128 Collective Foundation

The 128 Collective Foundation operates as a strategically directed private foundation funded by the personal philanthropy of Thomas Preston-Werner (GitHub cofounder) and Theresa Preston-Werner. Unlike most foundations with open application cycles, 128 Collective functions exclusively through a preselection model — grantees are identified by foundation leadership and invited to apply via a proprietary invite code system at fundingportal.128collective.org. Once an invite code is issued, applicants have a strict 14-day window to complete and submit their application, making preparation before invitation essential.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on what it calls "high-leverage, upstream, and under-resourced strategies" — specifically backing organizations working on policy, advocacy, organizing, and political change rather than direct service delivery. Theresa Preston-Werner, who chairs the board, leads grantmaking decisions with a focus on structural change over incrementalism. The foundation prioritizes "democratic public control" of the clean energy transition, directing grants toward publicly owned energy infrastructure, worker power in the energy sector, and progressive political candidates who champion climate policy.

The Giving Pledge commitment signed in 2023 signals intent to dramatically scale giving over time. From a standing start of $685,721 in FY2019, the foundation grew giving to over $10 million annually by FY2022-2023 — a near-15x increase in four years — reflecting both asset appreciation and a deliberate ramp-up in grantmaking activity.

First-time applicants must understand that cold outreach is unlikely to succeed. The best path to a relationship is through existing grantees: organizations like Tides Foundation, Tides Center, The Hack Foundation, People's Action Institute, and UE Research and Education Fund represent close partners and could provide a warm introduction. Building a track record in climate-labor organizing, energy democracy, reproductive rights advocacy, or youth climate movement work is essential before expecting to be identified.

The foundation is comfortable with both large single grants ($1 million to Potential Energy Coalition for climate communications; $1 million to The Sunrise Project for climate finance) and multi-grant relationships developed over years. Repeat grantees are the norm: Tides Foundation received 14 grants totaling $1,698,500; One World Children's Fund received 12 grants totaling $248,384. Consistency of purpose and demonstrated results appear to be the primary drivers of ongoing support.

Based on 304 total grants totaling $27,681,742, the average grant is $91,058 and the median is $50,000, with a recorded range from $800 to $1,000,000 (though the foundation's typical grant size data shows a stated max of $500,000, actual grants have reached $1M). Annual giving ramped rapidly: $685,721 in FY2019, $4,096,214 in FY2020, $5,709,376 in FY2021, $10,490,842 in FY2022, and $10,101,858 in FY2023 — nearly flat between FY2022 and FY2023, suggesting a steady-state giving level around $10M annually.

By focus area, climate and clean energy dominate approximately 60-65% of grant dollars across six sub-strategies: policy campaigns, labor-climate organizing, state/local politics, youth organizing, federal politics, and global political economy. Major climate recipients include Potential Energy Coalition ($1M, climate communications), The Sunrise Project ($1M, climate finance), Clean Air Task Force ($500,000, infrastructure), Rocky Mountain Institute ($325,000, CDR and public clean energy), and Coalition for Green Capital ($300,000, green banking). Reproductive health and abortion access accounts for roughly 15-20% of grant activity, with UCSF Foundation ($460,300), Hopewell Fund ($410,000 including Contraceptive Access Initiative), and Venture Strategies for Health and Development ($195,000) as key recipients. Progressive politics and movement infrastructure — channeled through Tides Foundation, New Venture Fund, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors — accounts for another 10-15%.

Geographically, California dominates with 114 grants (37% of all grants), followed by DC with 60 grants (20%). New York received 25 grants (8%), Massachusetts and Virginia each received 13 (4% each), and North Carolina received 11 (4%). This distribution reflects both the founders' Bay Area base and the concentration of national policy organizations in DC.

The top 10 grantees by dollar volume account for $7,876,350 — approximately 28% of total giving — indicating the foundation concentrates significant dollars on proven partners while making exploratory smaller grants. General operating support grants appear at sizes from $200,000 to $400,000 for established partners, while project-specific grants range from under $50,000 to $1M. Infrastructure intermediaries like Tides Foundation and The Hack Foundation serve as pass-through vehicles for grassroots organizations that lack their own 501(c)(3) status.

The five peer foundations in the database were matched by asset size (~$41M) and NTEE category (Philanthropy & Grantmaking T20). None share 128 Collective's specific progressive climate-labor focus, making direct strategy comparisons limited but useful for context.

128 Collective stands out dramatically among its asset-size peers for giving roughly 25% of total assets annually — far above the 5% private foundation minimum and well beyond the estimated 4-5% payout rates typical of the other $41M peer foundations. Its aggressive giving trajectory (15x growth from FY2019 to FY2022), explicit political economy focus, and tech-sector origins distinguish it entirely from the arts-and-community orientation of peers like Connor Foundation and John M Kohler Foundation. The Giving Pledge commitment and stated intent to spend down assets over time make 128 Collective an unusually active grantmaker at this asset level.

The most significant structural development in recent years was the Giving Pledge commitment signed by Thomas and Theresa Preston-Werner in 2023, committing to donate the majority of their wealth through 128 Collective Foundation and Preston-Werner Ventures. This commitment, made alongside other tech-sector philanthropists, signals long-term intent to scale grantmaking well beyond current levels.

Total assets declined from a peak of $67.1M in FY2021 to $47.5M in FY2022, $46.2M in FY2023, and $41.0M in FY2024 — a cumulative decline of approximately $26M over four years. This drawdown reflects the aggressive grantmaking pace ($10M+ annually against net investment income of roughly $1.9-2.5M annually) rather than investment losses, and is consistent with a deliberate spend-down posture. Revenue in FY2024 was $4,593,558, suggesting improved investment returns, but grant disbursement data for that year remained unavailable at time of research.

A Form 990 was filed on November 13, 2025 for FY2024 activity. The foundation's funding portal (fundingportal.128collective.org) remains active with the invite-code system, confirming ongoing grantmaking. No public announcements, leadership changes, or new program launches were identified in 2025-2026 web searches, consistent with the foundation's characteristically low public profile. Leadership remains stable: Theresa and Thomas Preston-Werner serve as Co-Presidents without compensation; Tom Van Loben Sels continues as CFO/Secretary; Jake Werner serves as Director; and Kathleen Goss serves as Co-Secretary.

The single most important thing to understand about 128 Collective Foundation is that there is no open application — there is only a relationship. The foundation identifies organizations it wants to support, issues an invite code, and gives that organization exactly 14 days to complete the application through fundingportal.128collective.org. The operative strategic question is therefore: how does an organization get on 128 Collective's radar?

The clearest path is through the foundation's existing grantee network. Organizations like People's Action Institute, UE Research and Education Fund, Tides Foundation/Tides Center, The Hack Foundation/HCB, Voices for a Sustainable Future, Powerswitch Action, and Southern Vision Alliance are long-term partners operating in overlapping spaces. Working alongside these organizations in climate-labor coalitions, joint policy campaigns, or co-authored research will increase visibility with program staff and the Preston-Werners.

Alignment language matters significantly for positioning. The foundation specifically values "democratic public control" of energy assets, "the energy transition through a labor lens," and "upstream, high-leverage interventions that shift political and economic conditions." Organizations should articulate not just programmatic outputs but how their work shifts power over energy decisions, how workers are centered, and what structural change they drive. Generic climate communications or service delivery framing is unlikely to attract attention.

The six strategic areas are not equally funded. Climate-labor intersectionality (UE Research and Education Fund at $695,000, Southern Vision Alliance at $410,000, Powerswitch Action at $242,500) and energy democracy/public ownership work (Coalition for Green Capital, Center for Public Enterprise, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies) appear particularly valued. Reproductive rights organizations should frame their work as bodily autonomy and social equity, consistent with the foundation's structural lens.

International organizations should emphasize community leadership and local capacity-building — One World Children's Fund ($248,384 across 12 grants) succeeded through a long-term focus on community-based reproductive health in East Africa, not top-down programming.

Once an invite code is received, begin the application immediately. Do not wait until day 13. Prepare your core materials in advance: most recent audited financials, current operating budget, 2-3 page theory of change, and key staff bios. If the window is insufficient, contact your program manager before it closes.