Crankstart Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Crankstart is the charitable foundation of Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman. It supports organizations across the US, but the majority of its grantmaking stays in the Bay Area. The foundation's primary funding interests center on education, economic mobility, housing, democracy, the environment, and medical research.
IP TAKE: Despite now being one of the nation’s biggest funders, two-thirds of this funder’s grants have stayed in the Bay Area, while groups in New York City and Chicago have received most of the remaining third. Grantseekers outside of these areas will find it difficult to secure funding. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for support, which makes it difficult for grantseekers, regardless of geographic location.
Crankstart is not particularly accessible. Its website offers sparse information on grantmaking strategies or how to qualify for a grant. However, this is an open-minded funder that likes to take some grantmaking risks. It works with very limited staff, so be patient about receiving a response after contacting them through their online portal. To learn more about how their giving may be evolving or how it narrows down what to fund, contact them, but expect some time delay as with all modest, mostly regional funders.
PROFILE: Established in 2000, the Crankstart Foundation is based in San Francisco, California and is the family foundation of Harriet Heyman and Michael Moritz. In recent years, the foundation has grown to become one of the U.S.’s top 25 biggest funders, with assets of over $4 billion. Its mission is to support “leaders and organizations that demonstrate know-how in areas of critical need and that have the ambition and grit required to tackle what often seems impossible.” Harriet is a sculptor and former journalist. Michael was born in Wales and attended Oxford, where he earned a B.A. in History. He later moved to the states and received an M.B.A. from Wharton. He then briefly worked as a writer for Time, wrote a book on Apple computers, and coauthored another on Chrysler before joining the tech investment firm Sequoia Capital in 1986. Moritz and his wife, Harriet, are Giving Pledge signatories. The Crankstart Foundation’s current Programs are Education, Economic Mobility, Democracy, Housing Security, the Environment, and Medical Science & Innovation.
Grants for Education and Youth
The Crankstart Foundation has demonstrated a strong interest in education. It currently prioritizes work that focuses on early childhood education, out-of-school programs, expanding access to post-secondary education and training, and “strengthening the teacher pipeline.” Crankstart has also supported U.C. Berkeley and Stanford’s Institute for Economic Policy Research. In the K-12 education space, Crankstart has invested in college readiness and access. Its college readiness grantees include College Track and the YMCA of San Francisco. Other Bay Area recipients include the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Arts Education Project and First Place for Youth of Oakland, which supports foster youth. In 2021, the foundation committed $25 million to San Francisco’s Summer Together initiative, which provides free classes to students in the city’s public schools, and was supported by a wide range of city agencies and corporate partners. It also created an endowment at the Juliard School to help students from underrepresented groups study classical music. Other past education grantees include 826 Valencia, Mission Promise Neighborhood, Project Rebound, Underground Scholars, and dozens of after school, college access and scholarship programs.
Grants for the Environment and Climate Change
The Crankstart Foundation primarily conducts is environmental giving through the lens of climate change. It believes that “communities disproportionately affected by climate change should be partners and the primary beneficiaries of mitigation efforts.” To that end, it supports programs that enable “an equitable transition to green jobs,” accelerate “the transition to clean energy,” and protects natural ecosystems “in ways that benefit local communities.” The foundation made a $7.5 million pledge to the Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, an intermediary that supports climate justice work in several key states. Additionally, million-dollar grants have gone to Earthjustice, which has received support since 2019. Other past grantees include California Environmental Justice Alliance, Greenlining Institute, and Indigenous Environmental Network.
Grants for Science Research and Public Health
Crankstart lists medical science & innovation as one of its current funding areas. While it is not transparent about the types of research it prioritizes, it makes grants that “give researchers funding and time to test novel hypotheses.” The foundation has previously supported Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research (PBBR) at UCSF, San Francisco Free Clinic, La Clínica de La Raza, Roots Community Health Center, and Asian Health Services.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The foundation does not name it as a standalone priority, but the arts are clearly another priority. Past general arts grantees include Museum of the African Diaspora, Youth Speaks, East Bay Center for Performing Arts, San Francisco Arts Education, and $50 million to Julliard School to endow its Music Advancement Program. In 2019, Crankstart’s founders also agreed to sponsor the Booker Prize for five years.
Grants for Democracy and Civic Engagement
The Crankstart Foundation labels democracy as one of its key funding areas. It supports work that promotes and protects voting rights, change unfair criminal justice policies, and promote economic opportunity to prevent recidivism. Crankstart has thrown substantial support behind collaborative efforts supporting democracy and grassroots power-building, with a focus on BIPOC-led groups. The California Black Freedom Fund received $5 million from the foundation, and the Democracy Frontlines Fund — a collaboration of several major foundations spearheaded by the Libra Foundation — counts Crankstart as one of its 14 backers. The foundation has also placed a focus on immigrant-serving organizations, like Centro Legal de la Raza and Immigrant Legal Resource Center ($7.5 million).
Other past grantees include UnCommon Law, San Francisco and Alameda County Public Defender Offices for Clean Slate, and San Francisco District Attorney's Office for Healing Justice. Crankstart also has supported Bay Rising for community organizing, and American Civil Liberties Union for individual liberties.
Grants for Economic Opportunity and Community Development
Support for economic justice is one of this funder’s central funding interests. Through its economic mobility program, Crankstart focuses on “root causes of economic disenfranchisement, particularly in low-income communities of color.” It supports efforts to provide job training and financial education, strengthen social safety net programs, and increase access to public benefits. It also supports housing security by funding programs that provide affordable housing choices and promote preventive measures to reduce homelessness.
Million-dollar gifts in 2019 and 2020 went to the Unity Council, an all-purpose service organization, as well as a pair of housing-focused efforts, Keep Oakland Housed and the San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund. Much of this funding came through a $25 million commitment Crankstart made to the accelerator and its partners. And in 2021, the foundation pledged multiyear funding to the 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic to help shelter homeless youth, though it’s unclear whether such support was at a similar scale. Previous grantees include Expecting Justice, Opportunities for All, Center for Employment Opportunities, Jewish Vocational Services, Young Community Developers, Larkin Street Youth Services, Enterprise Community Partners, Center for Employment Opportunities, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Code for America, and MegaBlack SF.
Important Grant Details:
The Crankstart Foundation’s grants generally range from $100,000 to $250,000, but it regularly makes grants in the millions of dollars.
While most grants stay in the Bay Area, the foundation occasionally supports nonprofits around the country (particularly in Chicago) and in the United Kingdom.
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funding.
The foundation does not make grants to individuals.
Grantseekers may contact the funder via its online Contact page.
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