The Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation works in the areas of education, housing and community development and public health in the Bay Area.

IP TAKE: Gellert works broadly in its areas of interest and accepts unsolicited applications from organizations operating in any of the nine counties of the Bay Area.

PROFILE: Established in 1958 and based in Daly City, the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation is named for its founders. Carl Gellert was the founder of Sunstream Homes, which merged with the Crocker Land Company in 1962 to create one of the region’s first large-scale planned communities. This funder has worked extensively in education and to provide housing and social services to high-need residents of the Bay Area. To a lesser degree, the foundation has support public health and hospitals.

Grants for Education

Gellert’s education funding consists mainly of support for K-12 initiatives and includes support for many Catholic and Parochial schools and non-religious organizations providing after school programming. Past grantees include Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High School, Belmont’s Charles Armstrong School and San Francisco’s City Youth Now, which provides educational and employment opportunities for underserved teens. The foundation also gave $4.2 million to University of San Francisco, $3 million to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, $2.7 million to Saint Mary's College of California, and $1.8 million to St Ignatius College Preparatory, all in 2022.

Grants for Housing and Homelessness, Community Development

In the area of community services, the foundation has demonstrated a commitment to underserved and at-risk populations, supporting homeless and housing initiatives at organizations including Catholic Charities, the Human Investment Project and the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center.

Grants for Public Health and Access

Gellert’s public health funding supports a broad range of issues in the Bay Area. Past grantees include the Mills-Peninsula Hospital Foundation, the Order of Malta Clinics of Northern California and St. Mary’s Medical Center of San Francisco. Past grantees include Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California, Sonoma Overnight Support, and $1.8 million to St. Anthony's in San Francisco.

Important Grant Details

Past awards have ranged between $2,500 and $25,000. In a recent year, the foundation awarded 123 grants totaling over $2.6 million. Funding is restricted to the California counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Additional information about past grantees is available at Gellert’s grants recipient page.

This funder accepts unsolicited grant applications through its online portal. Grant applications are due on August 15 each year, unless that date falls on a weekend. Guidelines and an applicant tutorial are available at the foundation’s website. Direct general questions to the staff at 650-985-2080 or by email at info@gellertfoundation.org.

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