Grant funders / California / Higher Education
Higher Education Grant Funders in California
3365 foundations with a documented higher education focus have made grants to California nonprofits in recent years, together directing $5.7B to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 3365 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
3365
Higher education funders
$5.7B
Given to California nonprofits
45,087
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active higher education funders in California
| # | Funder | Based in | Total California giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ucla Foundation | California | $1.9B | 6 | 2023 |
| 2 | University of California Irvine Foundation | California | $496.0M | 7 | 2024 |
| 3 | Uc Santa Barbara Foundation | California | $218.5M | 8 | 2025 |
| 4 | California Polytechnic State University | California | $156.6M | 27 | 2024 |
| 5 | San Diego State University Foundation | California | $106.1M | 5 | 2024 |
| 6 | Uc Santa Cruz Foundation | California | $92.7M | 4 | 2023 |
| 7 | The San Francisco Foundation | California | $87.6M | 257 | 2023 |
| 8 | Anderson Stewart Family Foundation | California | $83.0M | 11 | 2024 |
| 9 | United Negro College Fund Inc | District of Columbia | $78.6M | 6 | 2025 |
| 10 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York | $58.1M | 58 | 2024 |
| 11 | University Corporation at Monterey Bay | California | $50.6M | 14 | 2025 |
| 12 | The Community Foundation of Louisville | Kentucky | $50.0M | 4 | 2024 |
| 13 | Gordon E and Betty I Moore Foundation | California | $45.2M | 55 | 2024 |
| 14 | Cal Poly Corporation | California | $41.6M | 21 | 2024 |
| 15 | Crankstart Foundation | California | $36.0M | 107 | 2024 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest higher education funders in California — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 3365 against your nonprofit's actual mission, service area, and budget, and shows you why each one matches. Free, no credit card.
Rank these funders for my nonprofit →Higher Education funders in other states
Other causes funded in California
How this list is built. Bespoke Grants indexes 13M+ grants from public IRS Form 990 filings. This page shows foundations whose giving carries a documented higher education focus and that have funded California nonprofits. Giving figures reflect each funder's total recent grants to California recipients. IRS data publishes on a 1–2 year lag; figures are current through the most recent available filings.