FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2025

Contact:
Anthem Salgado
Strategist for Communications
[email protected]
(415) 398-4474 x2781

NEWS RELEASE

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Walter & Elise Haas Fund Launches WE Initiative: A $12.5 Million Investment in Bay Area Social Cohesion

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — At a time when social isolation has reached crisis levels and community divisions continue to deepen across America, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund today announced the launch of the WE Initiative, a transformative $12.5 million grantmaking strategy designed to contribute to cultivating belonging and healing community fragmentation in the Bay Area. This innovative grantmaking strategy provides substantial multi-year funding to organizations that celebrate cultural identity and bring people together across differences.

The WE Initiative—named as a tribute to Walter and Elise Haas while evoking the spirit of togetherness—builds upon and infuses the core intentions and values of the Fund’s previous work. The WE Initiative was developed through a multi-year process to integrate the profound legacies of the Fund’s many programs, including the former Arts, Jewish Life, and Racial Justice programs.

“We believe that the antidote for othering is belonging,” said Melissa Nop, Relationship Manager. “Healing, rest, and joy are at the center of finding repair, bridging divides, and cultivating togetherness. As culturalist Carole Bebelle noted in her concept of We-Making, ‘we have known in our gut for decades that arts and culture are fabulous and magnetic ways to unite people.’ We’re dreaming of bringing folks together again through arts, culture, and collective action.”

A Bold New Approach to Philanthropy

While honoring the legacy of past grantmaking programs, the WE Initiative continues a significant departure from the Fund’s previous philanthropic models that were typically characterized by small, year-to-year grants. Through research and community conversations, the Fund heard from grantees a desire for more substantial, sustained funding, especially for general operating expenses. In alignment with its commitment to trust-based philanthropy, the Fund is now offering larger grants over longer periods of time.

Twenty-five organizations will be selected to receive $100,000 annually as general operating funds over a five-year period, totaling $500,000 each. Grantees will not need to reapply during the five-year period to continue receiving funds, allowing them to focus on their mission rather than perpetual fundraising.

“This initiative isn’t just about funding—it’s about fundamentally rethinking how philanthropy can support community transformation,” said Jamie Allison, Executive Director of the Walter & Elise Haas Fund. “By making this five-year commitment, we’re acknowledging that building real belonging takes time, trust, and dedicated resources. We’re placing faith in the extraordinary organizations already doing this vital work in our communities.”

While this significant investment allows for deeper relationships with grantees over a longer duration, it also means fewer grantees overall compared to the Fund’s past portfolio. The WE Initiative will be the Fund’s only open call over the next five years.

Eligibility & Design

The WE Initiative will support twenty-five 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored projects, prioritizing those with annual operating budgets up to $5,000,000 that are serving, rooted, oriented, focused, or based in San Francisco or Oakland.

Organizational vision and mission should align and embody the north star of the Fund’s Social Well-being program—activating and sustaining belonging in the Bay Area. Proposals should address at least one of the following pathways:

Pathway 1. Cultural Identity, Visibility, and Celebration

• Cultivate opportunities and spaces where joy, healing, and culture may thrive.
• Uplift stories that proactively and boldly take up space in the face of othering, bigotry, and polarization.

The Fund is looking for organizations and fiscally sponsored projects that use creative, joyful, and artistic approaches to promote community, cultural inclusion, and representation in the Bay Area. Ideal applicants foster a sense of belonging, particularly in response to challenges posed by such forces as racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, and all forms of bigotry. The Fund welcomes organizations and fiscally sponsored projects whose work celebrates shared dignity, creating spaces where joy, connection, and collaboration may thrive and helping diverse communities feel they truly belong.

Pathway 2. Collective Action and Solidarity

• Actively power-build to identify and enact community-led solutions.
• Bring people together across issues, identities, and communities to build solidarity, foster healing, and create shared belonging.

The Fund aims to support diverse groups working together across differences (including but not restricted to race, faith, disability, sexual orientation, class, or immigration status) to address community-identified challenges happening at the intersections. The Fund seeks organizations and fiscally sponsored projects that foster self-determination, empowering people to collaborate in shaping their future and create lasting community-led change. 

Grantee Experience

Beyond financial support, grantees will be invited to a cohort experience—a learning and relationship-building space designed to deepen understanding and collaboration, expand networks of care, and spark new possibilities for collective impact throughout the five-year funding period.  

Building on Existing Momentum in a Time of Critical Need

The Fund recognizes that addressing the challenges of social isolation and widening divisions requires investing in organizations that have been cultivating belonging for decades, through cultural work, community organizing, intergenerational healing, and cross-issue collaboration.

“This initiative doesn’t begin from scratch—it joins an already powerful movement,” said Anna Hernandez, Strategist for Justice, Equity, & Learning. “Our intention is to add strength, deepen resilience, and expand the reach of the vital work already in motion—to contribute to a Bay Area where every person is seen, valued, and reflected in the fabric of community life.”

“In these times of increasing polarization and fragmentation, the WE Initiative represents our deep commitment to rebuilding the social fabric of our communities,” added Suki O’Kane, Administrator. “We believe that by supporting organizations that bring people together across differences, we can help create a more just, vibrant, and connected Bay Area for all.”

Timeline and Process

May 19, 2025: Open call for Letters of Inquiry (LOI)

May 29, 2025: Applicant Information Session

June 5, 2025: Ask Us Anything Session

June 18, 2025: Ask Us Anything Session

June 27, 2025 | 6 PM PT: LOI deadline

Mid-July 2025: Selected candidates invited to complete full applications

Mid-August 2025: Application deadline

August-December 2025: Review process

December 2025: Notification of Award and first payment

January 2026: Grant announcements

About the Walter & Elise Haas Fund

The Walter & Elise Haas Fund is a leading voice in trust-based philanthropy. Established in 1952 by Walter A. Haas, Sr. and Elise Stern Haas, the Fund is a demonstration of its founders’ appreciation for the San Francisco Bay Area and their commitment to opportunity and access for all.

The Fund’s vision is a Bay Area where all people can reach their fullest potential and live with a sense of purpose, dignity, and joy. The organization’s values center around Family, Shared Responsibility, Belonging, and Possibility.

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