Money, Data & Research
San Diego Foundation grants rose 34% to $137.4 million, in fewer, larger awards
The community foundation made 8,167 grants in fiscal 2025-26, about 900 fewer than a year earlier. Donor-advised funds supplied 65% of the money.
By The Editors · The Game of Giving
The San Diego Foundation awarded $137.4 million in grants in its 2025-26 fiscal year, up 34% from the year before, the community foundation announced on October 28.
A community foundation is a public charity that pools gifts and funds from many donors in one region and makes grants there. The San Diego Foundation reported $1.8 billion in assets and said it has granted more than $2 billion since 1975.
Where did the money go?
Most of it stayed local. The foundation made 8,167 grants to 2,578 nonprofits, and $110 million, or 80%, went to organizations in San Diego County. By area, it reported:
- Family well-being: $51.9 million
- Civic vitality: $40.7 million
- Education: $35.8 million
- Environment: $9.1 million
Through its San Diego Unity Fund, launched in September 2025, the foundation said more than $30 million has been granted or committed to more than 100 nonprofits.
Fewer grants, but bigger ones
The total rose while the number of grants fell. The table below uses figures from the foundation's last three annual announcements, and the average grant is our own arithmetic.
| Fiscal year | Total granted | Grants | Nonprofits | Average grant (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | $114.5 million | 8,509 | 2,313 | About $13,460 |
| 2024-25 | $102.4 million | 9,081 | 2,552 | About $11,280 |
| 2025-26 | $137.4 million | 8,167 | 2,578 | About $16,820 |
By our arithmetic, the number of grants fell about 10% from 2024-25 while the number of nonprofits receiving them rose about 1%, and the average grant grew by roughly half.
How much came from donor-advised funds?
About two-thirds. The foundation said 65% of the $137.4 million came from donor-advised funds, accounts that donors hold at the foundation and recommend grants from, and 35% from grantmaking the foundation directs itself.
That is a lower share than a year earlier, when the foundation said a record of roughly three-quarters of its grantmaking went through donor-advised funds. Applying those rounded shares, our estimate is that foundation-directed grants rose from about $26 million to about $48 million. Treat that as approximate, since the earlier share was not given exactly.
What comes next?
The report marks the end of the Fifty & Forward campaign, which began in 2021, raised $1.3 billion and awarded $500 million in grants, the foundation said. A new five-year plan focuses on family well-being, education, the environment and housing. Housing is an area where the foundation has already launched a $100 million financing partnership.
"These numbers represent more than dollars raised and grants awarded," said Mark Stuart, the foundation's president and chief executive, in the announcement. In our view, the figure for local nonprofits to watch is the foundation's own discretionary grantmaking, the share it steers itself, rather than the headline total, which donor choices can swing from year to year.
General information for donors and nonprofit leaders, not legal or tax advice. How we report is set out in our editorial guide.
