Samueli Foundation

The Samueli Foundation is a family foundation established by Henry and Susan Samueli — Henry is the co-founder of Broadcom — headquartered in Corona Del Mar, Orange County, California. For its first 25+ years the foundation operated almost entirely through invited relationships, distributing grants through personal networks to education, health, Jewish community, and social service organizations. That model changed fundamentally in 2025 when the foundation launched three open-application programs representing a deliberate strategic pivot informed by a first-of-its-kind Orange County Nonprofit Needs Assessment.

The foundation's current giving philosophy is explicitly trust-based: unrestricted grants wherever possible, minimal reporting requirements (a brief lessons-learned reflection rather than a full evaluation), and a preference for organizational capacity over restricted programmatic funding. Their mission — "Make Orange County, California a thriving mosaic of community well-being" — anchors grantmaking firmly in place. All three open programs require grantees to serve Orange County clients; the Breakaway and OC+ programs allow organizations headquartered outside OC, while Build OC requires physical OC presence.

Three programs define the current front door for new grantees. The Breakaway Fund offers $50,000–$100,000 in unrestricted one-year support focused on capacity investments: technology, staffing gaps, consultant engagements, or facility upgrades. In its inaugural 2025 round it awarded $11M to 138 nonprofits — more than double the initial $5M budget — after receiving 1,244 applications. The Build OC Fund provides up to $1,000,000 for capital projects at OC-based nonprofits with at least five years of operating history. The OC+ Fund grants up to $500,000 to established multi-organization collaborations implementing shared services or joint program delivery.

For first-time applicants, the 2025 data is encouraging: 77% of Breakaway recipients had never previously received a Samueli grant. There is no letter of intent requirement. Applications flow entirely through a GivingData portal with a brief eligibility quiz as the gating step. The review cycle is annual — applications open in early March, deadlines fall in April, and awards are announced by October with payments by December 31. Longer-term invited strategic grants in education, health, and Jewish community remain outside this open process and require direct cultivation with foundation leadership.

The Samueli Foundation's giving has grown at a pace few regional funders match. Annual giving tracked: $984K (2015), $1.5M (2019), $7.8M (2020), $12.5M (2021), $25.7M (2022), and $38.1M (2023). Total revenue reached $104.3M in fiscal year 2024 — reflecting large incoming capital contributions from the Samueli family — and a stated 2025 grantmaking target of $130M signals continued acceleration. Grants paid from the treasury were $6.6M in 2020, $8.0M in 2021, $18.9M in 2022, and $34.5M in 2023.

Across 613 documented grants totaling $72.3M, the average grant was $117,985 and the median was $25,000 — indicating a heavily skewed distribution where a small number of large strategic relationships dominate total dollars while a high volume of smaller grants reaches a wider range of organizations. The smallest documented grant was $150; the largest single-recipient cumulative total reached $5.0M (Global Impact, via three health-related grants). The new open programs have their own defined ranges: Breakaway $50,000–$100,000; Build OC up to $1,000,000; OC+ up to $500,000.

By program area, education and Jewish/religious philanthropy lead historical dollar volume. Education grantees include UCLA Foundation ($2.7M across 3 grants), UCI Foundation ($2.0M), Orange County Dept of Education ($800K), STEM Next Opportunity Fund ($700K), and Discovery Cube OC ($836K). Jewish community giving flows through PEF Israel Endowment Funds ($4.0M combined), Jewish Community Foundation of LA ($1.7M), Jewish Federation & Family of OC ($1.4M), and Friends of Ir David ($1.1M). Social services is the third-largest category, led by Anaheim Community Foundation ($2.2M) and Salvation Army Orange County ($2.0M). Health grantees include Mind OC ($1.7M), Planned Parenthood ($753K), and National Network of Abortion Funds ($750K). Environment has received at least $3.8M, led by World Resources Institute ($2.0M) and Canopy Planet Foundation ($1.0M).

Geographically, California accounts for 357 of 613 documented grants. The remaining 256 split across NY (59), DC (31), VA (22), MD (14), MA (13), and other states — largely national organizations receiving thematic strategic grants. The open programs are narrowing this: all three new funds require Orange County client service.

The database matches peers by total asset size near $62M in the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category. What sets the Samueli Foundation apart from these peers is its extraordinary giving-to-assets ratio and its recent move to open applications.

The Samueli Foundation is a dramatic outlier in this asset-peer group. A giving-to-assets ratio exceeding 60% in 2023 is only possible because the foundation functions as a pass-through vehicle for ongoing Samueli family contributions rather than as a traditional endowment-driven foundation. Most foundations of comparable asset size distribute 5–8% annually (roughly $3–5M). For grantseekers, this means the foundation is punching far above its balance-sheet weight: a $62M asset base is producing $38M+ in annual grantmaking, with a stated target of $130M in 2025. The combination of genuine open accessibility and outsized grantmaking volume makes the Samueli Foundation's annual open cycle an unusually high-priority opportunity for any Orange County nonprofit.

2025 marked a watershed year for the Samueli Foundation. In May 2025, the foundation announced a $7.5M collaborative investment in three OC eviction prevention organizations — an early signal of housing stability as a major thematic priority. In September 2025, both inaugural open-application program results were announced simultaneously: the Breakaway Fund awarded $11M to 138 nonprofits (doubled from the initial $5M budget), and the Build OC Fund awarded $6.2M to eight nonprofits. Notable Build OC recipients included Human Options Inc. ($1M for emergency shelter renovation for domestic violence survivors), Magnolia Educational & Research Foundation ($995K for STEM K-8 school infrastructure), and John Henry Foundation ($850K for housing for adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders) and Kidworks Community Development Corporation ($500K for headquarters infrastructure).

Earlier in 2025, a multi-year $24M+ investment in six Orange County colleges was publicly announced, covering workforce development programs (nursing, skills academies, paid internships) and STEM transfer pathways at Golden West, Orange Coast, Saddleback, Fullerton, Irvine Valley, and Cal State Fullerton.

On February 3, 2026, the foundation announced the 2026–2027 grant cycle opening March 2, 2026. All three open programs and the Leading for Impact leadership development program reopened. The 2026 application window has now closed (April deadlines passed); awards are expected by October 2026. Susan Samueli serves as President; Henry Samueli as Vice President; Director Lindsey Spindle drew $940,874 in FY2023 compensation, reflecting her central operational leadership role in the foundation's rapid expansion.

Choose the right fund first. The three open programs serve genuinely different needs and errors in fund selection are the most common mistake. Breakaway ($50K–$100K, unrestricted) is for a discrete internal capacity gap — a technology upgrade, a critical consultant engagement, an executive coaching program. Build OC (up to $1M) is strictly for capital projects at OC-based organizations where construction is near completion and the grant closes the final gap; reviewers explicitly check whether the grant covers 100% of remaining costs. OC+ (up to $500K) funds established multi-org collaborations already in implementation — 'planning for a partnership' is explicitly ineligible.

Timing is everything. The cycle opens in early March and closes in April (approximately April 10 for Breakaway/Build OC, April 24 for OC+). Awards are announced by October, paid by December 31. Missing April means waiting a full year. Watch for the February announcement — the foundation typically publicizes reopening in late January or early February.

Use the portal correctly. Applications are submitted through a GivingData portal at samueli.org. The eligibility quiz gates access to the full application form — take it early. Download the sample application questions PDF before opening the live form so you can draft offline. The Breakaway application is approximately 20 minutes; Build OC and OC+ require more documentation.

Frame around readiness and specificity. Reviewers favor organizations that can deploy funds immediately and achieve meaningful milestones within one year. Breakaway proposals should name a specific bottleneck, not a wish list. Build OC proposals should include evidence of site control (ownership, purchase option, or a 7+ year lease). OC+ proposals should document the partnership's existing operating history.

Prior grantees: Organizations that received a 2025 Breakaway award cannot reapply to Breakaway in 2026 but may apply to Build OC or OC+. There is no restriction on applying to multiple funds simultaneously.

Contact the right inbox. Fund-specific emails — breakaway@samueli.org, buildoc@samueli.org, ocplus@samueli.org — are the correct channels for eligibility questions. Use them before investing significant time in the full application.