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Valhalla Foundation

Annual Giving
$113.2M
Grant Range
$100K - $6.0M

Valhalla Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $113.2M (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $100,000 - $6,000,000+
  • Geographic Focus: U.S. national (with some international development work)
  • Application Method: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited applications

Contact Details

Address: 2995 Woodside Rd # 400-560, Woodside, CA 94062-7323
Telephone: 650-529-9207
Email: info@valhalla.org
Website: https://valhalla.org/

Overview

The Valhalla Foundation was established in 2003 by Scott D. Cook (co-founder of Intuit Inc.) and Signe Ostby. With assets exceeding $602 million, the foundation has committed over $1 billion to date through both foundation grants and personal donations. The foundation is a signatory to the Giving Pledge and operates under a data-driven, highly rigorous approach to grantmaking, focusing on "driving measurable and meaningful improvement in outcomes that matter." In 2023, the foundation awarded $113.2 million through 82 grants, representing significant growth from prior years. The foundation emphasizes collaborative philanthropy and has been a co-founding partner in major initiatives including NextLadder Ventures ($1 billion, 15-year initiative launched in July 2025 with Gates Foundation, Ballmer Group, Stand Together, and John Overdeck).

Funding Priorities

Six Core Impact Areas

Early Childhood Development

  • Goal: Dramatically improve kindergarten readiness, especially for low-income children and children of color
  • Focus on interventions proven through rigorous studies with control groups
  • Scalable solutions with sustainable revenue models reaching hundreds of thousands of children
  • Recent major grant: $6 million to Reach Out and Read National (April 2024)
  • Grantees include: HealthySteps, Waterford Upstart, Centering Healthcare Institute, Family Connects, ParentCorps, AVANCE, Nurse-Family Partnership, Too Small To Fail

K-12 Education

  • Goal: Dramatically improve academic achievement and attainment nationwide
  • Funds proven, growing solutions serving hundreds of thousands of students
  • Emphasis on low-income children and children of color
  • Focus on educational equity and ecosystem building
  • Recent major grant: Second-largest in Leading Educators' 13-year history (November 2024) for School Teams AI Collaborative and science educator network
  • Grantees include: KIPP Foundation, Khan Academy, Imagine Worldwide, Charter School Growth Fund, City Year, Digital Promise, Owl Ventures, Reach Capital, Silicon Schools Fund

Data Science Education

  • Goal: Expand data science curriculum so all students can participate in the modern economy
  • All students need basic data science skills, not just those pursuing technical careers
  • Funds high-quality curricula and professional development for teachers
  • Curriculum providers: CourseKata, Introduction to Data Science (IDS)
  • Research grantees: Concord Consortium, ExcelinEd, Outlier Research & Evaluation
  • Field building: Data Science for Everyone Coalition at RISC

Medical Research & Talent

  • Goal: Prevent, remediate, and cure multiple sclerosis and related autoimmune diseases
  • Build robust pipeline of new talent in medical research
  • Provides "early, consistent, meaningful, and catalytic funding" to leading researchers
  • Focus: UCSF EPIC and ORIGINS studies (longitudinal MS research with 83% accuracy in predicting MS three years before onset)
  • Support for Dr. Stephen Hauser at UCSF (recipient of 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences)
  • Funding includes early-career scientists at institutions that can nurture their talents

Environmental Innovation

  • Goal: Cut methane pollution to protect people and nature
  • Convenes partners working at international, national, and local levels
  • Major support for Environmental Defense Fund's methane reduction initiative (target: 45% reduction by 2025, 75% by 2030)
  • Significant support for MethaneSAT satellite project for precise global methane emissions measurement
  • Air quality monitoring using sensor technology to map pollution sources
  • Recent impact: EDF's work convinced Congress to invest $296M in air monitoring

Collaborative Philanthropy

  • Goal: Accelerate charitable impact by combining resources with other funders
  • Supports select collaborative platforms for massive scale potential
  • Partner with The Audacious Project since inception (grantees include Clean Slate Initiative, Educate Girls, Global Fishing Watch, Innovative Genomics Institute, One Acre Fund, Thorn, Waterford Upstart)
  • Partner with Blue Meridian Partners ($10 million donation in 2021)
  • Co-founder of NextLadder Ventures (July 2025, $1 billion initiative over 15 years)

What They Don't Fund

  • Unsolicited requests for funding
  • Single beneficiary organizations
  • Projects without rigorous evaluation evidence
  • Solutions without scalability potential
  • Interventions lacking demonstrated impact through controlled studies

Governance and Leadership

Trustees

  • Scott D. Cook (Founder & Treasurer): Co-founder of Intuit Inc., Giving Pledge signatory
  • H. Signe Ostby (Founder & Board Chair): Giving Pledge signatory

Executive Leadership

  • Sara Allan (President, joined January 2024): Former Director in the U.S. Education Program at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2011-2023). Leads Valhalla's people and strategy across all six issue areas.
  • Amy Rodde (Former President, 2014-2023): Served as Valhalla's first President for nine years from inception through June 2023; now serves on successor board

Founders' Philosophy (from Giving Pledge letter)

Scott Cook and Signe Ostby: "Rather than waiting, we are giving now. The challenges in the world are too real today; and we want to be part of the solution."

They focus on major challenges including: "low-income children entering kindergarten already behind, public schools widening achievement gaps, methane and greenhouse gas damage to climate, and diseases with poorly understood causes and cures."

On medical research priorities, Signe Ostby explains: "One of Valhalla's primary objectives is to accelerate medical breakthroughs across a range of diseases by funding promising early-career scientists at institutions that can nurture their talents."

Sara Allan (President) on NextLadder Ventures: "NextLadder Ventures will back leaders building practical solutions that work on the ground to help low-income Americans grow their incomes and achieve greater well-being."

Decision-Making Criteria

The foundation assesses grant/investment decisions against six guideposts:

  1. Innovative solution meeting an important unmet need
  2. Demonstrated impact on learning and life outcomes proven through rigorous evaluation
  3. Potential for meaningful scale
  4. Sound business practices
  5. Scalability such that solutions can impact hundreds of thousands in need
  6. Credible sources of sustainable revenue

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The Valhalla Foundation explicitly states on their website: "We do not accept unsolicited requests for funding."

Grants are awarded based on:

  • Proactive identification by trustees and staff
  • Strategic alignment with the foundation's six core impact areas
  • Demonstrated outcomes through rigorous evaluation with control groups
  • Scalability potential to reach hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries
  • Pre-existing relationships within their focus sectors

The foundation supports both nonprofit organizations and for-profit social impact organizations that meet their criteria.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation operates on a trustee-discretion model with strategic grantmaking decisions made by founders Scott Cook and Signe Ostby, along with President Sara Allan and foundation staff.

Success Rates

Not applicable due to invitation-only model. The foundation made 82 grants totaling $113.2 million in 2023.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Since Valhalla Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, organizations funded by Valhalla typically share these characteristics:

Evidence-Based Approach

The foundation has an unwavering commitment to rigorous evaluation. All funded solutions must demonstrate "meaningful improvement in outcomes that matter" proven through rigorous studies with a control group. This is non-negotiable across all program areas.

Scale and Sustainability

Valhalla funds solutions that are "proven and growing" with the potential to reach "hundreds of thousands" of beneficiaries. The foundation looks for credible sources of sustainable revenue, not pilot projects or limited-scope interventions.

Alignment with Strategic Priorities

Organizations must directly address one of the foundation's six impact areas with clear connections to their stated goals (e.g., kindergarten readiness for low-income children, methane pollution reduction, MS research breakthroughs).

Recent Funding Patterns (Examples of Funded Work)

  • Early childhood interventions: Home visiting programs, pediatric care integration, parent engagement programs with proven kindergarten readiness outcomes
  • K-12 education: Charter school networks serving disadvantaged students, education technology funds, teacher professional development with demonstrated student achievement gains
  • Data science: Curriculum providers with evidence of student data literacy improvement, field-building coalitions
  • Medical research: Longitudinal studies at leading research institutions (UCSF), early-career scientist support at institutions with track records
  • Environmental: Technology-driven measurement and advocacy (MethaneSAT), policy organizations achieving regulatory wins
  • Collaborative funds: Audacious Project ventures, Blue Meridian Partners poverty-reduction initiatives

Organizational Maturity

Review of grantees suggests the foundation favors established organizations with track records over startups. Recent grantees include national organizations like KIPP Foundation, Khan Academy, Environmental Defense Fund, and research institutions like UCSF.

Innovation Within Proven Frameworks

The foundation values innovation ("innovative solution meeting an important unmet need") but only when coupled with demonstrated results. The 2024 grant to Leading Educators for a "School Teams AI Collaborative" exemplifies funding innovation (AI integration) within a proven model (Leading Educators' 13-year track record).

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No unsolicited applications accepted: Valhalla operates on an invitation-only model. Organizations cannot apply directly for funding.
  • Rigorous evidence is mandatory: Without controlled study results demonstrating measurable outcomes, organizations will not be considered. This is the foundation's most critical requirement.
  • Scale matters significantly: The foundation explicitly seeks solutions impacting "hundreds of thousands" of beneficiaries. Small-scale projects are outside their scope.
  • Collaborative approaches are valued: Participation in pooled funds (Audacious Project, Blue Meridian Partners, NextLadder Ventures) shows the foundation's commitment to working with other major funders.
  • Long-term strategic partnerships: Grants like the $6 million three-year award to Reach Out and Read suggest the foundation makes sustained commitments to aligned organizations.
  • Focus on equity: Low-income children and children of color are explicitly prioritized across education program areas, reflecting founders' commitment to addressing achievement gaps.
  • Both nonprofit and for-profit eligible: The foundation supports social impact organizations regardless of tax status if they meet criteria for innovation, evidence, scale, and sustainability.

References

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