What The Conrad Prebys Foundation does

The Conrad Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County, established in 2020 through the gift of Conrad Prebys and headquartered at 1420 Kettner Blvd in downtown San Diego. The foundation's stated mission is to enhance the lives of San Diegans through investments in four core priority areas: arts and culture, youth success, health and well-being, and medical research. It manages an investment portfolio of approximately $1.2 billion, deploys roughly $50 million in grants annually, and has earmarked an additional $100 million for strategic investments over the ten-year window from 2023 to 2033. The foundation's primary customers are 501(c)(3) organizations, research institutions, tribal entities, and fiscally sponsored projects operating within San Diego County.

The foundation operates an invitation-based grantmaking model layered with open opportunities, supported by programs such as Prebys Research Heroes (14 two-year grants of $500,000 each in partnership with Science Philanthropy Alliance), the Healing Through the Arts and Nature initiative (which engaged 50 nonprofits with $5.2 million and featured a BBC Storyworks collaboration), and the Youth Mental Health Innovation and Scaling Initiative ($10 million two-year program). Beyond traditional grantmaking, the foundation operates a $50 million Prebys Ventures Impact Fund backing early-stage life sciences and technology companies, has invested $2 million in nonprofit news outlets, and committed up to $1 million to the Middlemarch Fund III for middle-income housing. In February 2026 the foundation acquired the Wells Fargo Plaza, signaling direct real-asset investment in downtown San Diego's civic infrastructure.

The foundation is led by President and CEO Grant Oliphant and CFO/CIO Gil Alvarado, who stewards the $1.2 billion portfolio. The Board is chaired by Anthony Cortes and includes Paula Cordeiro and Irma Cota. Marketing and outreach are conducted through a multi-channel approach that includes the prebysfdn.org website, a bi-weekly newsletter, the Stop & Talk podcast, webinars, social media, and signature events such as the Prebys Leadership Awards and Prebys Sparx Awards. The foundation explicitly does not develop proprietary technology products and operates with the discipline of a place-based funder focused solely on San Diego County.

Name

The Conrad Prebys Foundation

Legal name

The Conrad Prebys Foundation

Website

https://prebysfdn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Conrad Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County, awarding roughly $50 million in annual grants and managing a $1.2 billion portfolio to support arts and culture, youth success, health and well-being, and medical research across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Private foundation
• Community impact grants
• Medical research funding
• Arts culture grants

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking: The foundation annually distributes approximately $50 million in grants to support organizations and projects throughout San Diego County. Funding is directed toward four core areas: arts and culture, youth success, health and well-being, and medical research. Additionally, the foundation makes targeted investments in the broader ecosystem supporting these priorities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Conrad Prebys Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes approximately $50 million annually in grants to nonprofit organizations, research institutions, and community entities throughout San Diego County. Its grantmaking is organized around four core priorities—arts and culture, youth success, health and well-being, and medical research—supplemented by a $50 million Prebys Ventures Impact Fund backing early-stage life science and technology companies and a separate $100 million allocation for strategic investments over 2023-2033.

Product overview

The Conrad Prebys Foundation (also known as Prebys Foundation) is the largest private foundation in San Diego County, focused on philanthropy and grantmaking. The foundation operates as a unified grantmaking organization with multiple programmatic initiatives rather than a traditional product platform. Its core offerings include grant programs supporting arts and culture, youth success, health and well-being, medical research, and impact investing. Key products include the Prebys Leadership Awards, Prebys Research Heroes medical research grants, Healing Through the Arts and Nature initiative, Youth Mental Health Innovation grants, the Prebys Ventures Impact Fund ($50M venture fund), and the Stop & Talk Podcast. The foundation annually distributes approximately $50 million in grants to the San Diego community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prebys Research Heroes Medical research grant program in partnership with Science Philanthropy Alliance, awarding two-year grants of $500,000 each to biomedical researchers in San Diego advancing medical science in cancer, Alzheimer's, infectious disease, and mental health.
• Youth Mental Health Innovation & Scaling Initiative $10 million two-year grant program addressing mental and behavioral health challenges in San Diego youth, with one-year grants of $50,000-$150,000 and multi-year grants of $100,000-$250,000 annually.
• Healing Through the Arts and Nature Grants initiative supporting San Diego organizations using arts, cultural, and nature-based activities for preventative and therapeutic health purposes, partnering with The Nonprofit Institute (USD), Art Pharmacy, and The San Diego Natural History Museum.
• Prebys Leadership Awards Annual recognition program awarding $100K to five leaders with a track record of promoting well-being for San Diego County communities.
• Prebys Ventures Impact Fund $50 million venture fund backing early-stage life science and technology companies in San Diego, focused on advancing medical research and patient care.
• Prebys Sparx Award Annual award celebrating bold ideas for youth well-being in San Diego County; inaugural 2025 recipient was the VAPA Foundation for transformative arts programming to San Diego youth.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 two-year grants of $500,000 each awarded through Prebys Research Heroes program ($7 million total)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• BBC StoryworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership to create a short film and article featuring local nonprofits building community and improving health through arts and nature, featuring Emilio Nares Foundation, San Diego River Park Foundation, Queer Sol, Horse of the Sun Ranch, Fern Street Circus, and Black Like Water.
• Science Philanthropy AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to launch the $7 million Prebys Research Heroes program designed to bring more diverse perspectives into the laboratory and yield ground-breaking medical research.
• The Nonprofit Institute (University of San Diego)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged to undertake literature review on arts and nature-based interventions for health, and partnered to support arts, culture, nature-based organizations, and health providers in the Healing Through Arts and Nature initiative.
• Art PharmacycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Healing Through Arts and Nature/Social Prescribing ecosystem, working together to advance coordinated approaches that improve community health and well-being across San Diego.
• San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Healing Through Arts and Nature/Social Prescribing ecosystem to deepen learning across the field and advance coordinated approaches for community health.
• United for San DiegomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-funder collaboration including Prebys Foundation, San Diego Foundation, and Price Philanthropies to address funding gaps from federal reductions affecting San Diego region.
• San Diego FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through United for San Diego and Unity Fund, which has raised $32.3 million total to support local nonprofits filling the void left by federal funding reductions.
• Price PhilanthropiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through United for San Diego to address funding gaps affecting San Diego region from federal benefit funding cutbacks.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• San Diego Foundation: San Diego's other major community foundation and a direct peer; collaborates with Prebys through United for San Diego and the Unity Fund, serving overlapping nonprofit and civic grantees across San Diego County with comparable grantmaking, endowment management, and community foundation functions.
• Price Philanthropies: San Diego-based private foundation co-anchoring United for San Diego alongside Prebys; pursues parallel place-based grantmaking in San Diego neighborhoods with comparable programmatic focus on youth, community development, and cross-funder coordination.
• The California Wellness Foundation: Large California private foundation focused on health equity and well-being; shares the health and well-being grantmaking priority with Prebys and overlaps with Prebys board member Irma Cota, who serves on Cal Wellness' board.
• United Way of San Diego County: San Diego's primary community impact organization funding nonprofits in health, education, and financial stability; directly comparable as a San Diego-focused nonprofit funder serving overlapping grantees and community needs.

Broad incumbents

• The James Irvine Foundation: Major California-focused foundation supporting arts, youth, and inclusive economy; comparable in scale and statewide scope but broader geographically, making it a broader incumbent with overlapping arts and youth success program areas.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Nation's largest health-focused philanthropy; operates at far greater scale but shares the health equity, medical research, and community well-being programmatic emphases that anchor Prebys' health and medical research priorities.
• The Pew Charitable Trusts: Large national philanthropic institution with grantmaking in health, civic life, and arts/culture; mirrors Prebys' multi-pillar strategic plan and place-based investments but operates at much larger scale across multiple states.

Regional players

• Weingart Foundation: Southern California-based private foundation supporting nonprofits across health, education, and human services; comparable operating model and grantee base to Prebys, but with broader Southern California geographic focus rather than place-based in San Diego alone.
• Jacobs Family Foundation: San Diego-area private foundation focused on community revitalization, youth, and social equity; comparable place-based approach in the San Diego region with overlapping interests in community building and underserved populations.

Others

• Science Philanthropy Alliance: Alliance of foundations funding basic scientific research; not a direct grantmaking competitor but a strategic partner on the Prebys Research Heroes program and an enabler of medical research philanthropy that parallels Prebys' research funding mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/prebysfound
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-conrad-prebys-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments53 records

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Frequently asked questions about The Conrad Prebys Foundation