OVERVIEW: 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.
IP TAKE: 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, which was at the forefront of the fight for legalization of same-sex marriage in the early 2010s, has expanded its giving to include support for broad LGBTQ inclusion, immigrants’ rights, educational equity and civic engagement. A GUTC signatory, 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.
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, LGBT Equality and Nonprofit Leadership Development. In California, the fund runs grantmaking programs for Democracy, College Success and the Chronicle Season of Sharing fund, which provides emergency assistance to Bay Area residents in need. The fund has also supported the development of Chrissy Field, a former army airfield, as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Grants for LGBTQ Causes
Haas’s LGBT Equality program is one of its largest giving areas. The foundation claims it was “the first foundation to support marriage equality,” providing $2.5 million in funding to the marriage equality organization Freedom to Marry in 2001. The fund was also a member of the Civil Marriage Collaborative, a network of leading funders in the marriage equality movement that was instrumental in the legalization of legalizing same-sex marriage in the U.S.
Haas’s current LGBTQ work maintains 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.
In 2022, the fund announced that it would wind down its grantmaking in this area in the next two years.
Past grantees include the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, National LGBTQ Task Force, Horizons Foundation, and the Equality California Institute.
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 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.
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’s initiatives for immigrants, LGBT causes and nonprofit leadership development 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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