The Ginkgo Fund
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The Ginkgo Fund does not accept unsolicited requests, so a charity without an existing link to it should not send a cold application.
- The filing shows 94% of its grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in the previous filing, so this is a relationship-led funder where new recipients are uncommon.
- About 8 in 10 of its 44 grants fall between $10,000 and $125,000, and half were $50,000 or less, so a modest request in that typical range fits its usual practice, though its largest grant was $475,000, so the band is not a ceiling.
- No geographic focus is stated, so a charity should not rule itself out on location, although the filing shows grants mainly in Kentucky, California, District of Columbia, Rhode Island and New York.
- Its recipients span education, youth and family services, community and employment support, criminal justice and nonviolence, and science and public policy, so the work should fit one of these areas.
Overview
The Ginkgo Fund is a US private foundation based in Louisville, KY.
What they fund
Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Ginkgo Fund's filed grant record shows support for a varied set of exempt public organisations. Recipients include universities and educational institutions, youth and family services, organisations providing community and employment support, criminal-justice and nonviolence organisations, and groups working on science and public policy. It also gives to organisations associated with Friends and other local community organisations. The reported purposes are uniformly described as use within the recipients' exempt functions, rather than naming a particular project or programme. Its filing indicates that gifts are made to preselected charitable organisations, not through unsolicited requests.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Kentucky, California, District of Columbia, Rhode Island and New York.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2023 filing, 94% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022 and TY2023 filings, half of its 44 grants to organisations were $50,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2023.
Grant dollars by state
2 other states: 8%
- The largest single recipient received 23% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2023, 94% of grant dollars went to organisations The Ginkgo Fund had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 3% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 21 grants in tax year 2023 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2023)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Caltech · To be used within exempt function$475,0002023 tax year
- FCNL Education Fund · To be used within exempt function$250,0002023 tax year
- UCLA Foundation - Emmitt Institute · To be used within exempt function$100,0002023 tax year
- Lincoln Foundation · To be used within exempt function$100,0002023 tax year
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana · To be used within exempt function$75,0002023 tax year
- Home of the Innocents · To be used within exempt function$75,0002023 tax year
- KentuckianaWorks Foundation · To be used within exempt function$50,0002023 tax year
- Friends Publishing Corporation · To be used within exempt function$50,0002023 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Nathan H Thomas — Treasurer / Assistant Secretary
- Stephen B Thomas — Vice President
- Ann Thomas — Vice President / Secretary
- Donald Vish — Executive Director / Assistant Secretary
- Glenn E Thomas — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
2 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $1,809,237 | $1,627,000 | $50,657,834 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $1,791,234 | $1,590,000 | $58,320,841 | Filing for 2023 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
Registers and filings
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At a glance
Applying to The Ginkgo Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Louisville, KY
Applying to The Ginkgo Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Louisville, KY