The Chris And Melody Malachowsky Family Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $5,312,055 (2023)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation only)
• Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
• Grant Range: $23 - $525,000
• Geographic Focus: Global, with concentration in California
• Total Assets: $30,089,087 (2024)
• Number of Grants: 150 grants (2023), 165 grants (2024)

Contact Details

Foundation: The Chris and Melody Malachowsky Family Foundation
Location: Campbell, CA
EIN: 01-0555028
Website: None
Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website and does not accept unsolicited applications.

Overview

The Chris and Melody Malachowsky Family Foundation was established in 2001 by Chris Malachowsky, co-founder of NVIDIA (founded in 1993), and his wife Melody. The foundation has grown significantly, with total assets increasing from approximately $8 million in 2011 to over $30 million in 2024. In 2023, the foundation distributed $5.3 million through 150 grants, with grant sizes ranging from as small as $23 to as large as $525,000. The foundation operates as a private family foundation with both Chris (President & Director) and Melody (Secretary, Treasurer & Director) serving as trustees, neither receiving compensation for their roles. The foundation's grantmaking is global in scope, focusing on conservation, poverty relief, education, and human rights. The foundation operates on a discretionary basis, making contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not maintain formal grant programs with specific application cycles. All grants are made at the discretion of the trustees to preselected organizations.

Grant Size Range: $23 - $525,000 (typical grants)
Annual Distribution: Approximately $5.3 million distributed across 150+ grants annually
Application Method: Invitation only - no public application process

Priority Areas

Environment & Conservation: Strong emphasis on conservation and wildlife habitat protection. Grantees include:

• Environmental Defense Fund
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
• Rainforest Trust
• PetSmart Charities

Education: Focus on STEM learning, youth development, and higher education. Grantees include:

• Computer History Museum
• Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• University of Florida (Chris Malachowsky personally donated $25 million for the Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology)

Health: Broadly supporting health initiatives, with most grants under $50,000. Past grantees include:

• Alzheimer's Association of Greater Illinois
• Lucille Packard Foundation for Children's Health
• Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Human Services: Prioritizing hunger, poverty, and youth development. Past grantees include:

• Feeding America
• Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking
• Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation
• Feeding San Diego

What They Don't Fund

The foundation has not published explicit exclusions, but functions strictly on a preselected basis with no unsolicited applications accepted.

Governance and Leadership

Chris Malachowsky - President & Director
Co-founder of NVIDIA (1993), serving as Senior Vice President for Engineering and Operations. Holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida (1983). Beyond the family foundation, Malachowsky has demonstrated significant philanthropic commitment to education and AI research, notably partnering with NVIDIA to donate $50 million to the University of Florida for an AI supercomputer and data center.

Melody Malachowsky - Secretary, Treasurer & Director
Co-manages the foundation's grantmaking alongside Chris. Together they have directed the foundation's growth from its 2001 founding to its current position distributing over $5 million annually.

Compensation: Both trustees serve without compensation ($0 reported).

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation has explicitly indicated that it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Grants are made at the discretion of the trustees to organizations they have proactively identified and selected.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are made on a discretionary, trustee-initiated basis rather than in response to applications.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications from organizations, instead proactively selecting grant recipients.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application or reapplication process exists.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, examining their grantmaking patterns reveals the following characteristics of organizations they support:

Areas of Focus: Organizations working in environmental conservation (particularly wildlife habitat protection), poverty relief, education (especially STEM and youth development), and human rights are most likely to receive support.

Geographic Patterns: While grantmaking is global in scope, there appears to be a concentration of support for organizations based in or serving California, particularly the Silicon Valley region.

Grant Size Variation: The foundation makes grants of widely varying sizes (from under $100 to over $500,000), suggesting they support both major initiatives at established institutions and smaller projects at grassroots organizations.

Chris Malachowsky's Personal Interests: The foundation's priorities align with Chris Malachowsky's professional background in technology and education. His major gift to the University of Florida for AI and data science infrastructure suggests strong interest in technology education and innovation. As he stated regarding the UF partnership: NVIDIA and he were "excited about partnering with UF to make AI available to K-12 students, state and community colleges, and businesses."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Direct Access: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications or proposals. There is no application process available to organizations seeking funding.

• Discretionary Grantmaking: All grants are made at the trustees' discretion to organizations they have preselected, totaling 150+ grants annually worth over $5 million.

• Broad Grant Range: The foundation makes grants ranging from very small ($23) to substantial ($525,000), indicating flexibility in supporting both major and minor initiatives.

• Four Core Areas: Focus on environmental conservation, poverty relief, education (particularly STEM and youth development), and human rights.

• California Connection: While grantmaking is global, there appears to be particular attention to California-based organizations, especially in the Silicon Valley area where the Malachowskys are based.

• Technology and Education: Chris Malachowsky's background as NVIDIA co-founder and his major personal giving to educational AI infrastructure suggests strong interest in technology education and innovation.

• Limited Public Information: The foundation does not maintain a website, limiting available information about specific grantmaking practices and priorities.

References

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - The Chris And Melody Malachowsky Family Foundation. Accessed January 21, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/10555028

• Inside Philanthropy - Chris and Melody Malachowsky profile. Accessed January 21, 2026. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/major-donors/chris-malachowsky

• Cause IQ - The Chris and Melody Malachowsky Family Foundation profile. Accessed January 21, 2026. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/the-chris-and-melody-malachowsky-family-foundation,010555028/

• AI Business - "Nvidia and its co-founder donate $50m for University of Florida AI supercomputer." Accessed January 21, 2026. https://aibusiness.com/verticals/nvidia-and-its-co-founder-donate-50m-for-university-of-florida-ai-supercomputer

• NVIDIA Blog - "'Starship for the Mind': University of Florida Opens Malachowsky Hall, an Epicenter for AI and Data Science." Accessed January 21, 2026. https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/starship-for-mind-uf-malachowsky-hall/

• Wikipedia - Chris Malachowsky. Accessed January 21, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Malachowsky