What The Schmidt Family Foundation does

The Schmidt Family Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation founded in 2006 by Eric Schmidt (former Google CEO and Alphabet executive chairman) and Wendy Schmidt, headquartered in Palo Alto, California. It operates as the hub of a multi-entity philanthropic ecosystem dedicated to restoring the relationship between human activity and the world's natural resources, working through grantmaking and impact investing across clean renewable energy, sustainable food systems, ocean health, and human rights.

The Foundation executes its mission through two core programs — the 11th Hour Project (founded 2006) and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (founded 2015) — and supports a broader constellation of related entities including Schmidt Ocean Institute (2010), 11th Hour Racing (2010), ReMain Nantucket (2008), Schmidt Sciences (2024), and the Agog Immersive Media Institute. Grantmaking funds organizations on the frontlines of environmental justice, while impact investing deploys patient, flexible capital in the form of low-interest loans, equity stakes, convertible notes, and recoverable grants into transformational early-stage projects that prioritize social returns over financial returns. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and proactively sources both grant and investment opportunities.

The Foundation has demonstrated nine years of continuous multi-year support for UC Santa Barbara's Environmental Solutions Fellows Program (2025–2028 cycle), participated in Cream Co. Meats' $8 million Series A round in January 2026, and is a member of the Science Philanthropy Alliance (45 organizations) coordinating philanthropic responses to US federal research funding cuts. There is no disclosed revenue, commercial product, or technology offering; the entity is structured as a nonprofit foundation, not a commercial enterprise.

Name

The Schmidt Family Foundation

Legal name

The Schmidt Family Foundation

Website

https://tsffoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Schmidt Family Foundation, founded in 2006 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, is a private philanthropic foundation that deploys grants and impact investments through the 11th Hour Project and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners to support clean energy, sustainable food systems, ocean health, and human rights, alongside a broader ecosystem of six related Schmidt philanthropic entities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking: Awards grants primarily through the 11th Hour Project and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners to support organizations on the frontlines of environmental justice, advancing clean energy, sustainable food systems, and ocean health restoration.
2. Impact Investing: Provides patient, purposeful, and flexible capital to organizations sharing the goal of restoring the relationship between people and planet. Offers flexible capital in various forms including low-interest loans, equity stakes, convertible notes, and recoverable grants to transformational early-stage projects.

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Schmidt Family Foundation is a private family foundation that makes grants and impact investments to advance environmental and human-rights causes. It works through two core programs—the 11th Hour Project (community-based grantmaking on renewable energy, sustainable food systems, ocean health, and human rights) and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners (funding for marine/ocean-health technology developers)—while also deploying flexible impact-investment capital in the form of low-interest loans, equity stakes, convertible notes, and recoverable grants to early-stage transformational projects.

Product overview

The Schmidt Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization (founded 2006) that works to restore a balanced relationship between people and planet through two primary programs: the 11th Hour Project and Schmidt Marine Technology Partners. The Foundation also supports several related entities including Schmidt Ocean Institute (operates a research vessel for ocean exploration), 11th Hour Racing (sustainable maritime practices), ReMain Nantucket (local environmental resilience), Agog/The Immersive Media Institute (extended reality for environmental awareness), and Schmidt Sciences (advanced science and technology). The Foundation operates through grantmaking and impact investing methods, providing patient, purposeful, and flexible capital to organizations advancing clean energy, sustainable food systems, ocean health, and human rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 11th Hour Project: Program partnering with communities worldwide on renewable energy, resilient food systems, healthy oceans, and human rights protection.
• Schmidt Marine Technology Partners

Products and services

• 11th Hour Project Environmental grantmaking program of the Schmidt Family Foundation that partners with communities worldwide to advance renewable energy, resilient food systems, healthy oceans, and the protection of human rights. Targets organizations on the frontlines of environmental justice.
• Schmidt Marine Technology Partners Grantmaking program of the Schmidt Family Foundation that supports scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs in developing technologies that restore ocean health. Aimed at marine-technology developers advancing ocean-health solutions.
• Schmidt Ocean Institute Related-entity philanthropic organization that operates a world-class philanthropic research vessel available to scientists globally to explore the oceans and pursue marine research, with findings made publicly available.
• 11th Hour Racing Initiative that works with the sailing community and maritime industries to advance sustainable solutions and practices that protect and restore ocean health.
• ReMain Nantucket (Remain) Organization focused on applying environmental work strategies within the context of Nantucket, Massachusetts, addressing sea level rise, local industry, and community resilience.
• The Immersive Media Institute (Agog) Institute helping people use extended reality (XR) to create human connection, cultivate empathy, and inspire action toward environmental sustainability.
• Schmidt Sciences Nonprofit organization created in 2024 working to advance science and technology that deepens human understanding of the natural world and develops solutions to global issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,200 research grants totaling $2.5 billion terminated by US federal funding cuts in 2025, creating gaps that scientific philanthropies are filling
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UC Santa BarbaracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026The Schmidt Family Foundation has renewed multi-year funding for the Schmidt Environmental Solutions Fellows Program at UC Santa Barbara, marking nine years of continuous support. The 2025-2028 program has expanded to include additional postdoctoral fellows and focuses on fostering mentorship opportunities between senior fellows and junior graduate and undergraduate participants.
• Science Philanthropy AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific philanthropies including the Schmidt Family Foundation ecosystem are expanding reach to fill gaps left by US federal funding cuts that terminated over 2,200 research grants totaling $2.5 billion in 2025. The Science Philanthropy Alliance grew to 45 member organizations as part of this sector-wide response.
• Convergent ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEric and Wendy Schmidt are backing Convergent Research through venture philanthropy models, launching focused research organizations backed by tens of millions in funding. The organization develops promising research proposals in partnership with UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency.
• Schmidt SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchmidt Sciences was created in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to advance science and technology that deepens human understanding of the natural world and develops solutions to global issues. It is part of the Schmidt philanthropic ecosystem alongside the Schmidt Family Foundation.
• Schmidt Ocean InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchmidt Ocean Institute explores unknown oceans offering access to a world-class philanthropic research vessel for scientists around the world to excite interest and inform wise stewardship of the planet. Created in 2010 as part of the Schmidt philanthropic ecosystem.
• 11th Hour RacingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner11th Hour Racing works with the sailing community and maritime industries to advance sustainable solutions and practices that protect and restore ocean health. Founded in 2010 as part of the Schmidt philanthropic ecosystem.
• ReMain NantucketminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReMain Nantucket works to bring creative thinking to environmental and community challenges, elevate local industry and encourage innovation and resilience across the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Founded in 2008 to apply environmental work lessons within a small community threatened by sea level rise.
• 11th Hour ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 11th Hour Project is one of the two primary programs of the Schmidt Family Foundation. It partners with communities around the world working for renewable energy, resilient food systems, healthy oceans and protection of human rights. Founded in 2006.
• Schmidt Marine Technology PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchmidt Marine Technology Partners is one of the two primary programs of the Schmidt Family Foundation. It supports scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs in developing technologies that restore ocean health. Founded in 2015.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MacArthur Foundation: Major US private foundation with a long-running climate solutions portfolio and significant global grantmaking - similar structure and scale to TSFF.
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation: Large California-based private foundation with leading ocean conservation, climate, and land conservation programs; structurally and thematically similar to TSFF, also operating from Silicon Valley orbit.
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Family private foundation with active environment and climate portfolios alongside other program areas; comparable scale and operating model to TSFF.
• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: Major Bay Area private foundation with a dedicated environment program addressing climate, clean energy, and conservation - same funding scale and vehicle type as TSFF.
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Major US private foundation with deep programs in environmental conservation, ocean health, and scientific research - directly comparable to TSFF in scale, structure, and thematic priorities (including explicit reference in the input data).
• Bezos Earth Fund: Tech-billionaire-funded environmental philanthropy making large-scale grants across climate, nature, and food systems - the closest structural analog to TSFF in combining tech wealth with environmental grantmaking.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Specialized climate grantmaking foundation that aggregates philanthropic capital and deploys it across clean energy, land use, and industry - directly comparable grantmaking niche to TSFF's energy and ocean programs.
• Rockefeller Brothers Fund: Family-led private foundation with dedicated sustainable development and climate programs, structurally similar to TSFF and operating across comparable geographies.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Large private foundation with a substantial Beyond Carbon climate/clean-energy program and ocean initiatives, comparable in mission scope and active grantmaking posture.
• Oak Foundation: International private foundation funding environmental conservation, climate, and human rights - directly aligned with TSFF's combined environmental and human-rights programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments10 records

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Frequently asked questions about The Schmidt Family Foundation