Big Bang Philanthropy

What Big Bang Philanthropy does

Big Bang Philanthropy is a San Francisco-based non-profit funder network that connects 20 private and corporate philanthropists — including the Skoll Foundation, Bohemian Foundation, Cartier Philanthropy, and LGT Venture Philanthropy — around the shared goal of financing high-impact organizations addressing poverty in low- and middle-income countries. The network operates as a deliberately lightweight coordination layer: members do not pool capital, do not cede funding decisions to a central body, and participate under minimal rules, instead sharing leads, due diligence, networks, and field insights informally and through annual events. Each member is required to dedicate at least $3 million annually to poverty solutions and to maintain at least five active grants of $50,000 or more to organizations that are part of the "Big Bang Organizations" cohort.

The organization's primary product is its curated pipeline of Big Bang Organizations — vetted non-profits that have attracted funding from five or more members. The cohort has grown cumulatively from 2016 through 2024 to more than 30 organizations spanning education (CAMFED, Luminos Fund, Rocket Learning), food security (Food4Education, One Acre Fund, GGEM Farming), health (Friendship Bench), women's economic empowerment (Buildher), and energy access (SolarAid), with geographic concentration across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. New organizations are designated annually, and designated entities participate in cross-learning events and receive ongoing coordinated support.

Revenue mechanics are intentionally modest: Big Bang charges annual membership dues of $2,000-$5,000 per funder to cover coordination costs, while all grants are deployed independently by members. With 20 members, dues revenue is in the low five figures to low six figures annually, and the organization's economic footprint is therefore best understood through the roughly $60 million-plus in collective annual grantmaking it coordinates rather than its own top-line. No technology platform, software product, or digital service is offered; the value proposition rests entirely on trust, reputation, and the curated intelligence shared among a small, high-trust group of large philanthropists.

Name

Big Bang Philanthropy

Legal name

Big Bang Philanthropy

Website

https://bigbangphilanthropy.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Bang Philanthropy is a San Francisco-based non-profit funder network of 20 private and corporate philanthropists who share leads, due diligence, and insights to jointly fund high-impact poverty solutions in low- and middle-income countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Funder Network

NAICS

Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Philanthropy funding network
• Poverty solutions
• Funder collaboration
• Grant due diligence
• Nonprofit membership

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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. Membership Dues: Big Bang Philanthropy charges annual membership dues of $2,000-$5,000 depending on the year. This covers coordination costs and operational expenses of running the funder network.

Pricing tiers

Core offering

Big Bang Philanthropy runs a curated funder network of roughly 20 private and corporate philanthropists who each commit at least $3 million per year to poverty solutions in low- and middle-income countries. Members share leads, insights, networks, and due diligence on high-impact organizations, while making funding decisions independently. An organization becomes a "Big Bang Organization" once funded by at least five network members, qualifying for cross-learning events and ongoing visibility.

Product overview

Big Bang Philanthropy is not a technology product company — it is a funder network/membership organization composed of private and corporate philanthropists who share insights, leads, networks, and due diligence to fund international poverty solutions. The organization does not offer a software product, platform, or technology service; instead, it provides a collaborative framework where members (funders who spend at least $3 million per year on poverty solutions) share information about high-impact organizations. Organizations become "Big Bang Organizations" when funded by five or more Big Bang members, qualifying for annual cross-learning events and occasional news updates. No named technology products, modules, or branded service offerings were identified in the source content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Big Bang Philanthropy Funder Network Membership
• Big Bang Organization Designation
• Annual Cross-Learning Events

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bohemian FoundationcoreOthersPrivate foundation member of Big Bang Philanthropy. Contributes to the network's collaborative funding approach, sharing leads and due diligence with other member funders to maximize impact on poverty solutions.
• Cartier PhilanthropycoreOthersPrivate philanthropy organization and member of Big Bang. Participates in the network's information sharing and co-funding of organizations fighting poverty in low- and middle-income countries.
• CRI FoundationcoreOthersPrivate foundation member contributing to the Big Bang network's mission of supporting high-impact poverty solutions through collaborative funding and shared due diligence.
• Crown Family PhilanthropiescoreOthersFamily philanthropy organization and member of Big Bang, participating in shared learning and collaborative funding of organizations addressing poverty.
• Dovetail ImpactcoreOthersImpact-focused organization and member of the Big Bang network, contributing to collaborative funding efforts and shared insights on effective poverty solutions.
• DRK FoundationcoreOthersPrivate foundation and member of Big Bang Philanthropy, participating in the network's approach to sharing leads and co-funding organizations with proven poverty solutions.
• ELMA FoundationcoreOthersFoundation member of the Big Bang network, contributing to collaborative funding and shared due diligence on poverty-fighting organizations.
• FHI FoundationcoreOthersPrivate foundation member contributing to Big Bang's collaborative approach to funding high-impact poverty solutions.
• Judith Neilson FoundationcoreOthersFamily foundation and member of Big Bang Philanthropy, participating in shared learning and collaborative funding of organizations addressing fundamental needs of the poor.
• LGT Venture PhilanthropycoreOthersVenture philanthropy organization and member of Big Bang, contributing to the network's collaborative approach to funding and supporting high-impact poverty solutions.
• Segal Family FoundationcoreOthersFamily foundation and member of Big Bang Philanthropy, participating in the network's shared learning and co-funding of organizations with proven impact on poverty.
• Skoll FoundationcoreOthersMajor philanthropy foundation and member of Big Bang, contributing to the network's collaborative approach to supporting social entrepreneurs and poverty solutions.
• Spark InternationalcoreOthersInternational development organization and member of the Big Bang network, participating in shared funding insights and collaborative poverty funding efforts.
• SAS-P (Social Accelerator Fund)coreOthersSocial investment fund and member of Big Bang Philanthropy, contributing to the network's collaborative approach to funding high-impact poverty solutions.
• Schooner Capital FoundationcoreOthersPrivate foundation and member of Big Bang, participating in the network's shared learning and collaborative funding of organizations addressing poverty.
• Vitol FoundationcoreOthersCorporate foundation and member of Big Bang Philanthropy, contributing to the network's approach to sharing insights and co-funding organizations with proven poverty solutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Skoll Foundation: A major philanthropy backing social entrepreneurs targeting large-scale change on issues including poverty. Relevant as both a Big Bang member and a sectoral peer operating in the same global-development/poverty-solutions space.
• Giving Tuesday: A global generosity movement that mobilizes coordinated giving and fundraising across the philanthropic sector. Thematically adjacent to Big Bang in mobilizing collective philanthropic action, though it focuses on mass-participation giving rather than a curated funder network.

Broad incumbents

• Acumen: A pioneering impact-investment nonprofit deploying patient capital into early-stage social enterprises serving low-income communities globally. Comparable thematic overlap (poverty, LMIC focus) but Acumen is itself a direct investor/funder rather than a network of independent funders.
• Tides Foundation: A large fiscal-sponsor and philanthropic-services nonprofit that hosts funds, projects, and grantmaking for donors and collaboratives. Adjacent to Big Bang as philanthropic infrastructure serving grantmakers, though significantly broader in scope and services.
• New Venture Fund: A 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor and grantmaking vehicle that supports philanthropic collaboratives and pooled funds. Comparable in providing shared infrastructure to multi-funder initiatives, but operates at much larger scale and across many causes.

Emerging players

• Echoing Green: A nonprofit that identifies and seeds emerging social entrepreneurs with fellowships and capital. Comparable to Big Bang in supporting early-stage, high-impact organizations, but operates as a single funder/intermediary rather than a multi-funder network.

Direct peers

• Lever for Change: Runs high-profile, open-competition funding calls (e.g., 100&Change) and matches winning solutions with philanthropic capital. Directly comparable as an intermediary that channels multiple funders to a curated set of high-impact organizations.
• Blue Meridian Partners: A philanthropic collaborative that pools capital from multiple funders to invest in bold, evidence-backed solutions for children and families. Comparable in that it coordinates funders around a shared vetted portfolio, though its pooled-fund structure differs from Big Bang's model.
• The Audacious Project: A collaborative funding model incubated at TED that aggregates multiple donors around vetted, high-impact social projects. Directly comparable to Big Bang as a curated, multi-funder collaborative targeting social change at scale.
• Co-Impact: Global collaborative philanthropy platform that pools capital from multiple funders to back systems-change initiatives in health, education, and economic opportunity across LMICs. Highly comparable to Big Bang in funder-collaborative DNA, though Co-Impact uses a pooled fund model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-bang-philanthropy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Bang Philanthropy