The Schmidt Family Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- If your work falls within renewable energy, resilient food systems, healthy oceans, human rights or ocean technologies, and reaches communities around the world or in the United States, the foundation's stated priority focus is a reasonable match to test.
- Most of its grants fall between $25,000 and $420,000, with a median of $100,000, so a request in that region is typical, although its largest grant was about $8,500,000 and that band is not a ceiling.
- The filing shows that 79% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in earlier filings, so it leans towards returning grantees, and a first approach from a new organisation should be made with that pattern in mind.
- For Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, short proposals go through its portal during a brief recurring summer window, and published sources give a range of $100,000 to $400,000; because that programme does not fund basic scientific research, organisations doing such research should not apply to it.
- Its other programmes accept applications in a method that varies by programme, so check the current programme details before writing.
Overview
The Schmidt Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Palo Alto, CA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and web pages about the foundation (11thhourproject.org, schmidtmarine.org), with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Through the 11th Hour Project, the foundation partners with communities around the world for renewable energy, resilient food systems, healthy oceans and the protection of human rights. It resources movements run by and serving historically excluded demographics, particularly BIPOC and frontline communities, and embeds inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility into its organisational strategies. Through Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, it supports teams developing promising marine technologies and technologies with potential to solve ocean conservation challenges at scale. Its approach includes financial and non-financial support as grantees develop, validate and pilot their technologies.
Themes
- Renewable energy
- Resilient food systems
- Healthy oceans
- Human rights
- Ocean technologies
Geographic Focus
Priority: Around the world; United States. (as reported in other published sources) From its grants, not stated by the foundation: California; New York; District of Columbia.
What They Don't Fund
- Schmidt Marine Technology Partners only: basic scientific research (as reported in other published sources)
How to apply
Schmidt Marine Technology Partners accepts short proposals through its portal during a brief recurring summer window; if a proposal is a potential fit, the team requests additional information, including a more detailed proposal.
Deadlines: A short proposal window generally runs in summer.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 79% 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 1,870 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The foundation resources movements run by and serving historically excluded demographics, particularly BIPOC and frontline communities. (as reported in other published sources)
- Schmidt Marine typically supports projects at technology readiness levels 2–6. (as reported in other published sources)
- Schmidt Marine assesses feasibility based on the proposed technology, team, financial merits or budget, and timeline. (as reported in other published sources)
- Schmidt Marine looks for innovations that are novel and solve a fundamental problem. (as reported in other published sources)
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 9%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 22%
- The largest single recipient received 4% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 79% of grant dollars went to organisations The Schmidt Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 7% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (United Kingdom, South Africa, The Netherlands, Belgium).
- 14% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 695 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $130k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation · Ocean stewardship and research$8,000,0002024 tax year
- Human Rights Watch · Capacity building, fostering youth development and leadership, protecting human rights (us or general), protecting human rights in africa$6,665,0002024 tax year
- Sustainable Markets Foundation · Capacity building, protecting human rights in africa, encouraging a just transition away from fossil fuels, protecting human rights (us or general)$3,537,5002024 tax year
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors · Encouraging a just transition away from fossil fuels, protecting human rights (us or general)$3,400,0002024 tax year
- Realize Impact · Encouraging a just transition away from fossil fuels$3,200,0002024 tax year
- Sogorea Te Land Trust · Supporting indigenous communities' land stewardship, self-determination, and cultural representation$3,175,0002024 tax year
- KQED · Strengthening civic engagement$3,000,0002024 tax year
- RSF Social Finance · Protecting human rights in africa$2,679,1172024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Jeanne Huey — Chief Financial Officer
- Frances Babb — Secretary
- Joseph Sciortino — Executive Director / Director
- Maria Seferian — General Counsel / Director
- Amy Rao — Director
- Sophie Schmidt — Director
- Eric Schmidt — Director
- Wendy Schmidt — President / Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $144,654,900 | $112,763,357 | $1,589,082,861 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $168,451,929 | $137,557,862 | $1,834,552,574 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $227,730,180 | $185,125,970 | $1,990,498,177 | 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 The Schmidt Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (650) 376-7100
- Palo Alto, CA
- tsffoundation.org
Applying to The Schmidt Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (650) 376-7100
- Palo Alto, CA
- tsffoundation.org