The Kavli Foundation
Invitation OnlyLos Angeles, California · EIN 77-0560142 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$17.4M
Organizations funded100
Typical grant$60,000
Total assets$604.1M
Half of its grants to organizations were between $25,000 and $166,667.
From the return
How to apply
On its return for tax year 2024 the foundation checked the box saying it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
75% of grants went outside California.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford Univers | Stanford, CA | The via project: the milky way as a dark matter laboratory | $2,000,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at Ucsd | LA Jolla, CA | Kavli institute for brain and mind - phase III | $1,000,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology | Delft, NL | Kavli institute innovation award kind | $853,800 |
| Kavli Neural Systems Institute (Rockefeller University) | New York, NY | Kavli nsi phase III | $833,333 |
| William Marsh Rice University | Houston, TX | Kavli exploration award - carbon nanotubes 2023 | $632,500 |
| National Academy of Sciences | Washington, DC | Kavli frontiers of science symposia | $600,000 |
| Brandeis University | Waltham, MA | Nice sengupta 2024 | $550,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at MIT | Cambridge, MA | Kavli institute for astrophysics and space research phase III | $500,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia University | New York, NY | Kavli institute for brain science at columbia : phase iii-a | $500,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience at the Norwegian University | Trondheim, NO | Ki for systems neuroscence at ntnu phase III | $500,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University | Haidian District, CH | Kavli institute for astronomy and astrophysics at peking university 2019-2023 | $479,000 |
| University of Washington Foundation | Seattle, WA | Nice riffell 2024 | $450,000 |
| William Marsh Rice University | Houston, TX | Qg3d-Rice 2024 | $426,863 |
| Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the Univ | Kashiwa, JA | Kavli institute for the physics and mathematics of the universe - phase i | $375,000 |
| University of Copenhagen | DA | Kavli exploration award - kermen 2023 | $347,440 |
| Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the Univ | Kashiwa, JA | Kavli institute for physics and mathematics of the universe - phase II | $250,000 |
| Regents of the University of California at Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | Kavli center for ethics, science, and the public | $250,000 |
| The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge | Cambridge, UK | Kavli centre for ethics, science, and the public | $250,000 |
| University of California Berkeley Foundation | Berkeley, CA | Kavli berkeley discovery fellows 2024 | $220,000 |
| Institut Du Cerveau Et de LA Moelle Epiniere | Paris, FR | Kavli exploration award - fkne de juan-sanz 2023 | $213,944 |
| Kavli Institute for Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology | Delft, NL | Kavli institute of nanoscience phase III | $200,000 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | Kavli-Laukien postdoctoral fellows | $200,000 |
| University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Education | Shijingshan District, CH | Kavli institute for theoretical sciences at university of chinese academy of sciences | $200,000 |
| Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne | Lausanne, SZ | Neuro open source software (noss): deeplabcut 2024 | $195,500 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | Kavli exploration award - handy 2024 | $170,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | Kanwisher kp award donation: mcgovern institute for brain research | $166,667 |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | Justice in basic research agendas (jubra): an equity-centered protocol for assessing basic research (nce scisoc) | $149,953 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | Qg3d-Stanford 2024 | $143,750 |
| Tata Institute of Fundamental Research | Bangalore, IN | Neuro open source software (noss): moose 2024 | $134,852 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | Kavli exploration award - garner 2024 | $115,000 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (Rpa) | New York, NY | Support of science philanthropy | $110,000 |
| Falling Walls | GM | Ethics and public engagement about breakthrough science | $100,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at Ucsd | LA Jolla, CA | Kavli discovery fellows 2024 | $100,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | Kavli scholars - encieh erfani | $100,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford Univers | Stanford, CA | Kipac public engagement | $100,000 |
| National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (Nasem) | Washington, DC | Implications of recent supreme court decisions on science | $100,000 |
| Romsdal Museum | Molde, NO | Operations and capital endowment grant for fred kavli knowledge center (kavli moen gard) - 2024-2028 | $100,000 |
| Trust for Conservation Innovation (Multiplier) | San Francisco, CA | Civic science funder collaborative | $100,000 |
| Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Ku Leuven) | Leuven, BE | Kavli scholars -- mykyta kliapets | $94,820 |
| Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at MIT | Cambridge, MA | Inclusive and sustainable model for fostering public engagement with basic science | $81,472 |
| Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the Univ | Kashiwa, JA | Kavli astrophysics postdoctoral fellowship at kavli ipmu masafusa onoue and boris kalita | $80,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia University | New York, NY | Kavli institute for brain science phase II - amended | $76,065 |
| Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Discovery at Oxford (Kavli Insd) | Oxford, UK | Kavli scholar award 2024 - oxford | $71,000 |
| Regents of University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) | Los Angeles, CA | Kavli scholars -- ibrahim (abraham) amiri | $66,102 |
| Marine Biological Laboratory | Woods Hole, MA | Scialog sm3 roberson 2024 | $66,000 |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | Scialog sm3 zha 2024 | $66,000 |
| University of California Berkeley Foundation | Berkeley, CA | Building an engaged scientists network | $65,550 |
| National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (Nasem) | Washington, DC | Nas - workforce development | $62,500 |
| National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (Nasem) | Washington, DC | Nas - workforce development | $62,500 |
| Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at Ucsd | LA Jolla, CA | Kibm symposium 2024 | $60,000 |
| Leiden University | Leiden, NL | The timing of communicating science in the making: the ethics of strategically hyping basic science for public engagement | $60,000 |
| Max Planck Society | Munich, GM | Neurodata discovery: yanez 2024 | $57,500 |
| National Autonomous University of Mexico | Universitaria, MX | Neurodata discovery - velzquez contreras 2023 | $57,500 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | Kavli exploration award - seo 2024 | $57,500 |
| Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the Univ | Kashiwa, JA | Kavli scholars -- kateryna vovk | $55,752 |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | Scialog mbc economo 2023 | $55,000 |
| Washington University | St Louis, MO | Scialog mbc chen 2023 | $55,000 |
| Community Initiatives | Los Angeles, CA | Comscicon | $50,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at Ucsd | LA Jolla, CA | Ucsd kavli institute director fund | $50,000 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | International research federation on the origins of life and astrobiology annual meetings | $50,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 100 grants to organizations.
The return also lists 7 grants to individuals ($1,333,334). We do not publish the names of individual recipients.
Grants approved for future payment
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford Univers | Stanford, CA | 2988 the via project: the milky way as a dark matter laboratory | $3,000,000 |
| Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University | Haidian District, | 2897 kavli institute for astronomy and astrophysics at peking university 2024-2028 | $2,395,000 |
| William Marsh Rice University | Houston, TX | 3028 qg3d-rice 2024 | $858,141 |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | Stanford, CA | 3029 qg3d-stanford 2024 | $287,500 |
| Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne | Lausanne, | 2948 neuro open source software (noss): deeplabcut 2024 | $195,500 |
| University of California Berkeley Foundation | Berkeley, CA | 3032 kavli berkeley discovery fellows 2024 | $170,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | 3024 mcgovern institute for brain research | $166,667 |
| Tata Institute of Fundamental Research | Bangalore, | 2950 neuro open source software (noss): moose 2024 | $129,642 |
| National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (Nasem) | Washington, DC | 2937 nas - workforce development | $125,000 |
| Falling Walls | 2990 ethics and public engagement about breakthrough science | $100,000 | |
| Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at Ucsd | LA Jolla, CA | 3047 kavli discovery fellows 2024 | $100,000 |
| Romsdal Museum | Molde, | Gift for biennial events at fred kavli knowledge center (norway) | $100,000 |
| The UCLA Foundation | Los Angeles, CA | 3021 kavli exploration award - holbrook 2024 | $100,000 |
| Peking University Education Foundation | San Mateo, CA | 2780 kavli astrophysics postdoctoral fellowship at kiaa boris kalita | $80,000 |
| Materials Research Society (Mrs) | Warrendale, PA | 2974 symposium x - mrs/the kavli foundation frontiers of materials 2024-2025 | $70,000 |
| University of Nottingham | Nottingham, | 2955 abds academy 2024 eke | $50,000 |
| American Associates of the Sts Forum | New York, NY | 2936 membership agreement - 2024 | $25,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $17,416,685 | 131 |
| 2023 | $18,506,915 | 136 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 3, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202503079349101115
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 77-0560142
- Profile updated Nov 4, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.