Kenneth Rainin Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 94-3289283 · since 1998krfoundation.org·Alameda County, Contra Costa County, International, Marin County, Napa County, Oakland, San Francisc…·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$21.9M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$5,000 to $150k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$30,000

Typical grant (median)

288 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation funds work across three areas: arts, education and health, so check your project sits within one of these before applying.
Its geographic focus is the Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and 6 more counties in California), Oakland, and worldwide, with priority given to the Oakland flatlands.
Most grants are modest: about 8 in 10 of the 710 grants fall between $5,000 and $150,000, with a median grant of $30,000, so a request in that range is realistic, though for Early Care Spaces one-year grants are capped at $75,000 and two-year grants at $100,000.
Applications are accepted but the method varies by programme, so use the link on the Funding Opportunities page during the open application cycle to apply via GivingData.
With 65% of grant dollars going to organisations also funded in the previous two filings, the foundation appears to favour continued relationships, so apply when a programme is open and be ready for a process that rewards ongoing engagement.

Overview

Kenneth Rainin Foundation is a US private foundation based in Oakland, 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

The Foundation’s three areas are arts, education and health. It funds artists working in dance, film, public space and theatre, and encourages experimentation that moves the field forward. Its education grants invest in Oakland schools and community-based organisations supporting literacy and language development for children from birth to eight. In health, it supports novel, high-risk inflammatory bowel disease research, enabling researchers to test ideas, gather data and collaborate across disciplines. Its approach is rooted in community wisdom, partnership, sharing knowledge and leveraging resources. Its core grants support Bay Area artists, Oakland’s youngest learners and inflammatory bowel disease researchers worldwide.

Themes

Arts
Early childhood literacy
Inflammatory bowel disease research

Geographic Focus

Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and 6 more counties in California; Oakland; worldwide. Priority: Oakland flatlands.

How to apply

For open programmes, applicants use the link on the Funding Opportunities page during the open application cycle to create an account and submit an application through GivingData.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 65% 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 710 grants to organisations were $30,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

For Early Care Spaces, it prioritises early care outside traditional education systems or centre-based care, including community spaces.
For Early Care Spaces, it prioritises programmes that build deep connections with informal care providers or Family, Friend and Neighbor care.
For Early Care Spaces, it favours organisations rooted in the community they intend to serve, or with an authentic plan to engage and serve that community.
For Early Care Spaces, it prioritises work in Oakland flatlands, especially neighbourhoods experiencing disinvestment and displacement of low-income children and families.

Where grants go

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

Grant dollars by state

California67%

New York5%

Massachusetts5%

Illinois5%

Minnesota4%

Pennsylvania3%

6 other states: 6%

Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 5%

The largest single recipient received 6% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 65% of grant dollars went to organisations Kenneth Rainin Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
3% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland).
17% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

288 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $30,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 288 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k<1%

$1k–$2.5k7%

$2.5k–$5k2%

$5k–$10k11%

$10k–$25k28%

$25k–$50k18%

$50k–$100k10%

$100k–$250k16%

$250k–$500k5%

$500k–$1M2%

$1M and over1%

Median $30,000 (tax year 2024)

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

Roxie Theater · $1,200,000 for the roxie forever campaign and $100,000 for general operations support of the new facility and staff.
$1,300,0002024 tax year
Community Arts Stabilization Trust · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Community Arts Stabilization Trust · General operating support
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Education for Change · Structured literacy initiative
$900,0002024 tax year
Oakland Unified School District · Structured literacy initiative
$832,4322024 tax year
San Francisco Film Society · Sffilm rainin filmmaking grants and programs
$750,0002024 tax year
United States Artists · For the rainin fellowship program.
$600,0002024 tax year
Trustees Of University Of Pennsylvania · Neuro-epithelial interactions in mucosal regeneration
$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

Dash Patterson — Director
William Rogers — Director
Moy Eng — Director
Rivkah Medow — Director
Michelle Trott — Executive Director / Secretary
Lauren Webster — CFO / Treasurer
Jennifer Rainin — CEO / Director / President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$30,790,626	$17,154,748	$608,719,527	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$36,985,705	$16,191,989	$641,172,974	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$50,479,043	$21,886,455	$668,933,681	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.