Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
/OVERVIEW: The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund’s grantmaking priority areas include democracy and voting, immigrants’ rights, leadership development, college success, and housing initiatives. While its grantmaking is national, California and the Bay Area are often prioritized, particularly in Haas’ housing and college readiness work.
IP TAKE: Once known for its trailblazing initiatives to support LGBTQ equality, the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund phased out that core program in 2024 and is redoubling efforts in other areas, including immigration and democracy. According to a recent blog post on the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund’s website, “the current moment calls on us to take a harder look at what we do and how we do it, and to explore new ways to find—and advance—our common humanity.” This progressive funder was at the forefront of the fight for legalization of same-sex marriage in the early 2010s, and later expanded its giving to include ambitious programs for educational equity and civic engagement.
Haas works collaboratively and supportively with grantees of all sizes, usually over a period of several years. Because of these ongoing commitments, it is not currently accepting unsolicited proposals but aims “to continue serving as a resource for grantees and the community.” Contact information for the fund’s staff is provided on Haas Jr.’s website, making it easy to reach out with questions. This is a transparent funder with a detailed grants database.
PROFILE: Established in 1953, the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is a San Francisco-based foundation started by an heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune. Levi Strauss’s great-grandnephew, Walter A. Haas, Jr., led Levi Strauss & Co. from 1958 to 1976. Today, Walter and Evelyn’s children — Walter J. Haas, Robert D. Haas and Betsy Haas Eisenhardt — run the foundation with the same open-mindedness and commitment to fairness and equal opportunity with which their parents approached philanthropy.
A signatory of the GUTC Pledge, the fund works nationally to support Immigrant Rights and Nonprofit Leadership Development. In California and nationally, the fund runs grantmaking programs for Democracy and College Success, as well as a Season of Sharing fund that provides emergency assistance to Bay Area residents in need. Haas has also supported the development of Chrissy Field, a former army airfield, as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Grants for Immigrants and Refugees
Haas’s Immigrant Rights grantmaking program centers on “eliminating barriers to immigration” for undocumented immigrants and achieving a “fair and efficient immigration system” in the U.S. The foundation works to build a more robust immigrant rights movement in California and nationally.
The fund’s specific areas of grantmaking interest include advancing the cause of Dreamers, increasing the rate of citizenship by funding grassroots immigrants’ rights groups, supporting fair pay and safety measures for undocumented workers and developing leadership for immigrant groups. Grantmaking also supports education undocumented students and limiting the collaboration of law enforcement and other public agencies with immigration enforcement agencies.
Grantees include America’s Voice Educational Fund, Define American, California Immigrant Policy Center, California Calls Education Fund, Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity.
Grants for Higher Education and College Readiness
Haas’s College Success program aims to “level the playing field in higher education” in California and nationally by supporting college access and affordability for low- and middle-income families and students of color. Areas of focus include policy reform, the reduction of barriers to the attainment of undergraduate degrees and the amplification of “the voice of students and other affected groups.” Grants have also supported organizations and programs that help K-12 students to develop academic and life skills that are associated with college success.
One recent grantee, Coaching Corps, aims to keep students engaged in school through participation in athletic programs. The fund has also provided ongoing support to the University of California at Berkeley for programs associated with the success of students from underrepresented groups. Other recent grantees include the Campaign for College Opportunity, the Student Senate for California Community Colleges and the Poverty and Race Research Action Council.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
The Haas Fund’s Democracy grantmaking program works “to increase civic participation and representation for communities in California that have long been underrepresented in our democratic processes.” Grants focus on supporting and developing grassroots leaders and increasing voter participation amongst underrepresented groups.
One recent grant supported Faith in the Valley, an organization that works with “faith-based communities of color” in California’s Central Valley with the goal of increasing voter registration and participation. Other recent grantees include the Chinese Progressive Association, the Bay Area’s Movement Strategy Center and the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.
Grants for Housing, Homelessness and Community Development
Haas’s Season of Sharing Fund aims to prevent homelessness and hunger for vulnerable residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Grants focus on helping housing insecure families and meeting the increased demand for basic needs and social services among vulnerable individuals and families.
Grantee partners include San Jose’s Midtown Family Services, the Alameda County Food Bank, San Francisco’s Asian Women’s Shelter and the Berkeley Food and Housing Project.
Grants for LGBTQ Causes
Haas’s LGBT Equality program was once its largest giving area. As of this writing, the program has almost completed the process of winding down. Haas’s LGBTQ work maintained three main areas of focus:
The development of policy that would prevent federally-funded programs from discriminating against LGBT people;
The prevention of discrimination against LGBT people in public accommodations; and
The prevention of discrimination against LGBT people in issues surrounding the attainment of safe and affordable housing.
Past grantees included the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, National LGBTQ Task Force, Horizons Foundation, and the Equality California Institute.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities:
Hass’s Leadership initiative aims to develop leadership in the nonprofit sector through awards that provide funding, peer learning and “strategic advice” to emerging and visionary talent in the fund’s areas of grantmaking interest. Grantmaking for this program is national in scope.
The program’s grantee partners include the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the Equality Foundation of Georgia, Borealis Philanthropy and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders.
Important Grant Details:
The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund’s grants generally range from $5,000 to $500,000, but organizations have received larger amounts on occasion.
The state of California and the San Francisco Bay Area are clear areas of geographic priority, but this funder also supports nonprofits and funding collaboratives that are national in scope.
Grantseekers can search the fund’s grants database for more information on its past grantees.
The Haas Fund is not accepting unsolicited applications for funding at this time, but prospective grantees can consult the fund’s FAQ or reach out to executive assistant Gil Aurellano with general inquiries about the grantmaking process.
It is worth noting that the email addresses of the fund’s various program directors are located at the bottom of each program page.
PEOPLE:
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