Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 26-6908382 · since 2010oprahfoundation.org·International·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$23.4M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$25,000 to $1.3M

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$150k

Typical grant (median)

25 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests, so an unsolicited application should not be sent, and an approach should go only through a route it invites.
Its stated focus is education, women and children, food insecurity, and care and recovery, and it works through organisations and local groups, so a grassroots group working in one of these areas fits its aims.
About 8 in 10 of its 63 grants to organisations fall between $25,000 and $1,250,000, with a median of $150,000, so a request of that order is a typical size, not a ceiling.
Its giving is strongly repeat-led: 96% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had already funded, so a new applicant should expect the first contact to be the hardest step.
Its largest grant, about $18,000,000, went to Entertainment Industry Foundation, an organisation that regrants to other organisations.

Overview

Oprah Winfrey Charitable 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, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The foundation supports organisations around the world, particularly those serving children, families and communities, with a specific focus on youth education. It prioritises access to quality education and describes education as a way for vulnerable and underserved communities to reach their potential. Its stated mission is to educate, uplift and empower women and children. Alongside education, it supports grassroots organisations working to lift the most vulnerable in their communities. Its website also records work with organisations addressing food insecurity and with groups responding to care and recovery needs, including health care and shelter. Its approach is to work through organisations and local groups.

Themes

Education
Women and children
Food insecurity
Care and recovery

Geographic Focus

Around the world.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 96% 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 63 grants to organisations were $150,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The foundation prioritises making quality education accessible and giving leaders a chance to lift themselves and others.
The foundation supports grassroots organisations working to lift the most vulnerable in their communities.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

California75%

Maryland7%

Illinois5%

Hawaii3%

New York3%

New Jersey2%

6 other states: 5%

The largest single recipient received 38% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to organisations Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
42% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

25 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $150k

How much do they typically give?

Share of 25 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$10k–$25k16%

$25k–$50k12%

$50k–$100k12%

$100k–$250k20%

$250k–$500k12%

$500k–$1M20%

$1M and over8%

Median $150k (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

The Entertainment Industry · To provide funds directly to members of communities in maui county, hawaii who experienced the loss of their home due to the wildfires.
$8,919,0772024 tax year
Ow Leadership Academy Foundation · For operating expenses for the oprah winfrey leadership academy for girls in south africa
$8,882,4112024 tax year
Us Dream Academy · Transformative mentoring program for youth to build character, skills and dreams in a safe out of school time environment.
$947,9722024 tax year
Herrendorf Family Foundation · To develop, facilitate and support the oprah winfrey leadership scholarship program.
$925,0002024 tax year
Herrendorf Family Foundation · To develop, facilitate and support the oprah winfrey leadership scholarship program.
$910,0002024 tax year
Herrendorf Family Foundation · To develop, facilitate and support the oprah winfrey leadership scholarship program.
$524,9002024 tax year
Telluride Council for the Arts · To help preserve and restore the telluride transfer warehouse into a public arts.
$500,0002024 tax year
Omprakash Foundation-Humanity Crew · To provide mental health support in global missions.
$270,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Robert Greene — Co-Trustee
Gayle King — Co-Trustee
Oprah G Winfrey — Co-Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$15,021,345	$11,292,466	$209,493,240	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$41,852,608	$37,675,404	$182,145,385	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$28,720,045	$23,439,360	$172,042,378	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.