FundersCalifornia

Cm Capital Foundation

Palo Alto, CA · EIN 77-0583870. Reported 180 grants totalling $731,109 to 105 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$1,000median grant
$731,109granted, 2021-2024
105organizations funded
49%of grantees funded again the next year
$4,482,480assets, latest filing

Does this foundation accept applications?

Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Cm Capital Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $1,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $500 and $2,500; the smallest was $50 and the largest $50,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

Under $1,000
70 grants
$1,000 - $5,000
80 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
16 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
4 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
8 grants
$50,000 - $100,000
2 grants

Every organization it funded

This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Ucsf FoundationSan Francisco, CA$160,000432023
AvenidasPalo Alto, CA$92,500542024
Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's HealthPalo Alto, CA$80,000222023
Lucile Packard FoundationPalo Alto, CA$75,000322024
Monterey Bay Chinese AssociationMonterey, CA$50,000112024
Lucile Packard Children's HospitalPalo Alto, CA$35,000112021
Outward Bound CaSan Francisco, CA$19,000332024
San Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco, CA$10,000112023
Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA$10,000222024
UC DavisWest Sacramento, CA$10,000222024
University of IllinoisChampaign, IL$10,000222024
Cal Poly State UniversitySan Luis Obispo, CA$7,500222023
CaltechPasadena, CA$7,500332024
Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN$7,500332024
UC BerkeleyBerkeley, CA$7,500332023
University of Alabama HuntsvilleHuntsville, AL$7,500332024
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA$6,725432024
OrtopPortland, OR$6,000332024
Sacred Heart Community ServiceSan Jose, CA$6,000332024
William Marsh Rice UniversityHouston, TX$5,650332024
Alma EquineSan Jose, CA$5,000332024
Cal State Monterey BaySeaside, CA$5,000112024
California State University NorthridgeNorthridge, CA$5,000112024
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL$5,000222022
UC RegentsLos Angeles, CA$5,000112024
UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA$5,000222023
University of WashingtonSeattle, WA$5,000222022
Stanford UniversityStanford, CA$4,750642024
San Jose Museum of ArtSan Jose, CA$4,000222022
Baywood Elementary SchoolSan Mateo, CA$3,800332024
Super Joey Foundation (bay Area Chapter)Redwood City, CA$3,000332024
Adrian C Wilcox High SchoolSanta Clara, CA$2,500332023
CalltechPasadena, CA$2,500112021
UcsdLa Jolla, CA$2,500112021
Gideon Hausner Jewish Day SchoolPalo Alto, CA$2,409532024
Palo Alto Partners in EducationPalo Alto, CA$2,175222024
Asian Art Museum FoundationSan Francisco, CA$2,000112021
Belmont-Redwood Shores Public School FdnBelmont, CA$2,000222024
Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene IncSan Jose, CA$2,000112024
Leland Stanford JR UniversityStanford, CA$2,000112022
Outward Bound CaliforniaSan Francisco, CA$2,000112021
UC Berkeley FoundationBerkeley, CA$2,000112022
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI$2,000222022
Second Harvest of Silicon ValleySan Jose, CA$1,513332024
UC Santa Barbara FoundationSanta Barbara, CA$1,500222024
Food Bank of Contra Costa & SolanoConcord, CA$1,300222023
(acvo) Vision for Animals FoundationProvidence, RI$1,000112024
Alma EnquineSan Jose, CA$1,000112021
American Red CrossWashington, DC$1,000112021
Belmont-Redwood Shores Public School FoundationBelmont, CA$1,000112022
Brooklyn Heights SynagogueBrooklyn, NY$1,000112023
Burlingame Community for Education FdnBurlingame, CA$1,000112024
De Marillac AcademySan Francisco, CA$1,000112021
Divarity FoundationGranite Bay, CA$1,000112022
Lafayette Partners in EducationLafayette, CA$1,000112023
Martina Animal RescueBenicia, CA$1,000112022
Mini Cat Town IncSan Jose, CA$1,000112023
Peninsula Open Space Trust (post)Palo Alto, CA$1,000112021
Pets in NeedPalo Alto, CA$1,000112023
Redwood City Education FoundationRedwood City, CA$1,000112023
Regents of the University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI$1,000112024
Super Joey FoundationRedwood City, CA$1,000112021
The Little Hands GroupSan Jose, CA$1,000112023
The Trustees of the Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA$1,000112022
UCLA FoundationLos Angeles, CA$1,000112024
Trustees of Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ$852222022
Children's Health CouncilPalo Alto, CA$850322024
Bowman SchoolPalo Alto, CA$750222023
Congregation Beth AmLos Altos, CA$750222023
KqedSan Francisco, CA$750222023
Peninsula Open Space TrustPalo Alto, CA$750222024
City Harvest IncNew York, NY$668112022
The Orinda AssociationOrinda, CA$660442024
Athena AcademyPalo Alto, CA$650222023
Washington UniversitySt Louis, MO$625222023
Share Our StrengthWashington, DC$600112022
Children IncorporatedNorth Chesterfield, VA$540112022
Child & Family InstituteMenlo Park, CA$500112024
Chinese Hospital AssociationSan Francisco, CA$500112024
Doctor Without BordersNew York, NY$500112021
Doctors Without BordersNew York, NY$500112024
Little Children of the WorldBarnesville, GA$500112024
MIT HillelCambridge, MA$500112024
Second Harvest Silicon ValleySan Jose, CA$500112021
Simon Wiesenthal CenterLos Angeles, CA$500112024
St Anthony ChurchLuling, LA$500112021
Truckee Donner Land TrustTruckee, CA$500112022
World Central Kitchen IncWashington, DC$500112024
Youth Tennis Advantage (yta)Oakland, CA$500112021
Hsu Family Charitable Fund IncThe Villages, FL$350112024
Golden State Youth OrchestraPalo Alto, CA$300112022
Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietySan Jose, CA$300222023
American Red CrossCharlotte, NC$250112024
Bayside Academy PTASan Mateo, CA$250112024
St Thomas Aquinas ParishPalo Alto, CA$250212021
University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles Ca, CA$250112024
Gunn High School Music BoostersPalo Alto, CA$200112023
Korean Paws RescueStone Mountain, GA$200112021
Lien Hoa TuSan Jose, CA$200112023
Magical Bridge FoundationPalo Alto, CA$200112022
Northgate Athletic BoostersWalnut Creek, CA$200112021
President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeCambridge, MA$142112022
American Beiyinu Alumnae FoundationWalnut, CA$100112022
San Francisco Chanticleer IncSan Francisco, CA$100112024
Mill Valley Schools Community FoundationMill Valley, CA$50112023

43 of 105 (41%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.

Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 49%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.

What the money was for

Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 98 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.

Education
43 grants
Human Services
10 grants
Arts & Culture
9 grants
Health Care
7 grants
Food & Nutrition
6 grants
Environment
4 grants
Animal Welfare
4 grants
Community Improvement
4 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
202135$204,322$1,000
202247$141,628$1,000
202345$163,341$1,000
202453$221,818$1,000

Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.

Where its money goes

Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 91% of this one's giving went to organizations in California. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.

California
$664K
Illinois
$15K
Massachusetts
$8K
Indiana
$8K
Alabama
$8K
Oregon
$6K
Texas
$6K
Washington
$5K

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Funders that support the same organizations

These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.

Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc40 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc40 shared recipientsFidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund39 shared recipientsVanguard Charitable Endowment Program33 shared recipientsSilicon Valley Community Foundation29 shared recipientsMorgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc29 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $1,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in California.
  3. Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
  4. Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.

Related guides

Foundations funding education in CaliforniaEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding human services in CaliforniaEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding arts & culture in CaliforniaEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding health care in CaliforniaEvery funder in this group, ranked

Where these numbers come from

Everything above is taken from Cm Capital Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.

Address of record on the latest return: 525 University Ave 200, Palo Alto, CA, 94301. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.

EIN 77-0583870 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.