A grantmaking foundation
We back the peoplerepairing the world.
The Evelyn Kuo Foundation gives grants to legitimate nonprofits working on STEM education, social and emotional learning, the environment and water, mental health, housing, justice and peace. Small organizations and established ones. Everywhere.
- Focus areas
- Eight
- Review
- Rolling
- Application fee
- None
Our only filter: is the work real, and will it last?
Evelyn Kuo Foundation
What we fund
Eight areas. One belief: the people closest to a problem are closest to its answer.
We do not run programs ourselves. We find organizations already doing the work, confirm they are legitimate and well governed, and give them room to keep going.
How we decide
Three questions we ask of every proposal.
Legitimacy first, paperwork second
We confirm that an organization is real, governed and financially accountable. Then we read the work — not the adjectives around it.
Evidence over enthusiasm
We favor programs that can say what changed and how they know it changed. Modest proof is worth more than a beautiful deck.
The whole person, the whole system
A meal, a workout, a therapist, a lease and a job belong to one plan. We fund organizations that treat them that way.
How it works
From a letter to a partnership.
Read the guidelines
Confirm the work fits one of our eight areas, and that your organization can document its legitimacy.
Send a letter of inquiry
A short, honest form — roughly ten minutes. No attachments, no application fee, no consultant required.
We read it
Every inquiry that meets the basics is read in full. If we have questions, we ask them directly.
Shortlisted groups are invited
Organizations we would like to fund receive a full proposal form and a named contact at the foundation.
Our position
“A grant is not charity. It is a bet that a good idea can become a permanent one.”
The Evelyn Kuo Foundation
Letters of inquiry
If the work is real,we want to read it.
Tell us what you do, who it reaches and what you need. We read every inquiry that meets the basics, and we answer every one.