Aurora Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Aurora Foundation makes grants only to organisations it has preselected and does not accept unsolicited requests, and the filing gives no applicant-led route, so a small charity cannot apply to it directly.
- Its stated purposes are broad, covering charitable, religious, scientific, literary and educational purposes, and the filing states no geographic focus, but its recorded organisation grants went to a charitable gift fund, so the filing gives little basis for judging fit.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $2,500,000 and $13,000,000, with a median of $2,500,000 and a largest grant of $53,500,000, so a small organisation's request is unlikely to match that scale.
- Every grant dollar it gave to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in an earlier filing, so any approach would need to come through an existing relationship or an invitation rather than a cold request.
Overview
Aurora Foundation is a US private foundation administered by its trustee, Goldman Sachs Trust Company of Delaware, in Wilmington, DE.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 13 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The filings describe its grants as supporting charitable purposes and furthering religious, scientific, literary and educational purposes. Its recorded organisation grants went to a charitable gift fund, rather than directly identifying a range of operating charities. The filings do not name the ultimate organisations or activities benefiting from those distributions. They also do not set out a more specific charitable focus, eligibility criteria for organisations, or a preferred location for grantmaking. The record therefore identifies broad purposes and a charitable gift fund as the recipient, rather than an applicant-facing account of the foundation’s priorities.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants spread across the United States.
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests; the filing gives no applicant-led submission route.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 100% 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 21 grants to organisations were $2,500,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 64% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 100% of grant dollars went to organisations Aurora Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 100% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund · Charitable purposes$53,500,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Richard Knezevich Esq — Trust Protector
- Goldman Sachs Trust Co — Administrative Trustee
- RBC Trust Company (Delaware) LTD — Institutional Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $55,606,822 | $52,393,909 | $621,765,157 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $39,710,702 | $37,750,000 | $660,663,466 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $55,931,988 | $53,500,000 | $674,340,843 | 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 Aurora Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
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Contact
- Wilmington, DE (office of its trustee, Goldman Sachs Trust Company of Delaware)
Applying to Aurora Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Wilmington, DE (office of its trustee, Goldman Sachs Trust Company of Delaware)