Mark Cuban Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Mark Cuban Foundation’s largest area of grantmaking is education, but it supports a broad range of other causes, including health, veterans, women, disaster relief and Jewish organizations.
IP TAKE: The Mark Cuban Foundation runs signature programs for AI education and veterans’ support. Other grantmaking goes to higher education, public health, disaster relief and women’s and Jewish organizations, with a strong focus on the greater Dallas area.
This funder is not transparent or accessible, preferring a proactive approach to grantmaking. The foundation maintains individual web pages for its signature programs, but does not operate a dedicated foundation website, which restricts information about it’s grantmaking strategies and theories. While this funder does not appear to accept applications, an address and phone number are provided below. The foundation is somewhat approachable, but note that funding occurs along the interests of it’s founder rather than a board that decides how to invest resources. This is a tough nut to crack unless you can network directly with the founder or past grantees to get on it’s radar.
PROFILE: The Mark Cuban Foundation was established in Dallas in 2003. Its founder, Mark Cuban, is best known as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and an investor in the TV series Shark Tank. Earlier in his career, Cuban made his fortune when an internet company that he cofounded, Broadcast.com, was sold to Yahoo! for $5.9 billion in 1999. The Mark Cuban Foundation predominately focuses on K-12 education, but it also funds a range of other interests as well, including public health, veterans, women, disaster relief and Jewish organizations.
Grants for Education
Education has been the Mark Cuban Foundation’s largest area of giving in recent years. The foundation runs a signature program, AI Bootcamps, that aims to increase “AI literacy and understanding” among underserved students living in cities. The program has operated camps in 13 cities across the country and aims to serve 1,000 students each year by 2023. The foundation has also demonstrated a commitment to supporting higher education. Recent grants have gone to University of California at San Francisco, the University of Michigan, the United Negro College Fund and Indiana University, which is Cuban’s alma mater.
Grants for Public Health
The Cuban Foundation does not name specific goals for its public health funding but has supported several pediatric and general hospital systems over the years. Grantmaking appears to prioritize organizations operating in Texas. Past grantees include the Southwestern Medical Foundation, the Children’s Cancer Fund of Dallas, the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children and the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.
Grants for Veterans and Military
The Cuban Foundation has been a strong supporter of veterans causes in the past. In 2003, Cuban founded the Fallen Patriot Fund to help families of U.S. military personnel killed or injured during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since its inception, the fund has given out more than $5 million in grants. Cuban’s giving for veterans’ causes has since tapered off, but smaller amounts have recently gone to organizations including the American Legion and Support Our Troops, Inc.
Grants for Women and Girls
Women’s organizations are a newer area of grantmaking for the Cuban Foundation, which has not named specific priorities for its giving in this area. Grantmaking for women and girls is broad and Recent grants have gone to the National Women’s Law Center and the Texas Women’s Foundation.
Grants for Disaster Relief
Disaster relief is a smaller area of giving for the Cuban Foundation, but the foundation has responded to recent events with emergency grants and donations. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Cuban announced a pledge of $1 million for disaster relief and rebuilding efforts. Prior to this announcement, he had already made $7500 in grants to the Food Bank of NYC to help them through the disaster. In 2016, in response to the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Cuban donated $1 million to the Dallas Police Department to protect the LGBT community.
Jewish Causes
Through the Mark Cuban Foundation, Cuban has given to U.S.-based Jewish organizations including the Birthright Israel Foundation, the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh, the Jewish Community Center of New Orleans and the Dallas Holocaust Museum.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
Mark Cuban’s philanthropy has supported the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization that confronts cutting-edge issues in defending free speech, privacy, innovation and consumer rights, and which champions the public interest in critical battles affecting digital rights. Cuban also matches his NBA fines with donations to charitable organizations. Over the years, this giving has surpassed $2 million. Past recipients include the anti-cyberbullying nonprofit Cybersmile, the iBelieve Foundation, the Special Olympics and Dallas’s Austin Street Shelter.
Important Grant Details
Its recent tax filings indicate that the Mark Cuban Foundation makes between $1 and $6 million a year in grants, with an average grant size of about $75,000. A significant portion of Cuban’s philanthropy goes to the foundation’s signature programs, and Dallas is the foundation’s main geographic priority. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
The Mark Cuban Foundation maintains individual websites for its AI Bootcamp and Fallen Patriot Fund programs. It does not provide grantmakers with a clear avenue for getting in touch and does not appear to accept unsolicited applications for funding. A mailing address and phone number are provided below.
PEOPLE:
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LINKS:
CONTACT:
Mark Cuban Foundation
P.O. Box 12388
Dallas, TX 75225-0388
(214) 696-2133
