The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation

What The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation does

The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation is a private family foundation headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, that provides financial support to qualified nonprofit organizations serving communities in Northern California and Hawaii. The foundation was formed in 2011 through the merger of two predecessor entities: The JM Long Foundation (established in 1966 by Joseph M. Long, co-founder of Longs Drug Stores) and The Vera M. Long Foundation (established in 1988 by Vera M. Long, whose father founded Safeway Stores). Operating under Section 501(c)(3) status, the foundation distributes grants across five program verticals — Environment (climate-focused), Youth in Nature, Youth Arts, Maternal Health, and Healthy Aging — through a structured two-stage competitive application process conducted in Spring and Fall cycles.

Grants are disbursed from the foundation's charitable endowment, which generates investment returns to fund ongoing grantmaking. Individual grant amounts range from $10,000 to $150,000 depending on the program, with Spring cycles offering larger awards (frequently restricted to recent grantees since 2020) and Fall cycles offering smaller, more accessible amounts. Applications are submitted through an online portal (jvlf.smapply.io) powered by the Smapply SaaS platform, with finalists advancing to Board of Trustees review. Foreign organizations are not eligible, and applicants are limited to one application per calendar year. Half of the annual grant budget is committed to climate-focused work, supporting nature-based carbon sequestration and global funding collaboratives; the Environment program is not currently open to unsolicited applications.

The foundation operates with a lean staff of 1-10 employees and has no disclosed technology development efforts, subsidiaries, or commercial revenue streams. Its primary "products" are five grant programs plus the application portal infrastructure. The foundation's principal differentiators are its 50+ year operating history, the legacy of its founders (Joseph Long is recognized by Harvard Business School as a Great American Business Leader of the 20th Century), and the scale of its endowment enabling sustained, multi-year grant commitments across diverse program areas.

Name

The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation

Legal name

The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation

Website

https://jvlf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation is a private family foundation formed in 2011 (predecessors dating to 1966) that provides responsive grants to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Northern California and Hawaii across five program areas: Environment, Youth in Nature, Youth Arts, Maternal Health, and Healthy Aging.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Family Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Nonprofit grant funding
• Community foundation grants
• Environmental conservation grants
• Maternal health funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Walnut Creek

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment Investment Returns: The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation is a private family foundation that provides financial support to qualified nonprofit organizations. As an endowment-funded foundation, it generates revenue through investment returns on its charitable endowment, distributing grants to support its mission areas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation is a private family foundation that provides responsive grants to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations across five program areas: Environment, Youth in Nature, Youth Arts, Maternal Health, and Healthy Aging. Grants are awarded through two annual competitive cycles (Spring and Fall) via an online application portal, with funding restricted to organizations serving communities in Northern California and Hawaii.

Product overview

The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1966 that provides responsive grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. The foundation offers five distinct grant programs: Environment (climate solutions), Youth in Nature (outdoor experiences for children), Youth Arts (arts education), Maternal Health (healthcare access), and Healthy Aging (senior social connection). The foundation operates two annual grant cycles (Spring and Fall) with grant amounts ranging from $10K to $150K depending on the program. Grant applications are processed through an online application portal. The foundation is not currently accepting unsolicited environmental grant applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environment Grant Program Climate-focused grant program supporting large-scale nature-based carbon sequestration, innovative climate solutions, and global funding collaboratives for nonprofit organizations. Half of the Foundation's annual grant budget is committed to this area.
• Youth in Nature Grant Program Grant program supporting nonprofits that provide meaningful outdoor experiences for school-age children (ages 6-18), including wilderness programs, environmental education, school field trips, summer camps, and greening schoolyards in Northern California and Hawaii.
• Youth Arts Grant Program Grant program supporting school programs and organizations delivering equitable access to arts education for children (ages 6-18), including visual, literary, and performing arts programs at under-resourced schools.
• Maternal Health Grant Program Grant program supporting nonprofits that expand education and access to maternal health services in Northern California and Hawaii, including lactation support, prenatal care, perinatal mental health, postpartum care, midwifery, and doula care.
• Healthy Aging Grant Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of pregnancy-related deaths in U.S. are preventable according to CDC research
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• The California Wellness Foundation: California-based private foundation with health-focused grantmaking across the state. Comparable to JVLF for its California footprint and overlap with maternal/healthy aging health programs, though more narrowly focused on health.
• The Marin Community Foundation: Northern California (Marin County) community foundation supporting health, environment, education, and aging programs. Comparable to JVLF for its Northern California geographic focus and overlapping program areas including healthy aging and environment.
• The San Francisco Foundation: Bay Area community foundation managing donor-advised and discretionary grantmaking across the San Francisco region. Comparable to JVLF as a Northern California grantmaker, though structured as a community foundation rather than a single-family foundation.

Direct peers

• The Stuart Foundation: California-based private family foundation focused on youth, education, and child welfare. Comparable to JVLF as a family foundation in California with a youth-centered portfolio and structured responsive grantmaking.
• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: Major California-based private foundation supporting education, environment, and community development. Comparable to JVLF as a Bay Area family foundation with multi-cycle responsive grantmaking and a focus on Northern California communities.
• The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: California-based private foundation with substantial climate/environmental grantmaking alongside other program areas. Comparable to JVLF for its climate-anchored strategy, California roots, and use of strategic large-scale grants alongside responsive cycles.
• The David and Lucile Packard Foundation: Large California-based private family foundation with significant environmental, children's, and community grantmaking programs. Directly comparable to JVLF in geography (Northern California focus), program structure (multi-area responsive grants), and grantmaking scale.
• The Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation: Northern California (Contra Costa County) family foundation supporting youth, arts, and community programs. Highly comparable to JVLF in geographic footprint (Walnut Creek / Bay Area), programmatic focus (youth, arts), and family foundation structure.
• The Hellman Family Foundation: San Francisco-based private family foundation supporting education, health, and community programs in the Bay Area. Comparable to JVLF as a multi-generational California family foundation with competitive grant cycles focused on regional impact.
• The James Irvine Foundation: California-focused private foundation supporting community development, youth, and other regional priorities. Directly comparable to JVLF as a Northern California grantmaker with structured responsive cycles and a portfolio of community-focused programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-joseph-and-vera-long-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation