Thiel Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
This funder mainly gives to individuals. Around 60% of its grant-making in tax years 2022–2024 went to individuals rather than organisations, so it may not be a good fit for organisational applicants.
Key takeaways
- Thiel Foundation makes contributions only to organisations it has preselected and does not accept unsolicited requests, and the filing gives no steps for becoming preselected, so a cold application from your charity is unlikely to be considered.
- Its repeat giving is strong: 98% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its two earlier filings, so it appears to work mainly with a stable group, and an approach is best made only if you already have a route in.
- Typically about 8 in 10 grants fall between $8,000 and $430,000, with a median of $63,000, but its largest grant was about $1,350,000, to Donors Trust, so that band is not a ceiling.
- No geographic focus is stated, though its grants are mainly in Virginia, California, Illinois, France, United Kingdom and the United States.
- The filing gives no timing or deadlines, so there is no application window to plan around.
Overview
Thiel Foundation is a US private foundation based in Los Angeles, CA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website and other web pages about the foundation (thielfellowship.org, imitatio.org), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation says it supports science, technology and long-term thinking about the future, and backs people tackling hard problems that would otherwise go unsolved. Its programmes include the Thiel Fellowship, which supports young people who want to build new things outside the classroom, and Imitatio, a foundation project supporting work on René Girard’s mimetic theory. Imitatio’s work brings researchers, students and the wider public together to learn from and further those insights. The foundation’s descriptions combine support for people pursuing new ideas with research and discussion across disciplinary boundaries, alongside its broader interest in future-oriented science and technology.
Themes
- Science
- Technology
- Long-term thinking
- Mimetic theory research
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Virginia, California, Illinois, France, United Kingdom and the United States.
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests; no steps for an organisation to become preselected are given.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 98% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 22 grants to organisations were $63,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 7%
- The largest single recipient received 42% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 98% of grant dollars went to organisations Thiel Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 7% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (France, United Kingdom).
- 81% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 6 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $58,157 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Donorstrust · General foundation grant$426,7752024 tax year
- Association Recherches Mimétiques · Imitatio grant$80,0002024 tax year
- Lumen Christi Institute · Imitatio grant$63,0002024 tax year
- Glass Darkly Films · Imitatio grant$53,3132024 tax year
- Adeodatus · General foundation grant$15,0002024 tax year
- Colloquium on Violence and Religion · Imitatio grant$8,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Matthew Alexander — Director
- David Wheelock — President
- Jason Camm — Director
- Blake Masters — Director
- Peter Thiel — Chairman Of The Board
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $7,433,736 | $4,668,150 | $28,591,177 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $3,316,210 | $4,334,013 | $44,447,969 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $3,922,878 | $3,012,338 | $45,244,823 | Filing for 2024 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
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At a glance
Applying to Thiel Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- jeremiah@torchcomllc.com
- Los Angeles, CA
- thielfoundation.org
Applying to Thiel Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- jeremiah@torchcomllc.com
- Los Angeles, CA
- thielfoundation.org