The Samueli Foundation, based in Corona del Mar, has announced its 2026 class of Breakaway and Build OC Fund grants, awarding $15 million to 89 Orange County-serving nonprofit organizations.
While the grants reach into every corner of the County and cover a wide range of requests (some wildly creative, some seemingly mundane) they share a common purpose: investing in the behind-the-scenes people, systems and spaces that allow nonprofits to do well by doing more and from a position of organizational strength.
This year’s grants showcase ideas that bring assistance directly into neighborhoods; transportation that helps seniors, children and adults with disabilities stay connected to care, school and community; technology and robotics education that expands learning opportunities; leadership development and organizational improvements that prevent pervasive talent burnout and brain drain; and housing and community facilities that provide safety, stability and opportunity for Orange County’s most vulnerable residents.
Since announcing the Breakaway and Build OC inaugural grants in Fall 2025, the Samueli Foundation has awarded $32 million to 235 nonprofit organizations in just nine months, a record-setting pace for the main philanthropic vehicle founded by Newport Beach residents Henry and Susan Samueli.
The Foundation completed this work in addition to its other core grantmaking which exceeded $130 million in 2025 and is on pace to reach over $180 million in 2026.
“A beautiful home will crumble without proper investments in its plumbing and infrastructure; the same is true in the nonprofit sector,” said Lindsey Spindle, president of the Samueli Family Philanthropies. “Our nonprofits show up for Orange County’s most vulnerable, even when their own operations suffer from underinvestment. And so, our community funds are designed to show up for the nonprofits in hopes of addressing critical needs that many funders can’t, won’t, or haven’t yet funded. Behind every successful nonprofit program are the people, technology, vehicles, facilities, and operational support that make the work possible. Our open call funds exist to cover these necessities.”
Investing in What Makes Impact Possible
Many philanthropic grants are restricted to program delivery. The Samueli Foundation established the Breakaway and Build OC Funds in May 2025 following insights gleaned from research they commissioned earlier that year. The research showed significant gaps in investments that often receive the least attention but that make everything else possible – including less sexy capital projects such as renovations and repairs, or upgrades to technology that enables smoother response to community need.
Breakaway Fund grants (one-time unrestricted payments between $50,000-$100,000) strengthen nonprofit capacity by paying for “systems and stuff,” “leadership development,” and “outside expertise.” Larger dollar Build OC Fund grants invest in the physical places where communities receive care and support. Laced together, the two funds recognize that stronger nonprofits require more than program funding—they also need the operational and capital investments that allow their missions to grow and endure.
Locally, one Newport Beach nonprofit and two Laguna Beach nonprofits received grants.
American Academy of Pediatrics District IX Chapter IV off Newport Beach, Glennwood Housing Foundation, Inc. of Laguna Beach and Sally’s Fund Inc. of Laguna Beach were each recipients of Samueli Foundation grants.
The Samueli Foundation’s mission is to make Orange County a vibrant mosaic of community well-being. The Foundation works closely with the constellation of Samueli Family-backed for-profit and nonprofit organizations to ensure that giving back to the community is central to everything they do. These include the Anaheim Ducks Foundation, the San Diego Gulls Foundation, the Irvine Ice Foundation, The Rinks Foundation, and OC Sports & Entertainment, which oversees the family’s sports and entertainment assets, including the Anaheim Ducks, the San Diego Gulls and the Honda Center.
Over the last 25 years, the Samueli Family, through its various entities, has contributed more than $1 billion in charitable grants.
Visit www.samueli.org for more information.
