What Raikes Foundation does

The Raikes Foundation is a private, non-profit philanthropic foundation founded in 2002 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Co-founded by Jeff Raikes (a former Microsoft executive) and Tricia Raikes, the Foundation operates as a spend-down entity — meaning it is intentionally distributing its endowment over a finite timeline rather than existing in perpetuity — with $201M distributed since inception, including $21.7M in 2022 and $22.5M in Total Charitable Expenditures in 2025, and 1,552 grants made over the past five years. The Foundation does not sell products or services and generates no commercial revenue; instead, it makes grants through an invitation-only application process, mobilizing co-funder capital and catalyzing public funding rather than serving as a direct service provider.

The Foundation concentrates its grantmaking across four portfolios: Education (K-12 and post-secondary system redesign and student experience), Housing Stability for Youth (prevention-focused strategies targeting youth homelessness in Washington State and beyond), Resourcing Equity & Democracy (community organizing and power-building in marginalized communities through state alignment tables in Washington, Michigan, and North Carolina), and Impact-Driven Philanthropy (supporting individual donors to deploy resources with fewer restrictions to frontline equity organizations). Reported outcomes include a 40% reduction in youth experiencing homelessness in Washington State from 2016 to 2022, a 34% increase in on-time high school graduation rates among students experiencing homelessness, and 86% of Impact-Driven Philanthropy grant funding directed to organizations led by people of color.

The Foundation employs 11-50 staff operating from a Seattle headquarters, with leadership including Co-founders Jeff and Tricia Raikes, Chief of Staff Fatima Gulamali, and incoming Executive Director Dr. Zoë Stemm-Calderon (effective January 1, 2026), who succeeds Dennis Quirin after a transition completed in late 2025. The Foundation maintains a broad partner ecosystem spanning national organizations (SchoolHouse Connection, Community Solutions, True Colors United, A Way Home Washington, JustFund, Equity Accelerator, BELE Network, Student Experience Project) and community-based groups (Washington Power Building Table, Michigan Alignment Table, Carolina Federation Fund, OneAmerica, Building Changes), and it engages in policy advocacy — including a public statement opposing the Supreme Court's 2024 decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson.

Name

Raikes Foundation

Legal name

Raikes Foundation

Website

https://raikesfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Raikes Foundation is a private, spend-down philanthropic foundation in Seattle that makes invitation-only grants across four portfolios: education system redesign, youth homelessness prevention, racial equity and democracy, and impact-driven philanthropy, serving community organizations and state-level power-building coalitions across Washington, Michigan, North Carolina, and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Youth homelessness prevention
• Education system reform
• Impact-driven philanthropy
• Democracy equity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Raikes Foundation is a private spend-down philanthropic foundation that makes grants to nonprofit organizations, education systems, and community-based groups across four portfolios: Education, Housing Stability for Youth, Impact-Driven Philanthropy, and Resourcing Equity & Democracy. Its offerings include direct grant funding, funder collaboratives, capacity-building for individual donors, and convenings such as the Grassroots Strategy College. The foundation co-designs solutions with young people and communities most impacted by inequity and operates with a planned finite timeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Impact-Driven Philanthropy Initiative: Initiative designed to support donors in distributing more money with fewer restrictions to organizations working to dismantle root causes of inequity and transform systems.
• HOPE Initiative

Products and services

• Education Grant Portfolio Invitation-only grantmaking portfolio supporting K-12 and post-secondary public education redesign, including the Student Experience Project, Resource Equity Funders Collaborative, BELE Network, and Equity Accelerator. Funds organizations working to make student outcomes independent of race, class, gender identity, and language.
• Housing Stability for Youth Grant Portfolio Invitation-only grantmaking portfolio focused on preventing and ending youth homelessness through school-housing coordination, rapid-response housing, and statewide alignment. Supports partners such as A Way Home Washington, SchoolHouse Connection, Building Changes, Community Solutions, and True Colors United, centering youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth.
• Impact-Driven Philanthropy Initiative Initiative that engages high-capacity and women donors in peer learning, donor education, and trust-based giving, leveraging JustFund and the Impact-Driven Philanthropy Collaborative to move resources to frontline organizations.
• Resourcing Equity & Democracy Grant Portfolio Grantmaking portfolio supporting community-based organizing, state alignment tables, and civic engagement networks (e.g., Washington Power Building Table, Michigan Alignment Table, Carolina Federation Fund, Grassroots Power Project) working to build power in historically marginalized communities.
• HOPE Initiative Initiative that learns from young people with lived experience of homelessness and partners with them to drive lasting change, centering over-represented populations including youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth.
• Grassroots Strategy College Weeklong convening bringing together organizers from across states for strategy development, collaboration, and field-building in support of the Resourcing Equity & Democracy portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in youth experiencing homelessness in Washington State (2016-2022)
• +6 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• True Colors UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner spotlight organization addressing LGBTQ+ youth homelessness. LGBTQ+ youth have 2.2x greater risk of experiencing homelessness compared to non-LGBTQ+ peers. True Colors United believes safe, stable housing is a basic human need and involves young people affected by homelessness in developing policy solutions.
• JustFundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit grantmaking solution centered in equity and trust that removes traditional barriers preventing grantmakers from moving resources quickly and efficiently to organizations at the forefront of social change.
• BELE Network (Building Equitable Learning Environment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of educators, students, parents, community partners, school and system leaders, and policymakers committed to prioritizing practices and structural changes that improve student engagement, experience, and outcomes in public education.
• Equity AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Dr. Mary C. Murphy, lead scholar of the Student Experience Project, harnesses research, practice, and policy to create more equitable learning and working environments from college through careers.
• Giving CompasscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncubated and launched by the Raikes Foundation, now an independent 501c3 connecting donors to resources and knowledge for strategic giving. Reaches over 100,000 users each month and connecting givers to personalized learning resources and giving opportunities.
• Impact-Driven Philanthropy CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrings together organizations and individuals committed to shifting how high-capacity donors give, with goal to move resources and power to those on frontlines working to change inequitable systems.
• Student Experience ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative of university leaders, researchers, and organizations advocating for equity-centered policies and practices from classroom to Statehouse. Develops practical approaches to advancing equitable student experiences and outcomes.
• Resource Equity Funders CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative addressing how public education is funded so that funding for every child's school is based on student needs, not the neighborhood they're in.
• LearnerStudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner leading national discussion among educators, policymakers, researchers, and innovators on how to update and upgrade the education system for the age of AI.
• National Equity ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading districts in California to drive new high school models, community partnerships, and public and private investments to spur educational change.
• School Board PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrepares community members to serve effectively on local school boards. Trained nearly 700 leaders with impact on 9 million young people across 41 states since 2019.
• Washington Power Building TablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of six community-based organizations (Firelands, OneAmerica, Latino Community Fund, The Washington Bus, Washington Community Action Network, and Working Washington) working together to build statewide power in low-income and communities of color.
• Michigan Alignment TablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState alignment table helping working people come together to shape a fairer future in Michigan with a 10-year agenda focused on building community infrastructure.
• Grassroots Power ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting long-term, community-driven solutions by amplifying state work, connecting groups across states, and equipping them with tools, research, and strategies. Hosts the Grassroots Strategy College.
• Carolina Federation FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization in North Carolina working to build community-driven governing power in a politically divided state through strategic alignment.
• SchoolHouse ConnectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks to overcome homelessness through early care and education, advocates for policies supporting youth, and provides hands-on help to schools and educational institutions closest to young people experiencing homelessness.
• Community SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner helping communities have data necessary to quickly match young people's needs with housing options through Built for Zero initiative.
• A Way Home WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner ensuring communities have data and coordination to quickly match young people's needs with housing options, leading the Anchor Community Initiative.
• OneAmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrains and organizes immigrant and refugee leaders in Washington State to mobilize civic engagement, advocate for fair policies, and build a representative democracy. Part of Washington's Power Building Table.
• Alliance for Youth OrganizingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner building networks that sustain work across the country for youth organizing and civic engagement.
• Black Voters MatterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner building the networks that sustain democracy work across the country.
• Center for Popular DemocracyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner organization supporting democracy and civic engagement work.
• Building ChangescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington State partner implementing education programs for students experiencing homelessness that have seen dramatic rises in graduation rates.
• Office of Homeless Youth (Washington State)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington State government office leading an inside-outside strategy ensuring decision-makers work on priorities, interventions, and solutions with young people.
• Washington Coalition for Homeless Youth AdvocacycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition helping lead inside-outside strategy for youth homelessness prevention and response in Washington State.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Walton Family Foundation: A large private foundation with a primary focus on K-12 education system reform and equity. Comparable to Raikes in its systems-level approach to public education and concentration on dismantling inequitable school funding structures.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation: A private foundation dedicated to improving outcomes for children and youth in the U.S., with particular focus on youth in or aging out of foster care and those experiencing homelessness. Directly comparable to Raikes on the housing stability for youth mission.
• Ballmer Group: Founded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Ballmer Group is a private philanthropic organization focused on improving economic mobility for children and families in the U.S., with major investments in education and housing stability for youth. Directly comparable to Raikes given shared Microsoft executive origins, similar systems-change approach, and overlapping focus areas.
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: CZI is a spend-down philanthropic vehicle founded by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, with significant investments in education equity and youth-serving systems. Highly comparable to Raikes on tech-founder origins, spend-down structure, and education reform strategy.
• Blue Meridian Partners: A philanthropic venture that invests in scalable solutions for children, youth, and families living in poverty. Comparable to Raikes in its emphasis on scaling proven interventions and leveraging co-funding partnerships to maximize systemic impact.
• Stand Together Foundation: A private philanthropic community supporting innovative social entrepreneurs and systems-change initiatives. Comparable scale and similar approach to high-leverage catalytic grantmaking focused on community-driven solutions.
• Emerson Collective: Founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, Emerson Collective is a social change organization that operates as a spend-down entity focused on education, immigration reform, and equity — closely mirroring Raikes' systems-change orientation, finite-horizon model, and similar scale of annual grantmaking.
• Kresge Foundation: A major U.S. private foundation with programs in education, health, and human services, focused on expanding opportunity for low-income individuals. Comparable scale and similar multi-issue systems-change orientation as Raikes.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations, focused on reducing inequality across education, democracy, and civic engagement. Comparable to Raikes' Resourcing Equity & Democracy portfolio and its racial equity grantmaking orientation, though at substantially larger scale.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The world's largest private foundation, with deep investments in U.S. public education reform and equity. Dr. Stemm-Calderon's prior fellowship at Gates makes it a relevant peer for talent flow and overlapping education portfolio strategies, though Gates operates at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/raikesfdn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@raikesfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raikes-foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/raikesfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Raikes Foundation