Torrey Coast Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The foundation's stated focus is gastroesophageal cancer research, with its proposal programme supporting preclinical research and Phase I trials, so the work needs to sit in that field or in scientific and medical research for the request to fit.
- Most of its grants fall between $75,000 and $1,000,000 and half are $200,000 or less, so a modest request in the lower part of that range is the realistic size, although the largest grant was $2,550,000 and the band is not a ceiling.
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through the GEMINI website with a biosketch, a justified budget and a two-page proposal, and indirect costs must stay within 10 percent of the total budget.
- Repeat funding is substantial, with 68% of its grant dollars to organisations going to ones it had also funded in earlier filings, but the foundation says it welcomes investigators new to the field, and the filing does not say how competitive or relationship-led the process is.
Overview
Torrey Coast Foundation is a US private foundation based in San Diego, 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 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
GEMINI, which the Foundation funds, is a consortium of academic scientists and oncologists devoted to discovering new therapies for gastroesophageal cancer. Through this network, it connects scientists and clinicians across institutions to translate preclinical research into therapies for patients. Its proposal programme supports preclinical research and Phase I trials in gastroesophageal cancer. It encourages innovative and high-risk, high-reward work and welcomes investigators new to this field. Filing records are chiefly for scientific and medical research, including grants to universities, medical schools and cancer institutes.
Themes
- Gastroesophageal cancer research
- Scientific and medical research
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in California, New York and Massachusetts.
What They Don't Fund
- GEMINI only: Any indirect costs charged by the institutions will be negotiated to a minimum, but in no event will there be permitted a charge of more than 10 percent of the total budget
How to apply
Applications are submitted on the GEMINI website with a biosketch, a justified budget and a two-page proposal covering background, proposed experiments, rationale, expected outcome and timeline.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 68% 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 61 grants to organisations were $200,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- GEMINI encourages innovative research projects.
- GEMINI welcomes investigators new to gastroesophageal malignancies.
- GEMINI funds high-risk, high-reward research projects that may not be able to get funding from other sources.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
5 other states: 2%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 1%
- The largest single recipient received 28% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 68% of grant dollars went to organisations Torrey Coast Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 1% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Singapore, Switzerland).
- 46% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 25 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $250k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Entertainment Industry Foundation · Scientific research$2,550,0002024 tax year
- SU2C Convergence - Project 2 · Scientific research$1,150,0002024 tax year
- Mark Foundation for Cancer Research · Medical research$1,000,0002024 tax year
- SU2C Amendment #3 - Project 3 · Medical research$690,0002024 tax year
- Ucsd Foundation · Medical research$535,0002024 tax year
- Columbia University · Scientific research$500,0002024 tax year
- La Jolla Country Day · General funding$500,0002024 tax year
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · Medical research$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
- Alan Braynin — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $11,741,516 | $6,638,495 | $303,352,893 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $5,702,969 | $6,486,061 | $312,148,367 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $10,078,289 | $10,685,429 | $317,053,780 | 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
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Torrey Coast Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (858) 754-8156
- San Diego, CA
- teamgemini.org
Applying to Torrey Coast Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (858) 754-8156
- San Diego, CA
- teamgemini.org