Gordon E And Betty I Moore Foundation

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation operates with a highly proactive, strategy-driven grantmaking model. Rather than accepting unsolicited proposals, the foundation identifies large-scale challenges where it believes philanthropic capital can achieve measurable, enduring impact. Its approach is guided by the 'Four Filters' framework: assessing each opportunity for importance, enduring difference potential, measurability, and portfolio contribution. The foundation organizes its work into time-limited initiatives within its three core program areas (Science, Environmental Conservation, and San Francisco Bay Area), each with defined goals, metrics, and sunset dates. This initiative-based structure allows the foundation to concentrate resources on specific problems — such as quantum systems research, wildfire resilience, or Arctic Ocean conservation — rather than spreading funding thinly across many areas. The foundation also emphasizes interactive grantmaking, working closely with grantees as partners rather than simply disbursing funds. With over $5.97 billion in cumulative grants approved through 2024 and approximately $387.6 million paid in 2024 alone, the Moore Foundation operates at a scale comparable to the largest private foundations in the United States.

The Moore Foundation distributed approximately $401.8 million across 952 grants in 2024, maintaining 85% of total expenses dedicated to programs. Typical grants range from $250,000 to $5,000,000, though signature fellowship programs have defined amounts: Moore Inventor Fellows receive $825,000 over three years ($275,000/year including $50,000 institutional support), and Data-Driven Discovery Investigators receive $1.5 million over five years. The foundation favors multi-year commitments (typically 2-5 years) aligned with initiative timelines. Environmental Conservation has received over $2.46 billion cumulatively, with the Andes-Amazon Initiative alone committing over $800 million through 2031. Science programs receive the second-largest allocation, with significant investments in quantum systems, experimental physics, and green chemistry. The San Francisco Bay Area program focuses on conservation and informal science education locally. The foundation has shifted toward larger, more strategic grants over time, moving away from many smaller grants toward fewer, higher-impact investments.

The Moore Foundation occupies a distinctive niche among major science funders by combining deep investment in basic scientific research (similar to Simons and HHMI) with substantial environmental conservation work (similar to Packard). Unlike HHMI, which directly employs investigators, the Moore Foundation makes grants to institutions. Its invitation-only model is more restrictive than Packard or Simons, which offer some open application pathways. Among Bay Area mega-foundations, Moore is uniquely focused on physical sciences and environmental systems, while Hewlett emphasizes education and democratic governance.

In early 2026, the Moore Foundation entered a new chapter under incoming President Aileen Lee, following the passing of both founders Gordon and Betty Moore in 2023. Recent grants include a $2 million award to the University of Hawaii for a postdoctoral fellowship program (December 2025) and funding for 16 postdocs at the University of Washington across the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Environment (February 2026). The foundation also announced a $30 million diagnostic accuracy initiative across major U.S. hospital systems. The Wildfire Resilience Initiative continues to be a growing focus area, reflecting increased attention to climate adaptation in the western United States. The foundation remains a founding member of the Science Philanthropy Alliance and continues to advocate for increased private funding of basic research, particularly in areas where government funding has retreated.

The Moore Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, making a traditional application approach ineffective. Instead, prospective grantees should: (1) Submit a concise email inquiry of approximately 100 words to inquiry@moore.org, clearly describing the organization and how the work aligns with a specific current initiative. (2) Research the foundation's active initiatives thoroughly before reaching out — generic requests are unlikely to receive a response. (3) Focus alignment with one of the foundation's named initiatives (e.g., Wildfire Resilience, Quantum Systems, Andes-Amazon) rather than broad program areas. (4) Demonstrate measurable outcomes and clear metrics, as the foundation heavily weights measurability in its Four Filters evaluation. (5) Build relationships through the foundation's convenings, conferences, and professional networks — many grants originate from existing relationships and field-level visibility. (6) For the Moore Inventor Fellows program, nominations come through partner institutions, so connecting with eligible nominating universities is essential. (7) Monitor the foundation's grants database at moore.org/grants to understand recent funding patterns and identify potential alignment.