the Iovine and Young Center; $643,875 to Education for Change for high school redesign; $350,000 to UNCF to support development of a redesigned high school model; and $323,500 to the Bureau of Indian Education for a high school math badging system. XQ also awarded $250,000 to Crosstown High School for implementation of XQ tools and professional learning, and $150,000 to The 74 Media Inc. for education journalism focused on rethinking high school.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Laurene Powell Jobs as chair of the board and Russlynn Ali as chief executive officer. Other listed officers and directors are Michael Klein, director; Geoffrey Canada, treasurer; Yo-Yo Ma, director; Marc Ecko, secretary; Jimmy Iovine, director; Molly Mauer, chief operating officer; and Jonathan Dooley, chief financial and administrative officer. Jeyachandran Ratnagopal is listed as chief financial officer through January 31, 2024.
XQ Institute is led by Russlynn Ali, Chief Executive Officer on every filing since 2020; 3 of 10 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Russlynn Ali
Chief Executive Officer
On filings since 2020
35 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laurene Powell Jobs
Chair of the Board
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jimmy Iovine
Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Klein
Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Yo-Yo Ma
Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeyachandran Ratnagopal
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer → Chief Financial & Budget Officer, 2022
Chief Financial & Budget Officer → Chief Financial Officer, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$282K (2020) → $117K (2024)
Molly Mauer
Chief Operating Officer
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$357K (2021) → $396K (2024)
Jonathan Dooley
Chief Financial & Adm Officer
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$258K (2024)
Geoffrey Canada
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marc Ecko
Secretary
On filings since 2020
25 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $396K, to Molly Mauer (Chief Operating Officer). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about XQ Institute
How much does XQ Institute give each year?
XQ Institute gave $14.1M across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $20.2M across 24 grants.
What is XQ Institute's typical grant size?
XQ Institute's median grant in 2024 was $286,750, and its average grant was $1,006,727, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from XQ Institute that year got $174K on average.
Where does XQ Institute give grants?
XQ Institute gives mostly in California: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (22%) and New York (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (3 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does XQ Institute give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on XQ Institute's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are XQ Institute's largest grantees?
XQ Institute's largest 2024 grantees include Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching ($6,933,052), DC Public Education Fund ($2,403,959) and Fund for Public Schools Inc ($1,830,569), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($250,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is XQ Institute?
XQ Institute reported $10.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $69.4M.
What does XQ Institute fund?
XQ’s stated mission is to transform high school in America so every student graduates ready for the world they are entering—prepared to thrive in college, career, and life. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from XQ Institute?
XQ 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 XQ Institute's EIN?
XQ Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-4422640. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does XQ Institute 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in XQ Institute's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). XQ Institute funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/xq-institute-morg_ebcf269e3f9249c4b1371e1d3f1c82da
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_474422640_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{XQ Institute funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/xq-institute-morg_ebcf269e3f9249c4b1371e1d3f1c82da},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 XQ Institute'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.
XQ Institute down — hundreds of funders to go?