Valhalla Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests and works by invitation only, so a small charity should not send a cold proposal; a warm introduction or an existing contact is the realistic way in.
- Its stated themes are early childhood development, K-12 education, data science education, medical research, methane pollution and collaborative philanthropy, so an organisation should apply only if its work clearly fits one of these, and the stated criteria (rigorous control-group studies for kindergarten readiness, an early track record of scale for data-science education) show what it looks for.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $11,000 and $3,000,000, with a median of $500,000, so a request should be sized to what the programme needs within that typical band rather than assumed to be small.
- Repeat giving is strong: in the filing, 74% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in the filing before, so a new applicant is competing with established grantees and should expect a relationship-led process.
Overview
Valhalla Foundation is a US private foundation based in Woodside, CA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Valhalla Foundation works across early childhood development, K-12 education, data science education, medical research and talent, environmental innovation, and collaborative philanthropy. In early childhood, it funds proven solutions, research, field-building and policy organisations aimed at closing readiness gaps, particularly for low-income children and children of colour; it seeks rigorous, scalable solutions. Its K-12 work backs proven and growing solutions for students, especially those most marginalised, and supports the edtech ecosystem. It funds data-science curricula, research and field-building; medical researchers working on multiple sclerosis and related autoimmune diseases, alongside early-career talent; efforts to monitor methane pollution, deploy proven fixes and develop new solutions; and selected collaborative-philanthropy platforms that pool resources and share learning.
Themes
- Early childhood development
- K-12 education
- Data science education
- Medical research
- Methane pollution
- Collaborative philanthropy
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in New York, California, Virginia, Massachusetts and Colorado.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 74% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 146 grants to organisations were $500,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It looks for kindergarten-readiness solutions supported by rigorous control-group studies, scalable to hundreds of thousands of children in need, and with credible sustainable revenue.
- It backs proven and growing K-12 solutions serving hundreds of thousands of students, especially those most marginalised, and invests in funds building the edtech ecosystem.
- For data-science education solutions, it looks for an early track record of scale and improved student outcomes.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 13%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 11% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 74% of grant dollars went to organisations Valhalla Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 25% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 82 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $550k (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Environmental Defense Fund · Methane, agriculture, and clean air initiatives$11,000,0002023 tax year
- Blue Meridian Partners · Collaborative philanthropy initiative$10,000,0002023 tax year
- City Fund · Scaling high quality public schools$8,333,3332023 tax year
- Waterford Institute · Scaling kindergarten readiness programs$7,299,8432023 tax year
- Charter School Growth Fund · Scaling high quality public schools$7,000,0002023 tax year
- Ucsf Foundation · Medical research initiatives$6,756,0002023 tax year
- KIPP Foundation · Scaling high quality public schools$6,000,0002023 tax year
- Harvard Business School · The digital data and design institute at harvard$3,333,3342023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Sara Allan — President - As Of December 2023
- Amy Rodde — Interim President
- Alex Terman — Secretary
- Scott D Cook — Treasurer
- H Signe Ostby — Board Chair
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $89,926,403 | $81,855,283 | $638,333,924 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $133,120,208 | $113,185,411 | $602,326,886 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.
Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.
Data privacy and security by default
Your organisation's past successful grants and experience
AI analysis of what reviewers want to see
A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours
Spotted something that needs correcting? Let us know
At a glance
Applying to Valhalla Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Woodside, CA
- valhalla.org
Applying to Valhalla Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Woodside, CA
- valhalla.org