Dave And Cheryl Duffield Foundation

The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation is among the most consequential private foundations in animal welfare philanthropy — managing $887 million in assets as of fiscal year 2024 — yet it operates with near-complete opacity for prospective grantees. The foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited applications, selecting all grantees through invitation based on the founders' personal relationships and strategic priorities.

David Duffield, the serial entrepreneur who founded PeopleSoft and Workday and is one of only two U.S. founder-CEOs to lead two companies to $1 billion-plus IPOs, established the foundation in 2016 alongside his wife Cheryl as a vehicle for their shared philanthropic convictions. Three pillars anchor all grantmaking: companion animal well-being, U.S. military veterans with disabilities, and local public service institutions in the Lake Tahoe / Incline Village corridor.

The foundation's grantmaking record is deeply personal. The top individual grantees — Washoe County School District ($8.18M for Incline High School programs), Pet Network Humane Society ($4.06M), and Heaven Can Wait Animal Society ($1.98M) — reflect direct community ties in Incline Village, where the Duffields reside. Cornell University has received $7.59M through this foundation alone, with cumulative personal gifts now totaling $550 million following the January 2026 pledge.

For organizations hoping to enter this foundation's orbit, the realistic pathway is relationship cultivation — not application submission. First-time prospective grantees should identify shared networks with current grantees, attend events where Amy Zeifang (Director) or other board members are present, and build a track record of program outcomes aligned with the Duffields' specific interests. Geographic proximity to Northern Nevada or the Lake Tahoe basin increases likelihood of being noticed. Organizations that have received Maddie's Fund support occupy an advantaged position, as the two entities are closely linked and share program philosophy.

The foundation's total giving has fluctuated significantly across its operating history, reflecting the founders' discretionary approach to deploying capital. Fiscal year 2021 was the peak at $30.5 million in total giving, driven by large disaster relief commitments and expanded humane society support during COVID-19. Giving contracted to $16.6 million in 2022, $12.3 million in 2023, and $7.0 million in 2024 — a 77% reduction from peak — despite assets remaining above $873 million throughout.

Across 294 documented grants totaling $53.95 million in the database, the average grant per recipient grouping is $183,516, but this is heavily skewed by transformational outliers. The foundation's own filings reflect a median individual grant of $9,650 and an average of $106,480, with a range from $400 (event sponsorships) to $3.2 million (multi-year institutional commitments). Large anchor grants above $1 million represent a small fraction of transaction count but the majority of total dollars deployed.

Geographically, Nevada commands 70% of all grant activity (205 of 294 grants), with California at 15% (43 grants). The remaining 15% is distributed across Florida, Tennessee, New York, Wisconsin, Hawaii, New Jersey, Colorado, and Iowa — reflecting either national scope initiatives or personal relationships outside the Lake Tahoe region.

By program category, animal welfare is the dominant bucket: humane societies, animal shelters, spay/neuter programs, and veterinary access collectively account for an estimated 55-60% of historical grantmaking. Education (Incline High School, Cornell, STEAM programs) represents roughly 20-25%. Veterans and military support (Liberty Dogs, Nevada Military Support Alliance) accounts for 10-12%, with local community infrastructure (recreation centers, fire protection, community services) making up the remainder.

The February 2026 announcements signal a strategic pivot toward multi-year, systems-level grants — the $6 million Fix the Future initiative and $1.9 million Yes to Care grant both span three years and target structural barriers rather than operational support.

The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation occupies a unique position among animal welfare funders: it is simultaneously one of the wealthiest ($887M assets) and most restrictive (no applications accepted) foundations in the space. The comparison below places it alongside the most relevant peers by focus area and scale.

Three dynamics stand out in this comparison. First, the Duffield Foundation's giving rate (roughly 0.8% of assets in 2024) is dramatically below conventional payout minimums, suggesting significant grantmaking capacity that is being deliberately held in reserve or directed to larger vehicles like Maddie's Fund and Cornell. Second, unlike BISSELL Pet Foundation and PetSmart Charities — which run competitive, open grant programs — the Duffield Foundation functions more like a family office than an institutional grantmaker. Third, organizations that have successfully accessed BISSELL Pet Foundation or Maddie's Fund support should view those relationships as stepping stones: the Duffields actively co-invest alongside both entities, and demonstrated track records with peer funders carry weight.

The first two months of 2026 produced the foundation's most significant public activity in years. On February 12, 2026, a $1.9 million grant to Open Door Veterinary Collective launched the three-year Yes to Care pilot program, addressing veterinary affordability — a recognized crisis given that 94% of veterinarians report financial constraints limiting patient care and 52% of pet owners skipped necessary veterinary visits in the past year due to cost. The program partners with Varidi and The myBalto Foundation, with participating practices receiving $5,000 Angel Fund endowments plus payment plan infrastructure.

Less than two weeks later, a $6 million commitment to BISSELL Pet Foundation's Fix the Future Initiative (announced late February 2026) set a target of 600,000 spay/neuter surgeries over three years — one of the largest single commitments to surgical access capacity in the sector. Amy Zeifang, identified as Director of the foundation, was quoted in the announcement, suggesting a leadership role that has gained visibility as James Dugdale's tenure as President ended in May 2024.

In January 2026, David Duffield made the largest gift in Cornell University's 158-year history: $371.5 million, bringing cumulative Cornell giving to $550 million. The gift renames the College of Engineering and creates a $250 million legacy endowment. While this gift flows through personal channels rather than the foundation, it signals the breadth and scale of the Duffields' philanthropic ambitions.

In November 2024, the Duffields committed $1 million jointly through Maddie's Fund and the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation for Hurricane Helene and Milton animal welfare relief. Separately, the Liberty Dogs service dog training campus — a multi-year funded initiative — is scheduled to open in Reno, Nevada in Summer 2026.

The most important thing to understand about the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation is that there is no application. The foundation's 990 filings confirm it as preselected-only, and its own website states explicitly that unsolicited funding requests are not accepted. Any organization that submits a cold proposal, calls the Incline Village office at (775) 833-7818, or emails Chris Watts (Treasurer) seeking funding will be declined.

That said, the foundation does expand its grantee network — it has funded more than 80 distinct organizations across its history. The mechanism is relationship, not paperwork.

Identify your entry point. The most realistic pathways are: (1) receiving a grant from Maddie's Fund, which shares founders and philosophy; (2) being selected for BISSELL Pet Foundation's Fix the Future Initiative, given the Duffields just committed $6 million to that program; or (3) being recognized through sector-wide events such as the HSUS Annual Conference or the No Kill Conference, where Duffield-aligned organizations are active.

Geographic leverage matters. Organizations in Incline Village, Reno, the Lake Tahoe basin, or broader Northern Nevada have a structural advantage. The Washoe County School District received $8.18 million. The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District received $507,950. Local embeddedness is a signal.

Frame around outcomes, not need. The Duffields' giving philosophy emphasizes systemic change — veterinary access infrastructure, lifesaving capacity, educational transformation, veteran dignity. Organizations that lead with unit economics (cost per life saved, surgeries performed per dollar, graduation rate improvements) rather than budget gaps speak the foundation's language.

For animal welfare organizations specifically: Demonstrate lifesaving performance metrics, collaboration with regional shelters, and a willingness to partner with national initiatives. The foundation co-invests; solo operators are less attractive than networked ones.

Timing: The foundation's giving historically concentrates in the first half of the calendar year based on grantee announcement patterns. Relationship-building should intensify in Q4 for positioning in the following year's cycle.