Sijbrandij Foundation

The Sijbrandij Foundation operates as a preselected-only private foundation that does not accept unsolicited grant proposals — this is the single most important fact for any prospective grantee to internalize. Founded in 2021 by Sytse 'Sid' Sijbrandij, co-founder and former CEO of GitLab, and his wife Karen Sijbrandij, the foundation pursues a venture-capital-inspired model of philanthropy: identify unconventional early-stage ideas with potential for 100x social return, make catalytic investments, and allow proven concepts to attract additional capital for scaling.

The foundation's giving history reveals a concentrated, relationship-driven portfolio. Its two largest cumulative grantees — GitLab Foundation ($14.7 million across 6 grants) and Global Impact ($6.1 million across 5 grants) — account for approximately 81% of tracked giving ($25.6M total, 43 grants). These reflect organizational proximity rather than competitive selection. Below these flagship relationships, the foundation deploys a diverse set of mid-size grants ($100,000-$750,000) to organizations in governance innovation, criminal justice education, AI safety, and healthcare research.

The foundation's philosophy explicitly favors unconventional, under-resourced approaches over established programs seeking incremental support. The Misalignment Museum ($53,582), which uses art installations to explore AI alignment themes, and Emergent Ventures at the Mercatus Center ($200,000), which funds contrarian thinkers with a fast, no-bureaucracy process, both reflect a preference for ideas that challenge conventional philanthropic categories. Organizations that frame their work around system-level incentive redesign — rather than direct service delivery — tend to fit this model most naturally.

Day-to-day operations are led by CEO Paige Reeve Uher. The board consists of Sytse Sijbrandij (President), Karen Sijbrandij (Treasurer), and April Lindsey Malone (Secretary), all serving without compensation as of the most recent available filing (FY2023). The foundation's San Francisco address at 548 Market Street and the contact email foundation@sijbrandijfoundation.org are public, but prospective grantees should understand that relationship-building within the foundation's ecosystem is a prerequisite for any meaningful funding consideration.

The Sijbrandij Foundation's grantmaking has grown rapidly from a standing start to become a significant force in the $10-million-plus annual giving tier. Grants paid were $5.0 million in FY2021 (the foundation's first full operating year), $7.4 million in FY2022, and $10.8 million in FY2023 — a compound annual growth rate of approximately 47% over two years. Total assets reached $79.2 million in FY2024 (up from $68.9 million in FY2023), reflecting $26.6 million in contributions received in FY2023 alone, almost certainly from Sid Sijbrandij's GitLab-related liquidity events. With total giving of $11.2 million in FY2023 (inclusive of direct grants of $10.8 million plus other giving), the foundation is deploying at approximately 13.6% of assets — well above the 5% IRS minimum payout requirement.

Across 43 tracked individual grants totaling $25.6 million, the arithmetic average grant is $594,894. However, this figure is severely skewed by the GitLab Foundation relationship ($14.7M across 6 grants, averaging $2.45M each). Removing the top two institutional relationships (GitLab Foundation and Global Impact), the remaining 32 grants total approximately $4.8 million, with a median grant around $100,000. The grant range spans from $10,000 (Second Harvest of Silicon Valley) to approximately $2.5 million (individual GitLab Foundation disbursements).

Geographically, California organizations capture the largest share by grant count (20 of 43 tracked grants, driven by the San Francisco Bay Area), followed by Virginia (10 grants, reflecting DC-corridor policy organizations including Mercatus Center, Charter Cities Institute, and Third Sector Capital) and New York (7 grants). The foundation's stated global geographic focus is confirmed by active 2025 projects in the Bahamas, Uganda, and Zambia.

By program area, education and digital access dominate dollar volume (GitLab Foundation, Wikimedia/Kiwix, Agora University). Governance and policy reform — Charter Cities Institute ($750K), Third Sector ($470K), Mercatus Center ($200K) — represents roughly $1.4 million or 6% of tracked giving but appears to be a growing priority given the foundation's systems-change philosophy. AI safety and interpretability account for approximately $253K across multiple grants (Misalignment Museum, Emergent Ventures co-attribution). Healthcare and research total approximately $545K from tracked grants, with additional uncategorized contributions likely flowing through Global Impact.

The five peer foundations identified by comparable asset size ($78-79.5 million) all share the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE classification, but the Sijbrandij Foundation stands apart in mission specificity, founder visibility, and documented giving pace. Peer foundations of similar scale — particularly those without public websites — typically operate with minimal transparency, making direct program comparison difficult.

Among this peer set, the Sijbrandij Foundation is uniquely distinguished by its founder-led public narrative, technology-sector origin, and willingness to fund early-stage, unproven concepts. Its 13.6% payout rate in FY2023 is substantially above the 5% legal minimum, signaling a deployment-forward posture rather than a capital-preservation endowment strategy. Comparable Silicon Valley tech-founder philanthropy at this asset level typically parallels organizations like the Omidyar Network or Hoffman Bessemer Trust, though those operate at 10-100x larger scale. The Sijbrandij Foundation's distinctive value proposition — and the reason it merits more diligent cultivation than peer foundations of comparable size — is its explicit openness to unconventional, high-risk ideas and its founder's active engagement in identifying new grantees.

The Sijbrandij Foundation entered 2025 with its most visible and active public profile to date, anchored by the Big Art initiative and a growing set of direct program investments.

In September 2025, the foundation joined San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to formally announce the Big Art Loop — an ambitious initiative to install up to 100 temporary large-scale sculptures (defined as exceeding 10 feet in height or width) along a walkable and bikeable trail around San Francisco. The foundation committed over $2 million in the initiative's first year, with 8 installations already complete (including R-Evolution by Marco Cochrane and Naga by Cjay Roughgarden) and 12 more in process. This marks the foundation's first formal civic partnership with a municipal government.

Internationally, the Artist in Residence Grand Bahama (AIR GB) program launched in early 2025. Artist Launa Eddy led the first cohort, creating sculptural work with a local volunteer team as part of the island's long-term revitalization following hurricane damage. The foundation also maintains active Big Art projects in Uganda and Zambia, confirming genuine global reach.

On the grantee milestone front, The Levitt Lab — the foundation's education bet, co-created by Freakonomics economist Steven Levitt and Arizona State University — opened its first operational high school in 2025. The Future of Cancer Care Today (FCCT) pilot, led by Poornima Parameswaran and directly informed by Sid Sijbrandij's personal cancer experience, moved into active development. A Solar Data Centers initiative was announced as the foundation's entry into clean energy infrastructure for AI. Grant volume increased from 13 awards in 2023 to 17 in 2024, suggesting continued portfolio expansion.

Because the Sijbrandij Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, conventional grant-writing strategies — submitting letters of inquiry, completing online portals, or meeting application deadlines — are entirely inapplicable. The following guidance applies to organizations seeking to earn a place in the foundation's proactive scouting process over a multi-year horizon.

Internalize the 100x framing before any contact. The foundation explicitly evaluates ideas based on potential for 100x social return relative to investment. This means any theory of change must be articulated as genuinely non-obvious and system-altering — not incremental improvements on existing programs. Language around incentive redesign, structural reform, and catalytic early proof points will resonate; language around expanding services or serving more beneficiaries will not.

Map alignment to Sid Sijbrandij's biography and interests. The foundation's portfolio is a direct reflection of the founder's life and professional experience: GitLab's open-source values (Wikimedia/Kiwix, Agora University), his cancer diagnosis (Damon Runyon, FCCT), his technology and AI orientation (Misalignment Museum, Emergent Ventures, Solar Data Centers), and his civic and aesthetic interests (Big Art Loop). Organizations whose work intersects these themes have the highest natural fit.

Enter the ecosystem through open application programs. Emergent Ventures at the Mercatus Center — a confirmed Sijbrandij grantee — runs an open, fast, low-friction grant program for contrarian thinkers and early-stage ideas. A funded Emergent Ventures project signals the kind of unconventional thinking the Sijbrandij Foundation values, and creates a credibility bridge. Third Sector Capital and Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation also maintain public processes.

Build a public record of impact. The foundation scouts through networks, not proposal reviews. Publishing rigorous impact data, earning coverage in technology and philanthropy media (Chronicle of Philanthropy, Fast Company, Wired, MIT Technology Review), and presenting at conferences attended by the tech-philanthropist community (Effective Altruism Global, Skoll World Forum, Aspen Ideas) increases the probability of organic discovery.

When direct contact is possible, lead with evidence, not mission. If you secure an introduction to CEO Paige Reeve Uher or a board member, arrive with a concise one-page document quantifying your impact hypothesis in measurable, falsifiable terms. Avoid mission-statement language; this funder is data-fluent and expects the same rigor they would apply to a startup investment.