The Benificus Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The Benificus Foundation, based in San Carlos, CA, does not accept unsolicited requests and works by invitation only, so a cold proposal is unlikely to be considered.
- Its grants are broad, covering climate and environmental work, education, health and medical research, advocacy, museums and cultural organisations, food banks and community services, and most are described as general purpose, so a wide range of missions may fit, although no geographic focus is stated and the filings show grants mainly in California, New York, District of Columbia and Colorado.
- About 8 in 10 grants fall between $10,000 and $7,100,000, and the median is about $260,000, so a request of around that size is a reasonable reference if an invitation is secured, though the largest grant was about $105,000,000 and that band is not a ceiling.
- Repeat giving is high, with 75% of grant dollars to organisations going to groups the foundation had funded in earlier filings, so it appears to rely on established relationships, and a small organisation without an introduction should not expect a first request to succeed.
Overview
The Benificus Foundation is a US private foundation based in San Carlos, CA.
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 12 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation's recorded grants went to a varied group of charitable and public-benefit organisations. These include climate and environmental organisations, universities and other educational bodies, health and medical research organisations, advocacy and policy groups, and public-interest media. Its grants also reached museums and cultural organisations, food banks and community services, and organisations working in areas such as human rights, disability and youth support. Most recorded grant purposes are described as general purpose rather than tied to a named field, so the recipient mix shows the kinds of organisations that received grants rather than a stated set of funding priorities.
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, New York, District of Columbia and Colorado.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 75% 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 154 grants to organisations were about $260,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
4 other states: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 23% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 75% of grant dollars went to organisations The Benificus Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 28% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 56 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $501k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Climate Imperative Foundation · General purpose$45,776,0972024 tax year
- Calico Life Sciences · Parkinson's disease research$31,400,0002024 tax year
- Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research · General purpose$21,383,5802024 tax year
- Aspen Global Change Institute · General purpose$10,135,1182024 tax year
- Northwestern University · General purpose$8,078,3122024 tax year
- TED Foundation · General purpose$7,412,6712024 tax year
- Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · General purpose$7,094,6602024 tax year
- Alliance For Climate Protection Dba Climate Reality Project · General purpose$7,000,0012024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Barbara S Hager — CEO
- Ann Howland Doerr — President, CFO, And Secretary
- L John Doerr III — Vice President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $100,161,609 | $99,890,001 | $296,119,368 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $220,283,579 | $220,068,974 | $227,357,860 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $186,693,536 | $186,037,167 | $98,333,614 | 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
🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.
Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.
Data privacy and security by default
Your organisation's past successful grants and experience
AI analysis of what reviewers want to see
A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours
Spotted something that needs correcting? Let us know
At a glance
Applying to The Benificus Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- San Carlos, CA
Applying to The Benificus Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- San Carlos, CA