Alana Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Alana Foundation makes grants by invitation only and says it does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small nonprofit should not send it a cold proposal.
- If your work falls within its stated themes of health, inclusive education or the environment, it is a plausible fit, but the filing does not set out which kinds of organisation may apply.
- Its median grant was $1,750,000, and half of its six grants to organisations were $1,750,000 or less, while grants reported in the filing range from $10,000 to $8,250,000, so a modest request should be sized with that spread in mind.
- In the latest filing, 99% of grant dollars to organisations went to organisations the foundation had also funded in earlier filings, so giving is strongly relationship-led and new applicants should expect a difficult route in.
- No geographic focus is stated; the filing shows grants mainly in California and Massachusetts, which describes where it has given, not who may apply.
Overview
Alana Foundation is a US private foundation based in New York, NY.
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 Alana Foundation describes itself as a family philanthropy investing in research and technology with an eye toward innovation. Its partnerships and co-investments focus on health, inclusive education and the environment, with the goal of promoting children’s rights and holistic development. Its public initiatives include a competition developing autonomous technologies to map tropical-forest biodiversity, illustrating innovation within its stated environmental focus. Its public description does not specify a general class of eligible applicant organisations.
Themes
- Health
- Inclusive education
- Environment
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California and Massachusetts.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 99% 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 6 grants to organisations were $1,750,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It describes its partnerships and co-investments as focused on health, inclusive education and the environment.
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 70% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to organisations Alana Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
Grants
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- XPRIZE Foundation · To sponsor a competition through xprize foundation to enhance the understanding of tropical rainforests around the world by incentivizing interdisciplinary teams to innovate rapid and autonomous solutions to expedite the monitoring of biodiversity.$8,250,0002024 tax year
- Stanford University · To provide support to the university for down syndrome research.$108,0002024 tax year
- LuMind IDSC Foundation · To provide support in down sydrome research$10,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Flavia Carvalho Doria Alves De Arau — Director
- Isabella Viera Machado Henriques — Director
- Marcos Bessi Nisti — Director
- Ana Lucia Demattos Barretto Villela — 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 | $8,306,283 | $8,150,000 | $156,964 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $5,610,516 | $5,250,000 | $386,448 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $8,802,997 | $8,368,000 | $65,849 | 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 Alana Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY
- alana.org.br/en/alana-foundation
Applying to Alana Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- New York, NY
- alana.org.br/en/alana-foundation