What SAGA Foundation does

SAGA Foundation is a private, non-partisan, non-denominational grant-making foundation headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area (Redwood City, CA). Founded in 2001 by Bill Laughlin — co-founder of Saga Corporation, the food-service company that grew to 50,000+ employees and 500 locations — the foundation originally focused on nuclear safety and security. In 2018, SAGA expanded its mission to four pillars: Leadership, The Underserved, Safety & Security, and Global Peace. It funds non-partisan, non-denominational, entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations across these areas, including Notable grantees such as the Positive Coaching Alliance, The First Tee, Stimson Center, Woodrow Wilson International Center, Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, Magical Bridge, Seeds of Peace, Middlebury Institute, Foothill College Veterans Resource Center, and the Alzheimer's Association's Part The Cloud.

Name

SAGA Foundation

Legal name

SAGA Foundation

Website

https://sagafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SAGA Foundation is a private, non-partisan grant-making foundation headquartered in Redwood City, CA, that funds nonprofit leaders across Leadership, Underserved, Safety & Security, and Global Peace, using a Convene-Collaborate-Create model to broker cross-NGO partnerships nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant-Making from Endowment: SAGA Foundation operates as a private foundation that provides grants to nonprofit organizations. The foundation was born in the shadow of 9/11 as a vehicle for founder Bill Laughlin to expand his life-long mission of giving. Early funding was dedicated to nuclear safety and security awareness. In 2018, the mission expanded to include Leadership, The Underserved, and Global Peace. The foundation funds its operations and grants from its endowment and investment returns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SAGA Foundation is a private grant-making foundation that provides strategic grants and collaborative support to nonprofit organizations working in four focus areas: Leadership, The Underserved, Safety & Security, and Global Peace. The foundation operates a Convene-Collaborate-Create (CCC) framework, launched in 2019, through which it convenes grantees and peer foundations to eliminate redundancy, optimize resources, and launch scalable, long-term solutions to chronic social problems. To date, SAGA has initiated over 30 collaborative initiatives nationwide through this community-led model.

Product overview

SAGA Foundation is a private grant-making foundation offering four core grant programs organized around its mission pillars: Leadership, The Underserved, Safety & Security, and Global Peace. These programs are delivered through its proprietary 'Convene, Collaborate, Create' (CCC) framework, which facilitates collaborative relationships with non-partisan, non-denominational, entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations. Rather than selling technology products, SAGA Foundation provides grant funding and facilitates partnerships to help nonprofits work smarter, reach further, and have lasting impact. The organization does not offer commercial products or services; its 'products' are its grant programs and collaborative initiatives designed to eliminate redundancy, optimize resources, and produce scalable, long-term solutions to chronic problems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership Grant Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 collaborative initiatives launched since 2019
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

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

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Positive Coaching AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019SAGA funded a pilot program introducing Positive Coaching Alliance to The First Tee in the San Francisco Bay Area. This initial collaboration has scaled to a national partnership, with the two organizations now sharing curriculum, training, and resources to strengthen youth character development through sports. The partnership now reaches over 250,000 children and families in North America.
• The First TeecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019SAGA facilitated the partnership between The First Tee and Positive Coaching Alliance. The First Tee is a nonprofit youth development organization supported by the PGA TOUR that impacts lives through educational programs building character and instilling values via golf.
• PAL Center (Police Activities League)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA Foundation is a key partner supporting PAL's mission to create a safe and empowered community where everyone can access meaningful resources, opportunities, and a sense of belonging. SAGA also funded a joint project between First Tee of Silicon Valley, SAL, and PAL to bring junior golf to Redwood City.
• Stimson CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA funded the launch of the Loomis Innovation Council at Stimson Center, an initiative focused on moving beyond policy development into operational deployment addressing security, global warming, media technology, and sustainable energy challenges. SAGA has funded over a half-dozen pilot programs that spun off into self-sustaining endeavors.
• Woodrow Wilson International Center for ScholarsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA embarked on an ambitious collaborative project involving the Stimson Center and the Woodrow Wilson Center's Kennan Institute. These two Washington think tanks were challenged to find common ground with Russian counterparts on space and science collaboration, as well as epidemiology and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Kalamazoo CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA's ties to Kalamazoo College run deep. The foundation supports internships, the golf program, and Leadership through the Laughlin Leadership Award. Recently supported the Golf Team's outreach through the First Tee student-athlete program.
• Renaissance Entrepreneurship CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA continues long-standing support for entrepreneurship through Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, funding programs and collaborating with other grantees including PAL, Veterans Resource Center, and Redwood City Library.
• Boys & Girls Club of the PeninsulacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA supports the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula in providing youth services to under-resourced communities.
• Magical BridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA supports Magical Bridge community concept parks, which are redefining mission, vision, and values in inclusive ways recognized nationwide. The Redwood City Red Morton Park, completed in 2021, offers extensive community benefits.
• Seeds of PeacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA supports Seeds of Peace's vision of connecting young, diverse leaders to build personal relationships before addressing broader cultural issues. A new collaborative program with Middlebury Institute of International Studies is expanding knowledge and connections of future global leaders.
• Middlebury Institute of International StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA is funding a collaborative effort bringing together Seeds of Peace and Middlebury Institute to expand knowledge and connections of future leaders around the world.
• Foothill College Veterans Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA provided seed funding for the Veterans Resource Center initiative in collaboration with Foothill-De Anza Foundation and Rotary Club of Los Altos. Based on veteran surveys identifying housing as their biggest challenge, SAGA's funding provides housing vouchers for qualifying veterans.
• Alzheimer's Association (Part The Cloud)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA supports Part The Cloud, a program funding promising, cutting-edge Alzheimer's research not covered by traditional institutional models.
• Institute for Security and TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA supports the Institute for Security and Technology as part of its Safety & Security focus area, working on technology solutions for security challenges.
• Redwood City Library FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA partnered with the Redwood City Library Foundation on several initiatives including the Library Takeover Program, Common Knowledge Program, About-Face curriculum integration for young women, and Makers-Space funding.
• JobTraincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA supports JobTrain, a workforce development organization serving the community.
• Democracy WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAGA supports Democracy Works, an organization working to strengthen democracy through free and fair elections and ensuring all eligible voters can participate.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Palo Alto-based private foundation funding science, environmental conservation, and patient care improvement. Comparable as a Bay Area private foundation employing outcome-driven grantmaking and large-scale convening initiatives.
• Stupski Foundation: Bay Area private foundation focused on education and economic mobility for underserved communities. Comparable in mission (underserved youth, equity), private-foundation structure, and Bay Area geographic roots.
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation: Large private foundation funding safe water, early childhood development, and humanitarian work internationally. Comparable as a private family foundation with multi-decade operational history and international grantmaking scope.
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation: Large Bay Area private foundation funding children/families, conservation, and science. Directly comparable as a private grantmaking foundation headquartered in the same geography, with overlapping focus on underserved communities and leadership in the social sector.
• William and Flora Hewlett Foundation: Major Menlo Park-based private foundation supporting education, environment, and other causes. Comparable as a Bay Area private grantmaking foundation with broad thematic reach and emphasis on long-term, collaborative solutions.
• Doris Duke Charitable Foundation: Private foundation supporting arts, environment, medical research, and child well-being. Comparable in multi-thematic private foundation structure, programmatic depth, and long-term grantee relationships.
• Weingart Foundation: Los Angeles-based private foundation focused on underserved communities, education, and nonprofit capacity building. Comparable as a private foundation funding non-partisan nonprofits tackling chronic social problems with emphasis on collaboration.
• Barr Foundation: Boston-based private foundation supporting climate, arts, and education through multi-year, partner-engaged grantmaking. Comparable as a private family foundation using convening and long-term partnerships to drive systemic change.

Emerging players

• Siegel Family Endowment: New York-based private foundation focused on education, workforce, and technology impact. Comparable as a private foundation emphasizing convening and cross-sector collaboration, though younger and East Coast-based.
• Kapor Foundation: Bay Area private foundation addressing racial equity through STEM education and tech accountability. Comparable as a Bay Area private foundation supporting underserved communities with an entrepreneurial, non-partisan posture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saga-foundation-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SAGA Foundation