In 1952, Walter A. Haas, Sr. and Elise Stern Haas established the Walter & Elise Haas Fund to further expand their commitment to opportunity and access for all. From the time the Fund was created until now, it has been a natural and enduring extension of our founders’ appreciation for San Francisco and the Bay Area.
The Fund’s co-founder, Elise Stern Haas, spent her life as a civic leader, artist, and patron of the arts. Her work helped pave the way for generations of women and young people to access the full benefit of the City’s culture and community. She was the first female president of both the Board of Directors of Mt. Zion Hospital and of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Since our founding, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund has been overseen by a board of directors comprising generations of the Haas family. Over the past seven decades, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund has invested over $390 million in grants to expand opportunity and access across the Bay Area. We are proud of the work we’ve been able to accomplish so far and know there is still so much to be done.
The Walter and Elise Haas Fund was incorporated. Walter and Elise Haas were joined by their children Walter Haas, Jr., Peter Haas, and Rhoda Goldman as the Fund’s five trustees.
General objectives for the Fund’s grantmaking are first approved: Arts and Music, Higher Education and Culture, Environment, Animal Protection and Care, Health, Social Services, and Urban Affairs.
Trustees decided to focus more on children and youth in the Fund’s grantmaking.
The University of California Berkeley’s School of Business changed its name to The Walter A. Haas School of Business after Walter, who graduated from Berkeley’s College of Commerce in 1910. He led the business school’s first advisory council and was a benefactor until his death in 1979.
The latest financial contribution for the current building came from Walter A. Haas, Sr.’s children – Walter Haas, Jr., Peter Haas, and Rhoda Haas Goldman – prompting the university to rename the business school in honor of their father.
The Creative Work Fund is established, offering grants for artists and organizations to create new artworks through collaborations. During this time, the Citizenship & Civic Education and Jewish Life program areas are added, and the Health program is dropped.
The Board adopted a new mission statement for the Fund: “To help build a healthy, vibrant and just society in which people feel connected to and responsible for their community.” The Board also decided to add a new program area: Economic Security.
Jamie Allison is hired as the Fund’s third Executive Director and becomes instrumental in transforming the Fund’s grantmaking from the inside out, shifting its approach to lead with trust, transparency, and accountability.
In response to the 2020 racial awakenings, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund created a racial justice cohort, providing multiyear, general operating support grants to 11 Black-led, community-based organizations and coalitions.
The Economic Well-Being Program area is created to encompass the previous Economic Security, Education, and Safety Net program areas.
The Endeavor Fund, an investment of $24.5 million aimed to close the racial and gender wealth gap and promote nonprofit well-being, is launched.