Tax Records Suggest Joe Gebbia Helped Finance Eames Institute’s Expansion

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity has announced plans for a museum at the former Birkenstock campus in Novato, as tax records raise questions about the extent of its financial backing from Airbnb cofounder and Trump administration official Joe Gebbia. The San Francisco Standard reported that the records point to Gebbia as a likely source of substantial donations, although it could not establish how much of the funding came from him.

The nonprofit unveiled its plans on Tuesday for the 88-acre property beside Highway 101, which it bought for $36 million in 2025. Established in 2019 to promote the legacy of industrial designers Ray and Charles Eames, the institute was cofounded by their granddaughter, Llisa Demetrios. Its reported assets increased from roughly $250,000 in its first year to $136 million by the end of 2024.

The financial connection involves the American Endowment Foundation, which oversees donor-advised funds. Its tax records show that Gebbia contributed $106 million to one of those funds in 2022, making his gift the foundation’s largest that year by more than $30 million. In 2024, the foundation gave the Eames Institute $63.2 million, accounting for 99.8% of the institute’s reported contributions that year and an amount equivalent to 47% of its total assets.

Those filings do not establish what portion of the foundation’s grants to the institute originated with Gebbia. The foundation reported $8.4 billion in assets in 2024. Donor-advised funds let contributors claim an immediate charitable tax deduction, accumulate investment returns tax-free and recommend grants later. An institute spokesperson declined to provide Gebbia’s donation total or confirm whether his foundation contribution reached the nonprofit, but described him as a founding donor who remains a supporter.

President Donald Trump appointed Gebbia as the country’s first chief design officer, responsible for redesigning federal websites. Gebbia previously volunteered with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He could not be reached for comment, and representatives of the National Design Studio, the White House Office agency he leads, did not answer questions about his financial involvement with the institute.

Scrutiny of that relationship has intensified following newsletter articles by architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne about Gebbia’s support for Trump and his connection to the nonprofit. Hawthorne urged the institute to explain the relationship and its future to partners and the public. Responding to questions about Gebbia’s politics, an institute spokesperson said, “Joe’s views are his own and do not reflect the Eames Institute.”

The institute’s expansion extends beyond the proposed museum. It holds more than 40,000 Eames Office artifacts and acquired William Stout Architectural Books in San Francisco’s Jackson Square in 2022, followed by Lars Müller Publishers in Switzerland in 2025. Its activities also include artifact loans, fiscal sponsorship for several Sonoma-based organizations and an artist residency program at Eames Ranch outside Petaluma.

Staffing and executive compensation have increased alongside that growth. CEO John Cary’s compensation rose from about $279,000 in 2019 to $584,000 in 2024. Demetrios received $289,000 in 2024, compared with $182,000 in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024, the institute’s workforce expanded from seven employees to 41.