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Samueli Foundation

Annual Giving
$130.0M
Grant Range
$50K - $1.0M
Decision Time
3mo
Success Rate
14%

Samueli Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $130 million (2025 target)
  • Success Rate: 13.7% (Breakaway Fund inaugural cycle)
  • Decision Time: 3-4 months from application deadline
  • Grant Range: $50,000 - $1,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: Orange County, California

Contact Details

Address: Corona del Mar, CA
Phone: (949) 760-4400
Email: info@samueli.org
Website: https://www.samueli.org/
Program-Specific Contacts:

Overview

Founded in 1998 by Henry and Susan Samueli (who signed the Giving Pledge), the Samueli Foundation is a private family foundation based in Corona del Mar, California. Over their first 25 years as philanthropists, the Samuelis gave away nearly $1 billion, supporting organizations impacting Orange County, the nation, and abroad. The foundation's mission is to make Orange County "a vibrant mosaic of community well-being, supporting and uniting catalytic forces whose innovations yield a high quality of life for everyone." Under President Lindsey Spindle's leadership since March 2022, the foundation has dramatically expanded its work, growing from $18.8 million in giving in 2022 to a target of $130 million in 2025. In 2025, the foundation launched three new open-application initiatives (Breakaway Fund, Build OC Fund, and Leadership programs) after conducting a comprehensive Orange County Nonprofit Needs Assessment, marking a significant shift from its historical referral-only approach.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Breakaway Fund: $50,000 - $100,000 (unrestricted, one-year grants)

  • Rolling application process through online portal
  • Designed for rapid expansion of local philanthropic commitment
  • 20-minute simple application process
  • Organizations may submit up to two applications
  • Application closes June 13, 2025, with awards announced September 16, 2025

Build OC Fund: $500,000 - $1,000,000 (capital projects)

  • Supports construction, renovation, repairs, preservation, equipment purchases, or land acquisition
  • Single payment made before December 31, 2025
  • Organizations may submit one application
  • Application closes June 27, 2025, with awards announced by October 2025

Leadership & Impact Programs: Available for eligible organizations

  • Leading for Impact
  • Leadership Accelerator

Strategic Grantmaking: Invitation-only funding through referral system

  • Supports a limited number of mission-aligned organizations
  • Does not accept unsolicited applications

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses on advancing well-being and opportunity for all individuals and families living in Orange County across multiple sectors including:

  • Community development
  • Education and STEM programs
  • Human services
  • Health and integrative medicine
  • Arts and culture
  • Jewish life and culture (significant portion of giving)
  • Services for vulnerable populations (domestic violence survivors, children with disabilities, aging adults, homeless populations)

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations that discriminate based on protected characteristics
  • International entities (except for Jewish life/Israel initiatives)
  • Individuals seeking scholarships
  • Organizations engaged in partisan political work
  • Private foundations without fiscal sponsors
  • Organizations not serving Orange County communities (for open application programs)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

Susan Samueli - Co-Founder & Director
B.S. Mathematics (UC Berkeley, 1972); Ph.D. in nutrition; Diploma in Homeopathy. Former IBM software programmer and systems engineer. Passionate about integrative medicine for over 25 years.

Henry Samueli, Ph.D. - Co-Founder & Director
B.S., M.S., Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (UCLA); Co-founder and Chairman of Broadcom Inc.; UCLA professor since 1985; Owner of Anaheim Ducks NHL team. Henry stated: "Our philanthropy represents the bridge from our family to our community, from the past to the future, and from our passions to our convictions."

Lindsey Spindle - President & Board Director
Appointed March 2022 to lead Samueli Family Philanthropies. Former President of The Jeff Skoll Group and first Chief Communications and Brand Officer at Share Our Strength. On the foundation's approach: "We engage in our work really through the lens of trying to build trust with our community, and be good listeners, be good partners, be good advocates, help connect people. Oftentimes, it's really not our funding that people need. They need someone to help open a door, they need an introduction, they need a problem solve."

Erin Samueli - Board Director
Former Director of Social Justice Philanthropy at Samueli Foundation; M.A. Education (Stanford, 2019); Former middle school science teacher; Current biochemist and strategist at Prosetta Biosciences.

Dr. Shaista Malik - Board Director
Founding Executive Director, Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute; Tenured cardiology professor and NIH grant investigator.

Michael Schulman - Board Director
CEO, Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club; Managing Director, H&S Ventures (Samueli Family Office); UCI Foundation Board member since 1991.

Gordon Greenberg - Board Director
Over 30 years in business crime investigations; Former chief of Financial Investigations Unit, LA US Attorney's Office.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Breakaway Fund and Build OC Fund (Open Application Process):

  1. Visit the Samueli Foundation Grantee Portal at https://www.samueli.org/
  2. Create a new user account or use existing account
  3. Complete eligibility quiz (takes 2 minutes)
  4. Complete and submit application (designed to take no more than 20 minutes)
  5. Applications can be saved and returned to before submission

For Strategic Grantmaking (No Public Application Process):

The foundation invests in a limited number of mission-aligned organizations through a referral system and currently does not accept unsolicited grant applications for strategic grantmaking. The foundation identifies partners through existing relationships, board connections, and community networks.

Decision Timeline

Breakaway Fund:

  • Application period: May 1 - June 13, 2025 (six weeks)
  • Awards announced: September 16, 2025
  • Total timeline: Approximately 3 months from deadline to announcement

Build OC Fund:

  • Application period: May 1 - June 27, 2025 (eight weeks)
  • Awards announced: By October 2025
  • Grant payments: Single payment before December 31, 2025
  • Total timeline: Approximately 3-4 months from deadline to announcement

The foundation's leadership team and Board of Directors make final funding decisions.

Success Rates

Breakaway Fund (Inaugural 2025 Cycle):

  • Applications received: 1,004 (requesting $83 million total)
  • Grants awarded: 138
  • Success rate: 13.7%
  • 77% of awardees had never received Samueli Foundation funding before
  • Foundation increased initial $5 million budget to $11 million due to overwhelming demand and quality of applications

Build OC Fund (Inaugural 2025 Cycle):

  • Applications received: 240 (requesting $170.5 million total)
  • Grants awarded: 8
  • Success rate: 3.3%
  • Foundation increased initial $5 million budget to $6.2 million

Reapplication Policy

The foundation has not published a formal reapplication policy for unsuccessful applicants. However, previous grantees remain eligible to apply and their funding history does not negatively affect consideration—organizations may have multiple concurrent grants.

For unsuccessful Breakaway Fund applicants specifically, the foundation created an AI matching program to help connect unfunded applications with other potential donors. A foundation leader noted: "There were a lot of great ideas that we wished we could back" and expressed belief this system could help some unfunded applicants secure funding elsewhere.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's published evaluation criteria and funded projects, successful applications demonstrate:

1. Clear Connection to Orange County Community Needs

  • Organizations must actively serve Orange County communities (though need not be physically located there for Breakaway Fund)
  • Build OC Fund requires physical presence in Orange County
  • Foundation conducted comprehensive needs assessment to guide priorities

2. Mission Alignment with Community Well-Being

  • The organization helps advance well-being and opportunity for all individuals and families living in Orange County
  • Projects that "enable the organization to better deliver its mission"

3. Realistic and Feasible Proposed Activities

  • The proposed activities are realistic and feasible
  • Funding represents "right resources"—the grant would allow the organization to cover 100% of the requested expense
  • For Build OC Fund: capital projects should be nearing final phase or need the grant award to complete (early-stage projects unlikely to be prioritized)

4. Trust-Based Approach Alignment

  • Foundation values unrestricted funding and minimal reporting
  • Simple applications designed to take 20 minutes, asking "as little as possible for the Foundation to make informed decisions"
  • President Lindsey Spindle: "The Samueli model emphasizes trust over direction"

5. Operational Readiness

  • Breakaway Fund: No minimum operating requirement
  • Build OC Fund: At least 5 years of operation required
  • Site control documentation required for capital projects

Recent Funded Examples Demonstrate Range of Focus Areas:

Breakaway Fund recipients included:

  • Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County (food security)
  • South Coast Repertory (arts and culture)
  • Higher Ground Youth and Family Services (youth services)
  • Irvine Adult Day Health Services (elder care)
  • Korean Community Services (immigrant services)

Build OC Fund recipients demonstrated high-impact capital needs:

  • Human Options Inc. ($1M) - renovating emergency shelter for domestic violence survivors
  • Magnolia Educational & Research Foundation ($995K) - infrastructure improvements for STEM K-8 school
  • John Henry Foundation ($850K) - expanding housing for aging adults with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
  • Kidworks Community Development Corporation ($500K) - headquarters infrastructure updates

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • The foundation dramatically expanded accessibility in 2025: After 25+ years of invitation-only grantmaking, they launched open application programs based on community needs assessment. This represents a significant opportunity for organizations without prior foundation relationships.

  • 13.7% success rate means high competition: The Breakaway Fund inaugural cycle was highly competitive (1,004 applications for 138 awards). However, the foundation increased funding from $5M to $11M mid-process, demonstrating flexibility when they see quality applications.

  • Unrestricted funding and trust-based approach: The foundation explicitly values minimal reporting, quick applications (20 minutes), and giving organizations flexibility. Align your application with this philosophy—focus on impact and capacity rather than elaborate plans and restrictions.

  • 77% of Breakaway awardees were new to the foundation: You don't need an existing relationship to succeed. The foundation is genuinely seeking to expand its reach to organizations they haven't worked with before.

  • Orange County focus is non-negotiable: All open application programs serve Orange County communities exclusively. For Breakaway, you can be located elsewhere but must actively serve OC. For Build OC, physical presence in OC is required.

  • Capital projects should be shovel-ready: Build OC Fund prioritizes projects "nearing a final phase" over early-stage concepts. If you're not ready to execute immediately, wait for a future cycle.

  • Multiple applications welcome (within limits): Organizations can submit two Breakaway applications but only one Build OC application. Consider carefully whether you have truly distinct projects worth two submissions.

References

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