The Schmidt Family Foundation

The Schmidt Family Foundation operates through two structurally distinct programs, and correctly identifying which door applies to your organization is the most important strategic decision you will make.

The 11th Hour Project — which accounts for the overwhelming majority of the foundation's $185 million in annual giving — operates strictly by invitation and explicitly does not accept unsolicited proposals. This is not a technicality; it is a deliberate design choice the foundation has maintained since 2006. For the 11th Hour Project, the path to a grant begins with visibility and relationships, not paperwork.

The foundation's grantee history reveals a strong preference for established advocacy and research organizations with national or international reach. Top cumulative grantees — Human Rights Watch ($18+ million), Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation ($20 million), Climate Central ($7 million), and Grist Magazine ($6.4 million) — are recognized brands in their sectors. Program officers source candidates from professional networks, sector convenings, and peer referrals. Emerging organizations should prioritize relationship-building with existing grantees, attend coalitions and convenings where foundation staff appear, and ensure their work is visible in the publications and advocacy networks the foundation already funds.

Equity framing is not optional at the 11th Hour Project — it is programmatic infrastructure. The foundation specifies that it 'resources many movements run by and in service of historically excluded demographics, particularly BIPOC and frontline communities.' Grant purpose language consistently names 'Centering Unrepresented Voices in the Environmental Movement' and 'Supporting Indigenous Communities' Land Stewardship, Self-Determination, and Cultural Representation.' Organizations led by or primarily serving BIPOC communities, Indigenous peoples, or frontline environmental justice populations will find the strongest alignment with the foundation's strategic intent.

For Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, the approach is more conventional: identify a technology gap in one of four focus areas (sustainable fisheries, ocean observing, habitat health, or network support), confirm your innovation sits at Technology Readiness Level 2-6, and submit through the secure online portal when it reopens in early 2026. SMTP uses a venture philanthropy model, seeking technologies that can scale toward commercial viability with philanthropic bridge funding. First-time applicants should articulate not just scientific merit but a clear theory of commercialization and ocean ecosystem impact.

The Schmidt Family Foundation's financial trajectory tells a story of accelerating ambition. Annual grants paid grew from $26.6 million in fiscal year 2015 to $90.2 million in 2020 and $185.1 million in 2024 — a roughly 7x increase in nine years. Total assets stand at $1.99 billion as of FY2024, supported by net investment income of $126 million. Cumulative grants in the historical record total $479 million across 2,069 individual awards.

Grant sizes span a wide range. Across 367 characterized grants, the median award is $100,000 and the average is $232,318, with a floor of $500 and a ceiling of $4.325 million for a single grant. In practice, the largest relationships involve multiple grants to the same grantee: Sustainable Markets Foundation received $13 million across 16 separate grants; Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation received $20 million across 4 grants; Human Rights Watch accumulated over $18 million through 7 grants. This strongly suggests the foundation builds long-term strategic partnerships rather than one-off project grants. First grants to new grantees typically appear in the $75,000-$500,000 range before growing to multi-year general operating support.

Thematically, ocean stewardship and clean energy transition dominate the largest individual awards. Food systems grants cluster in the $500,000-$2 million range. Human rights grants span widely — from $500,000 general operating support to $11.45 million multi-year commitments — reflecting broad geographic scope across the US, Africa, and Haiti. Civic engagement grantees like NPR ($4.7M), KQED ($3M), Grist ($6.4M), and Vote.org ($2.05M) cluster in the $1-4 million range and are frequently structured as multi-year general operating support.

Geographic concentration is heaviest in California (598 grants in the database), New York (190), and Washington DC (161). New Mexico (69 grants) is a notable outlier, likely reflecting Indigenous and sustainable food systems work concentrated in that region. International grantmaking flows primarily through US-based intermediaries and Africa-focused organizations rather than direct country-program grants.

General operating support appears frequently, signaling trust in established grantees' judgment and organizational capacity. New entrants should not expect general operating support on a first grant.

The table below compares The Schmidt Family Foundation to four peer foundations with comparable asset profiles, drawn from the foundation's own peer data.

At $185 million in annual giving, the Schmidt Family Foundation is the most prolific giver in this peer set — nearly doubling the Sloan Foundation's output despite comparable asset bases. This reflects a higher effective payout rate and an accelerating grant volume over the past decade.

The foundation is unique among these peers in maintaining an essentially invitation-only posture for its flagship program. Sloan, Kauffman, and Bush all accept unsolicited proposals for most grants; Annenberg's LOI model is the closest analog but still provides a more accessible first-contact pathway than 11th Hour Project's pure invitation model.

Schmidt's ocean technology program through SMTP is a distinctive niche with no equivalent among this peer group. Organizations working at the intersection of marine science and scalable technology innovation have essentially no comparable funder operating an open periodic portal at this funding level.

The foundation's most recent public-facing activity centers on Schmidt Marine Technology Partners. In 2025, SMTP awarded a $3.5 million Global Sustainable Fisheries Initiative grant, and separately announced funding for coral gardens and hydrothermal vent discovery research — both consistent with the program's four core areas. The SMTP proposals portal closed during 2025 and is expected to reopen in early 2026; the foundation's newsletter and social channels are the most reliable early-alert systems for the exact reopening date.

The 2025 Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications were announced, recognizing outstanding science journalists and communicators. The award program, which the foundation has maintained across multiple years, signals a continued belief in narrative infrastructure — public understanding of science — as a strategic investment area alongside direct environmental grantmaking.

On the 11th Hour Project side, public announcements are sparse by design. The most recent Form 990-PF (FY2024) shows total giving jumped to $195.5 million, up 16% from $168.5 million in FY2023, suggesting an active grant cohort expansion. The introduction of a $50 million Perennial Fund II for regenerative agriculture signals a significant deepening of the food systems portfolio.

No senior leadership changes have been publicly announced. Joseph Sciortino remains Executive Director ($530,010 compensation in FY2024) and Wendy Schmidt continues as President/Director. Eric Schmidt and Sophie Schmidt serve as Directors without compensation. The foundation has maintained its Palo Alto, California headquarters (555 Bryant Street) throughout its nearly two-decade history.

For the vast majority of grant seekers, the honest strategic reality is this: direct applications to the 11th Hour Project are structurally impossible, not merely unlikely. The foundation has maintained its invitation-only policy for nearly two decades, and there is no workaround. Organizations that attempt cold outreach to program staff or board members risk being remembered unfavorably when an invitation cycle does eventually open.

The right moves are indirect and long-horizon. Get into the same rooms as foundation staff. Program officers from the 11th Hour Project attend sector convenings in environmental justice, clean energy, food systems, and human rights. Current grantees — Grist, Climate Central, Food and Water Watch, Center for Biological Diversity, Pesticide Action Network — have active conference presences and coalitions. Being on panels, publishing impactful research, and being cited alongside existing grantees is how emerging organizations build the visibility that leads to invitations.

For Schmidt Marine Technology Partners, move quickly when the portal reopens in early 2026. Prepare these elements in advance: (1) a clear identification of which of SMTP's four focus areas your technology addresses, (2) a documented current Technology Readiness Level with evidence, (3) a theory of commercialization explaining the gap between your prototype stage and market viability, and (4) a quantified ocean health impact narrative at scale. SMTP's program staff includes marine scientists and engineers — proposals should be technically rigorous, not marketing documents.

Match the foundation's equity and justice language authentically. If your organization is led by BIPOC leaders or serves frontline communities, center that identity clearly and specifically in your narrative. Do not overstate community ties you do not have — program officers at foundations of this sophistication will probe those claims.

Expect project-specific grants as a first award. General operating support is available to established grantees in multi-year relationships but is not appropriate to request on a first application. Scope your first SMTP request toward a bounded, time-limited deliverable in the $75,000-$250,000 range.

Do not cold-contact foundation staff for program inquiries. The general contact (info@tsffoundation.org) and SMTP's info@schmidtmarine.org are for administrative questions only. Program pitches sent to these addresses are typically not forwarded to grant-making staff.