The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation operates as two fundamentally distinct institutions that share a name and a tax filing. Grant seekers must understand this bifurcation before investing any effort.

Track 1 — Nebraska College Scholarships (Open Application). The foundation's public-facing identity is built around its scholarship program, which has served Nebraska's first-generation and financially-needy students for over 50 years. Awards are competitive and determined by financial need, Nebraska residency, graduation from a Nebraska high school (or GED), and intent to attend a Nebraska public college. The process is fully transparent: applications open November 1, deadline February 1, notifications before May 1. DACA and undocumented students are explicitly eligible. Scholarships are offered at all Nebraska public colleges, with per-term award amounts calibrated to each institution's tuition and fees. In the tracked grantee data, UNO received $23.9M across four grants and UNL received $21.5M — representing the two largest scholarship recipients.

Track 2 — Major Grantmaking (Invitation-Only, Never Solicited). This is where the overwhelming majority of the foundation's $908.8M in FY2024 grants flows. It is entirely closed to unsolicited proposals, and the foundation makes no public statements about it. Its website contains no information about this grantmaking; all intelligence comes from Form 990 disclosures. Grantees at this level are exclusively large, established organizations with national or global reach: Planned Parenthood, National Abortion Federation Hotline Fund, MSI-US, Population Services International, IPAS, the Center for International Reproductive Health Training, and national health ministries across Sub-Saharan Africa.

For any organization hoping to eventually enter the foundation's grantmaking orbit, the most realistic pathway runs through fiscal sponsors the foundation already funds. Hopewell Fund ($33.3M), New Venture Fund ($33M), and Neo Philanthropy ($17.3M) appear prominently in 990 disclosures as established intermediaries. Building a project portfolio under one of these fiscal sponsors, and developing relationships through national reproductive health coalitions, is the most credible long-term approach. There is no LOI process, no RFP cycle, and no contact point for grant inquiries. The foundation explicitly does not respond to funding requests.

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation's grantmaking scale is exceptional relative to its asset base. In FY2024, the foundation paid $908.8M in grants on $2.84B in assets — a payout rate exceeding 32%, driven by Warren Buffett's ongoing contributions ($1.12B received in FY2024 alone). This is not a traditional endowed foundation living off investment returns; it functions as a near-real-time pass-through of Buffett family philanthropy at massive scale. Net investment income of $591.7M in FY2024 dwarfs historic averages, further amplifying grantmaking capacity.

Giving has accelerated sharply: $435.7M (FY2020), $485.3M (FY2021), $495.5M (FY2022), $695.2M (FY2023), $908.8M (FY2024) — 109% growth over four years.

From the foundation's grantee data (1,082 grants, $1.9B total), the median grant is $349,732 and the average is $1,755,891 — a significant spread driven by mega-grants to health ministries and global bodies. The minimum on record is $2,550 (scholarship-related) and the maximum is $45.1M. Typical programmatic grants to US reproductive health organizations cluster between $500,000 and $5M per cycle.

By program area (estimated from 990 grantee disclosures): - Reproductive health and family planning (US): ~35% of dollars. Top recipients: NAF Hotline Fund ($105.5M, 4 grants), CIRHT ($85.4M, 3 grants), Planned Parenthood ($47.2M+, 12+ grants), IPAS ($26.8M), Population Services International ($26.2M), National Network of Abortion Funds ($20.1M), MSI-US ($22.5M). - Global health system strengthening (international): ~40% of dollars. Direct ministry grants: Nigeria $50M, Rwanda Ministry $32.8M, Tanzania Ministry $24.3M, Ethiopia Oromia/Amhara bureaus $30M combined, Sierra Leone $15M, Kenya $10M, Senegal $13.9M, Burkina Faso $21M+, Togo $20M. Multilateral: Global Fund $35M, World Bank $15M, African Union Development Agency $21M. - Nebraska scholarships: ~8%. UNO ($23.9M), UNL ($21.5M), University of Nebraska Foundation ($10.7M). - Fiscal intermediaries: ~12%. Hopewell Fund ($33.3M), New Venture Fund ($33M), Neo Philanthropy ($17.3M), New Morning Foundation ($20M).

Geographically among tracked US grants: DC (158 grants), NE (155), NY (142), CA (91), CO (55) represent the top five states.

The table below compares the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation to the four peer foundations with the closest asset levels, all in the $2.68B–$2.84B range.

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation is in a category of its own among asset peers: its $909M in FY2024 grants likely exceeds the combined estimated annual giving of the other four foundations. This is a direct function of its role as a real-time vehicle for Warren Buffett's ongoing Berkshire Hathaway share donations rather than a traditional endowed grant program living off investment returns.

Compared to McKnight — the most accessible of the five — STBF gives roughly 8x more annually while being far less reachable for new applicants. McKnight actively publishes RFPs, program officers, and guidelines; STBF's major grantmaking is entirely opaque. Walter Scott Family Foundation shares STBF's Nebraska roots and similar invitation-only posture but operates at a fraction of the scale. Casey Family Programs, while also restricted, at least publishes its focus areas and accepts introductions — STBF does not.

The foundation's most significant recent development is its explosive grantmaking growth. The FY2024 Form 990, filed November 16, 2025, shows $908.8M in grants paid — up 31% from $695.2M in FY2023 and the largest single-year total in the foundation's recorded history. Contributions received in FY2024 reached $1.12B, almost certainly reflecting Warren Buffett's annual Berkshire Hathaway stock gifts. Total assets grew to $2.84B, net investment income hit $591.7M, and officer compensation was $1.25M — led by President Allen Greenberg at $854,537.

On governance, Michael Greenberg (who had served as director and received $91,907 in director compensation) stepped off the board effective May 24, 2023. The current board consists of: Susan A. Buffett (Chair), Peter A. Buffett, Carol Loomis, Allison Cowan, Geoffrey Cowan, Patti Matson, Emily Greenberg, and Wallace Weitz. Michelle Martinson was elevated to Secretary, Treasurer, and VP Finance effective April 2022.

For the scholarship program: the 2026 application cycle closed February 1, 2026. The 2027 cycle opens November 1, 2026, with a February 1, 2027 deadline. No public press releases, grant announcements, or strategy statements were found for 2025–2026, which is entirely consistent with the foundation's deliberate posture of near-total public silence on its major grantmaking.

For Nebraska Scholarship Applicants

Financial need is the dominant selection criterion — not academic excellence alone. A 2.0 unweighted GPA (or 77 on a 100-point scale) meets the academic bar; the foundation deliberately serves first-generation, lower-income Nebraska students. Do not self-select out based on GPA. Focus energy on an accurate, complete FAFSA that honestly represents your household's financial circumstances.

FAFSA completion is mandatory and must precede your scholarship application. Most Nebraska public colleges set FAFSA priority deadlines in October — submit before October 15 to ensure your Student Aid Report is ready when the application portal opens November 1.

The February 1 deadline is strict: 5 PM CT / 4 PM MT. The foundation does not grant extensions or accept late materials. Build in a full week before the deadline to troubleshoot portal issues and ensure all materials are submitted.

Your recommendation letter is the primary qualitative differentiator reviewers can evaluate. Choose someone who has directly supervised your work — a classroom teacher who graded your assignments, a coach who observed your performance, a workplace supervisor. Letters from family friends or community figures who can speak only to your general character will not distinguish your application. Add your recommender's contact information to the portal on November 1 and follow up with a reminder in mid-January to confirm they submitted.

Short-answer responses should be specific and concrete. Write about why you need financial support and how a Nebraska public college fits your actual plans — not generic statements about your dreams or potential. Get feedback from at least two honest readers before submitting.

DACA, undocumented, and DACA-eligible students are explicitly eligible by foundation policy. State your status clearly if applicable.

For Organizations Seeking Major Grants

Do not contact the foundation for funding inquiries. The contact address (scholarships@stbfoundation.org) is monitored exclusively for scholarship matters; the foundation does not respond to funding requests. There is no grants officer, no program officer directory, and no RFP cycle for the major grantmaking program. Organizations should monitor the foundation's 990 disclosures annually via ProPublica to track evolving grantee relationships and consider building presence within established fiscal sponsor networks (New Venture Fund, Hopewell Fund, Neo Philanthropy) as the only credible indirect pathway.