Walter & Elise Haas Fund

What Walter & Elise Haas Fund does

The Walter & Elise Haas Fund is a private family foundation established in 1952 by Walter A. Haas, Sr. and Elise Stern Haas, headquartered at One Lombard Street in San Francisco. It is governed by a board of trustees and managed by an eight-person professional team led by Executive Director Jamie Allison. For more than 70 years the Fund has supported organizations and leaders shaping the San Francisco Bay Area, with all grantmaking restricted to San Francisco and Oakland and a stated preference for organizations with budgets up to $5 million.

Grantmaking is organized under a Community Well-being framework with two pillars. Economic Well-being integrates Economic Security, Education, and Safety Net programs and is anchored by the $24.5 million Endeavor Fund, launched in 2023 as seven-year, $3.5 million unrestricted grants to seven Black and people of color-led organizations working to close the racial and gender wealth gap. Social Well-being, formally launched in 2025, is anchored by the $12.5 million WE Initiative (five-year, $500,000 grants to 25 organizations focused on belonging and social cohesion), the Creative Power Awards ($1.575 million in unrestricted funding to artists and arts nonprofits, evolved from the 30-year-old Creative Work Fund), and the Bay Area Youth Award Possibility Grants ($1 million to 10 youth-led or youth-serving organizations). Additional commitments include a $3.25 million civil society protection initiative and Leader Well-being grants.

The Fund practices trust-based philanthropy: multi-year unrestricted general operating support, lighter reporting requirements, cohort-based peer learning, and co-creation with grantees. Its operating model is community-led and event-driven, using open Letters of Inquiry (803 applications were received for the WE Initiative), invitation-based full proposals, community retreats, focus groups, and design conversations with trustees and current and former grantees. Marketing and grantee engagement run through a website blog, Instagram, LinkedIn, a newsletter, conference presentations such as PEAK Grantmaking 2024, and a Fluxx-based grantee portal. There are no commercial products or technology revenue streams; grants are funded from the endowment and investment returns.

Name

Walter & Elise Haas Fund

Legal name

Walter & Elise Haas Fund

Website

https://haassr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Walter & Elise Haas Fund is a 72-year-old private family foundation in San Francisco that distributes multi-year, unrestricted grants to Bay Area nonprofits under a Community Well-being framework, with major programs including the $24.5M Endeavor Fund, $12.5M WE Initiative, and Creative Power Awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Family foundation grants
• Trust-based philanthropy
• Community development funding
• Nonprofit capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: The Walter & Elise Haas Fund operates as a family foundation established in 1952, distributing grants to nonprofit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The foundation's revenue comes from its endowment, and it distributes funds through various grantmaking programs including the Endeavor Fund ($24.5M), WE Initiative ($12.5M), Creative Power Awards ($1.575M), and other strategic initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Walter & Elise Haas Fund is a private family foundation that distributes multi-year, primarily unrestricted grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. Operating under a Community Well-being framework with two pillars (Economic Well-being and Social Well-being), it channels capital through flagship initiatives including the Endeavor Fund, WE Initiative, Creative Power Awards, Possibility Grants, and Leader Well-being Grants, with award sizes ranging from $100,000 to $3.5 million per grantee and commitments spanning 1–7 years.

Product overview

Walter & Elise Haas Fund is a 72-year-old family foundation focused on trust-based philanthropy in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization operates several interconnected grantmaking programs organized under a Community Well-being framework with two pillars: Economic Well-being and Social Well-being. Key programs include the Endeavor Fund (seven-year, $3.5M grants addressing racial and gender wealth gap), the WE Initiative ($12.5M five-year social cohesion strategy), Creative Power Awards (artist and arts nonprofit support), Possibility Grantmaking (youth-driven grants), and Leader Well-being initiatives. The Fund employs trust-based philanthropy practices including multi-year unrestricted funding, minimal reporting requirements, and collaborative grantmaking processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Endeavor Fund Seven-year general operating grants of $3.5 million each awarded to seven Black and people of color-led organizations working to close the racial and gender wealth gap in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• WE Initiative Five-year grantmaking strategy providing $100,000 annually ($500,000 total per organization) to nonprofits in Oakland and San Francisco focused on activating and sustaining belonging through cultural identity celebration and collective action pathways.
• Creative Power Awards Unrestricted funding awards for individual artists and arts nonprofits designed to stabilize the arts ecosystem, bolster community connections, and build capacity to imagine a better future. Evolution of the former Creative Work Fund.
• Possibility Grantmaking (Bay Area Youth Award) Youth-driven grantmaking program designed and managed by BAY Community Fellows (youth advisors ages 18–24), providing $100,000 general operating grants to organizations advancing youth leadership and community impact.
• Economic Well-being Program Program integrating Economic Security, Education, and Safety Net grantmaking areas, focused on closing the racial and gender wealth gap through substantial multi-year commitments to Bay Area organizations.
• Social Well-being Program Program addressing the crisis of belonging in the Bay Area through support for artists, youth, and nonprofit workers who form the 'social immune system' that fosters belonging and repairs community fabric.
• Leader Well-being Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• 24 organizations received $12M investment in belonging
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

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.

• Creative Work Fund Collaborating PhilanthropiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Creative Work Fund is a funding collaborative that has involved other philanthropies participating over its 30-year history. It supports nonprofits and individual artists creating new work together.
• Stupski FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting rest retreats for nonprofit leaders and staff where the deliverable expected from grantees is nothing - well-being is the top priority of the three-day retreat.
• James Irvine FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published a blog calling on funders to start talking about nonprofit job quality in October 2023.
• ReWork the BayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published a blog with James Irvine Foundation about nonprofit job quality and worker well-being.
• Portfolio Review ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngaged consultants to synthesize learnings from the fund's grantmaking in arts, Jewish life, and racial justice, reviewing 20 years of data.
• Northern California Grantmakers (NCG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMelissa Nop joined from NCG as the new Relationship Manager, bringing expertise in collaborative networks and leadership cohorts.
• Tides CenterminorOthersFiscal sponsor for Arab Resource and Organizing Center, one of the Bay Area Youth Possibility Grant awardees.
• Community InitiativesminorOthersFiscal sponsor for El/La Para TransLatinas, one of the Bay Area Youth Possibility Grant awardees.
• Inquiring SystemsminorOthersFiscal sponsor for Feed Black Futures, one of the Bay Area Youth Possibility Grant awardees.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• James Irvine Foundation: A major California-focused foundation headquartered in San Francisco that prioritizes economic opportunity and racial equity in the state. Direct comparable in mission, geography, and trust-based grantmaking approach; documented partner of Haas Fund.
• Stupski Foundation: San Francisco-based family foundation focused on community well-being and equity in the Bay Area and Hawaii. Direct comparable in mission and geography; documented partner of Haas Fund on nonprofit leader retreats.
• San Francisco Foundation: One of the oldest community foundations in the US, focused on the Bay Area's equity, education, and arts/culture. Comparable as a Bay Area grantmaking institution with similar community well-being focus, though structured as a community foundation.
• Hellman Foundation: San Francisco-based family foundation supporting education, climate, and health equity. Comparable as a multi-generational Bay Area family foundation with similar focus on underserved communities and the Bay Area region.
• Tides Foundation: San Francisco-based public charity and fiscal sponsor supporting progressive social justice movements. Comparable in Bay Area footprint and social justice/racial equity grantmaking focus; also serves as fiscal sponsor for some Haas grantees.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Mountain View-based community foundation serving the Bay Area with one of the largest US community foundation endowments. Comparable in regional grantmaking scale and Bay Area focus, though structured as a community foundation.

Broad incumbents

• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: One of the largest US foundations, headquartered in Menlo Park, with broad portfolios in education, environment, and Bay Area community. Comparable as a Bay Area family foundation with substantially larger assets and broader geographic scope.
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation: Large Santa Clara-based family foundation with grantmaking across conservation, children's health, and Bay Area communities. Comparable as a major Bay Area family foundation with similar multi-decade operating history and community focus.
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Palo Alto-based foundation established by the Intel co-founder with significant Bay Area grantmaking alongside environmental and science programs. Comparable in scale and Bay Area focus but with broader thematic scope.
• Kresge Foundation: Detroit-based national foundation with American Cities and Education programs. Comparable as a family foundation practicing place-based grantmaking and racial equity work, though with broader geographic scope and larger endowment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/walter-&-elise-haas-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/haassrfund
• Xx.com/HaasSrFund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments7 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Walter & Elise Haas Fund