Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, so a full proposal cold is unlikely to get a hearing; the route it names is a brief email of about 100 words for thoughts or inquiries related to its work in scientific discovery, environmental conservation and science education.
- Its Bay Area priority makes organisations there the clearest fit, and its stated focus on conservation, science and science-rich education is the test of whether your work matches.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $500 and $975,000, and half are about $125,000 or less, so a request sized near that median is a sensible starting point; the largest grant reported was $20,000,000, so that band is not a ceiling.
- Most of its grant dollars in its latest filing went to organisations it had also funded in the two filings before, so it leans heavily on existing grantees, and a new applicant should expect a slower path.
Overview
Gordon and Betty Moore 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 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation advances scientific discovery, environmental conservation and the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its environmental conservation programme balances long-term conservation with sustainable use, protects critical ecosystems and seeks lasting change in how land, freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems are managed. Its science grantmaking supports technological advances and scientific discoveries, new technologies, imaginative researchers and collaborations across traditional scientific disciplines; it also seeks public engagement with science. In the Bay Area, it supports conservation and science-rich educational institutions through educational programming, teacher development, research and evaluation at learning centres. The foundation invests for the long term in scientifically sound strategies intended to produce measurable results and lasting benefits, and works collaboratively with grantees and other stakeholders.
Themes
- Environmental conservation
- Scientific discovery
- Science education
Geographic Focus
Priority: San Francisco Bay Area. From its grants, not stated by the foundation: California; District of Columbia; Massachusetts; New York; United States; Canada; countries outside the United States.
How to apply
For thoughts or inquiries related to its work, people may send a brief, approximately 100-word email.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 89% 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 2,904 grants to organisations were about $125,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It evaluates potential ideas and significant endeavours through the Four Filters: importance, the possibility of making an enduring difference, measurability and contribution to a portfolio effect.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 7%
Outside the US or with no state on the filing: 27%
- The largest single recipient received 10% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 89% of grant dollars went to organisations Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- 18% of grant dollars went directly to organisations outside the US (Canada, Brazil, Switzerland, United Kingdom).
- 13% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 919 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $200k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Broad Institute · In support of a unique technology platform and associated resources that supports immersive educational experiences that also benefits frontline pandemic response.$20,000,0002024 tax year
- MakeWay Foundation · In support of british columbia durability.$10,000,0002024 tax year
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors · To support climate resilient fisheries management.$10,000,0002024 tax year
- New Venture Fund · To strengthen implementation of the conservation and markets initiative.$8,250,0002024 tax year
- Smithsonian Institution · To support launch of the global geo-trees initiative for tropical forests, which will create a high-resolution carbon biomass verification system based on a worldwide network of forest research sites.$8,000,0002024 tax year
- Resources Legacy Fund · To launch a funding facility that will support countries to develop and implement ambitious policies for nature and climate.$6,500,0002024 tax year
- Stanford University · To support mainstreaming the integration of natural capital approaches into development policy and finance.$5,000,0002024 tax year
- Regents of the University of California · This grant will support the creation of the diagnostic excellence center for engagement, learning, and action (dxcelerator) at ucsf.$5,000,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Kristen Moore — Trustee
- Jonathan Levin — Trustee
- Hilary Krane — Trustee
- Kathleen Justice-Moore — Trustee
- John Hennessy — Trustee & Vice Chair
- Kenneth Moore — Trustee & Chair
- John Dabiri — Trustee
- Rosina Bierbaum — Trustee
- Denise Strack — Chief Investment Officer
- Sasha Abrams — General Counsel & Secretary
- Harvey V Fineberg — Trustee & President
- Ken Siebel — Investment Management Committee
- Edward E Penhoet — Investment Management Committee
- Pardis Sabeti — Trustee - As Of 11/2024
- Ellen Ochoa — Trustee
- Steven Moore — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $456,107,917 | $387,226,039 | $8,278,661,283 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $485,577,761 | $401,820,277 | $8,766,258,805 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $483,168,830 | $403,028,969 | $11,522,694,235 | 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 Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Palo Alto, CA
- moore.org
Applying to Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Palo Alto, CA
- moore.org