The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation
Preselected recipients only
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation is a private foundation in Palo Alto, California. In tax year 2024 it gave $229 million in 379 grants; the typical grant was $100,000 and the largest $12.5 million. It only gives to organizations it selects itself and does not accept unsolicited applications.
From its IRS Form 990-PF for tax year 2024.
- Grants paid, 2024$229 million
- Number of grants379
- Typical grant$100,000
- Largest grant$12.5 million
- Assets$1.6 billion
- New grantees66%
Giving in 2024 was down from $302 million the year before.
66% of its 2024 grantees had not received a grant from it the year before, a sign it is open to new organizations.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Number of grants | Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $302 million | 232 | $1.4 billion |
| 2024 | $229 million | 379 | $1.6 billion |
How to apply
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation says in its IRS filing that it only makes contributions to preselected organizations, so unsolicited applications are unlikely to be considered. Organizations it funds are usually invited.
What The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation funds
Where it gives
Its US grants went to recipients in 30 states, the most to Massachusetts. It also paid $76.6 million in 65 grants to recipients outside the US.
| State | Grants | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 39 | $56.4 million |
| California | 137 | $34.1 million |
| New York | 33 | $15.4 million |
| Illinois | 8 | $12.7 million |
| Maryland | 6 | $11.1 million |
| Washington | 6 | $5.6 million |
| Wisconsin | 4 | $4.1 million |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | $2.8 million |
| North Carolina | 3 | $2.7 million |
| Arizona | 8 | $2.5 million |
Grants paid in 2024
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Rhodes Trust | General operating support | $12.5 million |
| Kyutai | To provide general support | $10.4 million |
| Barack Obama Foundation | To support the obama presidential center | $10.0 million |
| Future House Inc | To provide support for futurehouse ai scientist program | $10.0 million |
| The Rhodes Trust | Support for rhodes trust science fellowship | $8.1 million |
| Convergent Research Inc | To provide support for scientific focused research | $8.0 million |
| Convergent Research Inc | To provide support for scientific focused research | $8.0 million |
| Individual | $7.0 million | |
| Digital Harbor Foundation Inc | Support to implement the learning engineering virtual institute | $6.1 million |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | To support mit's plasma science and fusion center | $6.0 million |
| Individual | $5.9 million | |
| California Institute of Technology | Support for dsa-2000: revolutionizing access to the radio sky | $4.8 million |
| California Institute of Technology | Support for clima: climate modeling alliance 2024 | $4.5 million |
| Convergent Research Inc | To provide support for focused research organization | $4.0 million |
| The Regents of the University of California | The schmidt center ds4e | $3.1 million |
| Convergent Research Inc | To provide support for scientific focused research | $3.0 million |
| Ganna Walska Lotusland | To provide support to establish an employee assistance endowment fund | $3.0 million |
| Chancellor Masters & Scholars of the University of Oxford | Support for schmidt ai in science postdocs | $2.9 million |
| Institute of International Education Inc | To provide support for the quad fellowship program | $2.9 million |
| California Institute of Technology | The dsa-2000 radio camera: revolutionizing access to the radio sky | $2.4 million |
| New York University | Support for scientific research on m2lines - multiscale machine learning in coupled earth system modeling | $2.3 million |
| Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique | Support for the scale-aware sea ice project | $2.3 million |
| University of Western Ontario | To provide support for scientific focused research | $2.2 million |
| Science and Technology Futures Inc | To provide support for open datasets initiative. | $2.1 million |
| University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Arts and Sciences Foundation | Support for the argus observatory low cost access to the deep, high cadence sky | $2.0 million |
| Princeton University | Support for scientific research on sargassum seaweed as a future renewable feedstock for sustainable biomanufacturing | $2.0 million |
| Cambridge in America | Support for the university of cambridge scientific software center | $1.9 million |
| The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System | Support for scientific research on converting inconsistent and heterogeneous biomass and municipal solid wastes into de-mineralized and uniform feedstocks for thermal-catalytic processing to low carbon fuels, chemicals, and materials | $1.9 million |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | Support for separations technologies that enable production and use of high-value biomass streams from agricultural and food processing wastes | $1.9 million |
| Cambridge in America | Support for advancing ai in scientific research | $1.8 million |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Support for schmidt ai in science postdocs | $1.8 million |
| University of Cape Town | Support for scientific research on oxygen and biogeochemical dynamics along the west african margin: processes and consequences | $1.8 million |
| University of Reading | Support for land ecosystem models based on new theory, observations, and experiments (lemontree) | $1.8 million |
| University of Washington | Support for scientific research on animals as living bioreactors: the role of animal gut microbiomes in shaping oceanic carbon cycling and export | $1.7 million |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Support for scientific research on a collaborative approach to converting industry waste into food and feed ingredients | $1.5 million |
| Convergent Research Inc | General operating support | $1.5 million |
| Swaniti Initiative | To provide support for carbon negative rice cultivation in india. | $1.5 million |
| Digital Harbor Foundation Inc | To provide support for retrofitting coal plants for biomass carbon removal. | $1.5 million |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc | Support for crisis response program | $1.5 million |
| University of Washington Foundation | Support for the university of washington scientific software center | $1.5 million |
Officers and trustees
- Eric Schmidt
- Wendy Schmidt
- Gregg Goldman
- Mandy Quach
- Frances Babb
- Colette Haider
- Yll Bajraktari
- John Redd
- Charles Giller
- Stuart Feldman
Questions people ask
Does The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation accept grant applications?
No. Its IRS filing says it only makes contributions to preselected organizations.
How much does The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation give?
$229 million in tax year 2024, across 379 grants, with a typical grant of $100,000.
Who runs The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation?
Its 2024 filing lists Eric Schmidt (President & Director), Wendy Schmidt (Director), Gregg Goldman (Chief Financial Officer (Thru 09/2024)) and Mandy Quach (Treasurer) among 10 officers and trustees.
What does The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation fund?
Based on its grants, mainly science and research, international and education.