Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 45-5002209 · since 2012chanzuckerberg.com·California, Hawaii, Massachusetts·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$235M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$300k to $5M

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$1.2M

Typical grant (median)

53 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 a cold application is unlikely to be the way in, and a small charity should look for a route that begins with an invitation.
Its stated focus is science, education and local community giving, so work that clearly sits in one of those areas is the fit it describes.
Typical grants fall between $300,000 and $5,000,000, and the median grant is $1,000,000, with half of its grants at $1,000,000 or less, so a request of that order fits better than a much smaller one; the largest grant in the filings is $100,000,000, so the typical band is not a ceiling.
Around two-thirds of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had funded before, which suggests existing relationships carry real weight, although a new organisation can still make an approach.
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show most grants in California, Massachusetts and Hawaii, but that is a pattern in its giving, not a rule about who may apply.

Overview

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative 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 its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 12 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Foundation's public-facing Chan Zuckerberg Initiative work describes grantmaking for people and organisations working towards its missions in science, education and local communities, with awards channelled through several funding entities, including this foundation. Its own filing specifically says it supports science and technology to make it possible to cure, prevent and manage all disease. CZI describes its science work as AI-powered biology to help scientists cure or prevent disease, and its education mission as bringing learning science into tools used by teachers and students, with open, research-driven technology to strengthen teaching and learning. In the filing, grants also reach university research and education organisations, while programme-related investment supports low-income housing. The giving therefore combines scientific research, education and community-facing support, rather than a single kind of recipient.

Themes

Science
Education
Community support

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, Massachusetts and Hawaii.

How to apply

The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 66% 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 232 grants to organisations were $1,000,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

Organisations should be working in support of CZI's missions in science, education or its local community giving.

Where grants go

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

Grant dollars by state

California50%

Massachusetts24%

Hawaii6%

District of Columbia4%

New York4%

Washington3%

6 other states: 6%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 4%

The largest single recipient received 22% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 66% of grant dollars went to organisations Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
2% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (United Kingdom, South Africa, Switzerland, Germany).
3% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

53 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $1.2M

How much do they typically give?

Share of 53 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$100k–$250k6%

$250k–$500k13%

$500k–$1M19%

$1M and over62%

Median $1.2M (tax year 2024)

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

CZ Biohub SF LLC · Science: cz biohub san francsico core support
$60,000,0002024 tax year
President and Fellows of Harvard College · The kempner institute for the study of natural and artificial intelligence at harvard university
$29,600,0002024 tax year
CZ Biohub Chicago · Science: cz biohub chicago core support
$18,000,0002024 tax year
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub · For general operating support
$14,100,0002024 tax year
Chan Zuckerberg Institute for Advanced Biological Imaging · Science: cz imaging institute core support
$12,236,1992024 tax year
CZ Biohub New York · Science: cz biohub new york core support
$12,000,0002024 tax year
San Francisco General Hospital Foundation · To support the capital campaign
$11,500,0002024 tax year
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub · For general operating support
$11,500,0002024 tax year

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

Officers and directors

Kimberly Neufeld — Finance Officer (As Of 9/13/24)
Liz Castellanos — Finance Officer (As Of 9/13/24)
Mark Zuckerberg — Trustee

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$402,637,953	$364,708,682	$5,412,475,782	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$127,622,894	$152,638,625	$6,319,675,100	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$323,025,697	$235,359,065	$7,499,068,854	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.