Learn more about progressive grantmakers by browsing our curated list below. This list is not exhaustive and we often add to it. Members can also research funding opportunities using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.
Progressive Grantmakers
128 COLLECTIVE
The 128 Collective supports efforts to address climate change and promote clean energy via a variety of programs areas. It also funds projects focused on strengthening democracy, increasing access to work, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
AKONADI FOUNDATION
The Akonadi Foundation focuses its grantmaking on racial justice, youth criminal justice reform and, to a lesser extent, education. Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in the Oakland, California area.
ARCA FOUNDATION
The Arca Foundation supports organizations working on the front lines of social change in an effort to achieve economic, social and racial justice, a clean environment, peace and security.
ARCUS FOUNDATION
The Arcus Foundation supports global rights groups that connect human rights to LGBTQ rights. The foundation tends to focus on regions of the world where discrimination, homophobia, and abuses are among the most egregious. Arcus is also a leading supporter of work to protect great apes.
ASTRAEA LESBIAN FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE
Astraea funds “lesbian-and trans-led organizations and cultural media projects that directly address the depth and complexities of lesbian and trans issues.” Its areas of focus in grantmaking include anti-criminalization and freedom from violence, arts and cultural activism, economic justice, racial justice, trans human rights, network-building, and anti-discrimination protections. Astraea’s international grantmaking addresses the oppression of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
BAUMAN FOUNDATION
The Bauman Foundation is dedicated to promoting and preserving democratic values and institutions, currently prioritizing economic justice, government accountability and civic engagement.
DAVID BOHNETT FOUNDATION
The David Bohnett Foundation invests in LGBT grantmaking that improves LGBTQ equality and access to technology. The foundation also invests in the arts (particularly in the Los Angeles area), gun violence, animal welfare and research, and municipal leadership.
BOREALIS PHILANTHROPY
Borealis Philanthropy describes itself as a “social justice philanthropic intermediary” and runs funds to support grassroots organizations in the areas of racial justice, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ causes and disabilities.
BROOKLYN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Brooklyn Community Foundation invests in youth, neighborhoods, nonprofit development, immigrants rights and the elderly.
SUSAN THOMPSON BUFFETT FOUNDATION
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation funds scholarships for college students from Nebraska and grants to colleges and universities in the U.S. It is also the top private funder of sexual and reproductive health and rights work worldwide.
CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
The California Endowment was established through a health insurance company merger. It supports neighborhoods, health prevention, schools, and youth throughout California. It supports healthcare solutions rooted in racial justice and combating systematic oppression.
MARGUERITE CASEY FOUNDATION
The Marguerite Casey Foundation funds organizations and initiatives that broadly align with its mission and grantmaking priorities; this can include support for anything from LGBTQ issues to racial justice, from farmworkers to elder care, and from civic engagement to predatory lending.
NATHAN CUMMINGS FOUNDATION
The Nathan Cummings Foundation supports organizations working for climate change, political accountability, and social justice in the Unites States and Israel.
DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE
Democracy Alliance is a network of progressive donors that coordinates support for progressive policy, media, and civic engagement in the United States.
DEMOCRACY FUND
The Democracy Fund is a bipartisan funder that supports organizations working to promote effective governance, election and campaign finance reform, media and public engagement, freedom of the press, and government accountability.
ROY AND PATRICIA DISNEY FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation supports criminal justice reform, environmental justice and affordable housing preservation in its target cities of New York, Los Angeles and Tacoma.
FORD FOUNDATION
The iconic Ford Foundation’s global reach and vast grantmaking interests work to address inequality, social justice, freedom of expression, and workforce development. Its grants for work and opportunity prioritize emerging technologies and preparing the workforce for the future of work. Ford’s grants related to women and girls tend to focus on sexual and reproductive health rights, while its LGBTQ grantmaking supports projects that “secure legal rights, improve economic security and address safety concerns” of LGBTQ individuals outside of the U.S.
FRIDA THE YOUNG FEMINIST FUND
FRIDA backs growing feminist and LGBTQ organizations combatting oppression, violence and inequality around the world.
GENERAL SERVICE FOUNDATION
The General Service Foundation maintains a strong focus on social justice. Its current grantmaking areas of interest include justice-related issues for racial and ethnic minorities, women and girls and immigrants. It also supports the development of progressive public health policy and civic engagement causes.
GROUNDSWELL FUND
The Groundswell Fund supports women’s, girls’ and LGBTQ causes, social justice and some public health initiatives. This funder strives to support grassroots organizations that are led by women, woman-identifying and non-binary people of color and that serve the interests of minority, undeserved and vulnerable people.
EVELYN & WALTER HAAS JR. FUND
The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund aims to promote equal rights among all people. Its national grantmaking programs are LGBT Equality, Immigrants’ Rights and Nonprofit Leadership. The fund also supports education, civic engagement and housing initiatives in California.
WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States. In its global development giving, Hewlett prioritizes women’s empowerment, greater government transparency and accountability, and more effective policymaking processes. It also makes grants for the environment and climate change, K-12 education, as well as arts and community development efforts in the Bay Area.
HEISING-SIMONS FOUNDATION
The Heising-Simons Foundation supports climate and clean energy, education, human rights, local and emerging opportunities and science. Early childhood is the focus of its education program, while its human rights grants focus on women and girls, people involved in the criminal justice system and undocumented communities.
HILL-SNOWDON FOUNDATION
The Hill-Snowdon Foundation broadly funds economic justice, civic engagement and community strengthening initiatives in Washington D.C. and across the United States.
HORIZONS FOUNDATION
The Horizons Foundation is a premiere LGBTQ funder in the Bay Area that shares an expansive interest in issues effecting the LGBTQ community. All funding all centers on supporting members of LGBTQ community through funding interests in advocacy, civil rights, legal representation, senior citizens, refugees, BIPOC, housing, human services, transgender rights, LGBTQ rights, LGBTQ arts and culture, global LGBTQ representation, reproductive justice and progressive faith voices.
JPB FOUNDATION
The JPB Foundation’s funding for poverty, medical research, and the environment supports research, activism, and projects related to civic engagement, economic opportunity, voting, clean energy, green infrastructure, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
KATALY FOUNDATION
The Kataly Foundation supports racial equity and indigenous rights, environmental justice, public health and economic development as these issues relate to communities of color, displaced persons, LGBTQ, women and other historically oppressed groups that encounter systemic racism.
W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s funding initiatives include thriving children, working families and equitable communities. Across all areas, this funder prioritizes vulnerable, underserved and underrepresented people and communities.
LAUGHING GULL FOUNDATION
The Laughing Gull Foundation is a small family foundation that supports a range of progressive causes. Its current funding initiatives support college education for prisoners, LGBTQ causes and limiting greenhouse gas emissions in the South. This funder prioritizes grassroots organizations that maintain a high level of involvement with the communities they serve.
LIBERTY HILL FOUNDATION
The Liberty Hill Foundation is an important source of support for grassroots organizations in the Los Angeles area. Recent grantmaking has focused on addressing environmental justice through urban clean energy initiatives, affordable housing, civic engagement, racial equity, immigrants’ rights, economic opportunity, LGBTQ rights and more.
LIBRA FOUNDATION
Human rights is the Libra Foundation’s largest area of giving and serves as the basis for its three grantmaking initiatives: Criminal Justice and Social Justice, Environmental and Climate Justice and Gender Justice.
ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is an iconic arts and humanities funder in the United States, supporting everything from general research grants for higher level scholars to scholarly communication, fellowships, IT projects, art history and conservation programs.
NEO PHILANTHROPY
NEO Philanthropy is a grantmaking intermediary working the area of social justice. Current funding programs concern immigrant justice and civic participation in underrepresented communities across the U.S.
NEW WORLD FOUNDATION
The New World Foundation mainly supports workers’ rights and labor organizing initiatives, especially ones that seek to build connections and networks among workers and activists in a globalized economy.
OMIDYAR NETWORK
The Omidyar Network is a hybrid foundation and LLC, making grants and investments in the areas of global development, journalism, racial justice and equity, civic engagement and work and opportunity.
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS
The Open Society Foundations represent the collective philanthropies of the multi-billionaire George Soros. The organization comprises over 100 autonomous foundations and offices around the world. Current areas of grantmaking focus include democratic practice, early childhood and education, equality and antidiscrimination, health and rights, human rights, information and digital rights, journalism and justice reform.
DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation makes over $300 million a year in grants. Environmental causes account for the foundation’s largest giving area, which includes land and ocean conservation, biodiversity initiatives, climate change and clean energy. Other areas of interest include global development, health, women and girls and early childhood education.
PRIDE FOUNDATION
The Pride Foundation supports LGBTQ organizations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
PROTEUS FUND
The Proteus Fund runs three collaborative grantmaking initiatives: the Piper Fund, the Rise Together Fund and the Faith, Rights and Democracy Collaborative. These funds mainly support collaborative and collective initiatives in the areas of civic engagement and democracy, LGBTQ causes, reproductive justice and racial equity. This funder also makes grants through fiscal and fund management services, which it provides to smaller foundations, family offices and individual donors.
DAVID ROCKEFELLER FUND
The David Rockefeller Fund supports the arts, the environment, and criminal justice and youth incarceration reform.
ROCKEFELLER BROTHERS FUND
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund supports efforts to promote democratic values and preserve democratic institutions in the United States and the Balkans. Through its Sustainable Development Program, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) supports organizations that work to advance global stewardship and climate change solutions. It also makes grants to support development in China and the arts in New York City.
ROCKEFELLER FAMILY FUND
The Rockefeller Family Fund supports efforts to promote civic engagement, government accountability, and civil rights in the United States. Its environmental program almost exclusively focuses on climate change, but sometimes funds other environmental projects. It also makes grants for women and girls through its economic justice for women program, which focuses on equal pay and women’s empowerment.
HERB AND MARION SANDLER FOUNDATION
The Sandler Foundation makes grants for human rights, democracy, conservation and disease research. It has recently developed an interest in criminal justice reform.
SATTERBERG FOUNDATION
This funder mainly supports local organizations in Washington State, but California organizations that promote a just society and a sustainable environment also receive funding. It also accepts unsolicited applications for its core grants program.
SCHOONER FOUNDATION
The Schooner Foundation funds human rights, social justice, environmental conservation, economic opportunity, journalism, and campaign finance reform in the United States and internationally.
STEPHEN M. SILBERSTEIN FOUNDATION
The Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation focuses on education, the environment, policy, human rights, libraries and arts and culture in the Bay Area and beyond.
SIMONS FOUNDATION
The Simons Foundation is one of the country’s largest foundations devoted entirely to science and math research. Simons funds autism research, the life sciences and physics and math research.
SOLIDAGO FOUNDATION
The Solidago Foundation works to “elevate voice and build leadership” worldwide, with a focus on the environment, civic engagement, and economic opportunity. It supports efforts to combat the effect of climate change on poor and minority communities, funds community organizing and workers’ advocacy organizations, and works to advance economic opportunity and workers’ rights in order to effect significant change around the world.
SOLIDAIRE NETWORK
The Solidaire Network supports social justice movements in the U.S. spanning the areas of racial justice, Indigenous rights, criminal justice reform, environmental justice and gender justice.
STONEWALL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Stonewall Community Foundation supports a wide range of LGBTQ causes ranging from homelessness to improving mental health.
LEVI STRAUSS FOUNDATION
The Levi Strauss Foundation seeks organizations that advance the rights and well-being of apparel workers in regions of the world in which Levi’s products are made. While not a big global health funder, the foundation supports international HIV/AIDS work and addresses related human rights issues in the 40 countries where it markets and manufactures its apparel. However, this funder awards grants for other rights work as well such as the rights of sex workers, social justice causes, and women’s rights.
THE STREISAND FOUNDATION
The Streisand Foundation supports efforts to preserve and improve democratic institutions in the United States, funding work in campaign finance reform, voting rights, voter registration, and economic opportunity.
SURDNA FOUNDATION
The Surdna Foundation invests in environmental justice, climate change, and land use reform initiatives. It also invests in local economies, women and girls, K-12 education, the arts, and culture.
THIRD WAVE FUND
The Third Wave Fund makes grants for women and girls, LGBTQ causes and, to a lesser extent, civic engagement and democracy. This foundation’s major focus is gender justice and its intersection with “age, race, class, migration, disability, faith and geography.”
SUSAN THOMPSON BUFFETT FOUNDATION
The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation funds scholarships for college students from Nebraska and grants to colleges and universities in the U.S. It is also the top private funder of sexual and reproductive health and rights work worldwide.
TIDES FOUNDATION
The Tides Foundation is a left-leaning donor advised fund that supports environmental causes, civic and voter engagement initiatives, public health and access, women and girls, and global development projects through its handful of collective action funds.
TOMKAT FOUNDATION
The San Francisco-based Tomkat Foundation is known for its climate change and clean energy grantmaking. Other areas of interest include sustainable food systems, work and opportunity, higher education and arts and culture.
WALLACE GLOBAL FUND
The Wallace Global Fund awards like-minded groups concerned with key trends that threaten global security, such as the rise of corporatocracy, ecological collapse, women’s rights, government oppression and the imbalance of power between government organizations and NGOs.
WEINGART FOUNDATION
The Weingart Foundation makes unrestricted grants to established nonprofits in the areas of Housing and Homelessness, Immigrants and Refugees, and Strengthening Nonprofit Effectiveness. It funds throughout Los Angeles but prefers South Los Angeles and Southeast Los Angeles.
WILD GEESE FOUNDATION
The Wild Geese Foundation prioritizes grantmaking to organizations that are committed to creating a fair and just society and environmental causes. It funds groups and projects related to LGBTQ issues; youth causes; food security; reproductive freedom; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color organizing; and environmental justice.
WOODCOCK FOUNDATION
The Woodcock Foundation’s current areas of focus include conservation, sustainable food systems, civic engagement and journalism.
WYSS FOUNDATION
The primary focus of the Wyss Foundation is the conservation vulnerable lands, waterways and ecosystems. Other areas of interest include economic opportunity, women and girls, civic engagement and democracy, medical research and higher education. Grantmaking is global in scope.
