← Back to US Funders Directory

Cabin Road Foundation 04042011

Annual Giving
$130.4M
Grant Range
$20K - $20.0M

Cabin Road Foundation 04042011

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $130.4 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not specified
  • Grant Range: $20,000 - $20,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: National (primarily Bay Area, CA and national organizations)
  • Total Assets: $279 million (2023)

Contact Details

Address: 2995 Woodside Road Suite 400, Woodside, CA 94602
Phone: (650) 454-4731
Website: No public website
Primary Contact: Anne G. Matta, Trustee

Overview

The Cabin Road Foundation 04042011 is a private grantmaking foundation established in April 2011 and tax-exempt since September 2011. The foundation is led by two former professional tennis players: Anne Grousbeck Matta and her husband Horacio Matta Velasco. Anne is the daughter of H. Irving Grousbeck, an entrepreneur and university business professor. The foundation was initially capitalized with a $40 million contribution in 2012 from H. Irving Grousbeck's now-defunct Grousbeck Family Foundation and received another $141.75 million contribution from him personally in late 2016. With total assets of approximately $279 million as of 2023, the foundation has distributed over $142 million in grants since its inception, with approximately two-thirds disbursed since December 2019. The foundation operates with no paid staff and has no public website, maintaining a notably low profile despite its significant grantmaking activities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate structured grant programs with specific names or application cycles. Instead, it makes grants on a discretionary basis determined by its trustees. Recent grants show extremely wide variation in amounts:

  • Major Institutional Grants: $20,000,000 (recent HBCU and Planned Parenthood grants in 2023)
  • Large University Grants: $4,000,000 - $12,000,000 (Stanford University)
  • Significant Community Grants: $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 (food banks, Habitat for Humanity)
  • Medium Grants: $1,000,000 - $2,000,000 (various nonprofits)
  • Small Grants: $20,000 - $50,000 (local organizations)

Application Method: Electronic submission with no fixed deadlines (rolling basis)

Priority Areas

Based on documented grantmaking activity from 2019-2023, the foundation funds:

Education:

  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs including Morehouse, Paul Quinn College, Meharry Medical College, North Carolina A&T, Tuskegee University)
  • Major universities (Stanford University, UC Berkeley)
  • Private college prep schools in Silicon Valley
  • Charter schools (particularly basketball-themed charter schools in New York)

Environmental Advocacy:

  • Greenpeace Fund ($10 million in 2021)
  • Sunrise Movement Education Fund ($8 million for Green New Deal advocacy)

Social Justice & Criminal Justice Reform:

  • Innocence Project
  • Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
  • Media Matters for America

Community Services:

  • Food banks (Alameda Emergency Food received $10 million)
  • Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco ($5 million)
  • Youth violence prevention nonprofits (nearly $7.5 million)
  • Equine therapy and rehabilitation organizations ($2.5 million)
  • Local YMCAs, homeless support services, animal shelters
  • Youth development programs
  • Local police department wellness programs (Redwood City, CA - over $1 million)

Reproductive Rights:

  • Planned Parenthood Federation of America ($20 million in 2023)

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented. However, grants are limited to IRC Section 501(c)(3) defined purposes and charities, meaning they cannot fund:

  • For-profit entities
  • Political campaigns
  • Non-501(c)(3) organizations
  • Individuals (for personal benefit)

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Anne Grousbeck Matta: Former professional tennis player and three-time All-American at the University of Texas. Daughter of H. Irving Grousbeck.
  • Horacio Matta Velasco: Former professional tennis player and husband of Anne Grousbeck Matta.

Both trustees serve without compensation (officer compensation has remained at $0 across all filing years). The foundation operates with no paid staff, suggesting a highly streamlined, trustee-directed operation.

Foundation Background: The foundation represents a continuation of the Grousbeck family's philanthropic legacy, having received substantial contributions from H. Irving Grousbeck's personal wealth and his former family foundation.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

According to the foundation's official guidelines: "APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY AND INCLUDE PROOF OF IRC 501(C)(3) STATUS. UNSOLICITED GRANT REQUESTS MAY NOT RECEIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT."

Important Note: While the foundation technically accepts electronic applications, the language "unsolicited grant requests may not receive acknowledgement" suggests a preference for grantmaking based on trustee discretion and pre-existing relationships. The foundation has no website or online application portal, and no specific application format is published.

Eligibility: Grants are limited to IRC Section 501(c)(3) defined purposes and charities.

Deadlines: "NO DEADLINES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED AT THIS TIME" - indicating a rolling application process, though actual grantmaking appears to follow trustee priorities rather than open competition.

Decision Timeline

No specific decision timeline is published. Given the lack of structured review cycles and the foundation's extremely low profile, response times likely vary considerably based on whether the application aligns with current trustee priorities.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly available. However, the foundation's grantmaking pattern suggests:

  • Very high concentration: In 2023, 8 grants totaled $130 million, with six $20 million grants going to HBCUs
  • Strategic focus: Grants appear to target specific initiatives rather than responding to broad application pools
  • Relationship-driven: The lack of website, minimal public presence, and acknowledgement that unsolicited requests may not receive response suggests most successful grants likely come from organizations already known to the trustees

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is documented. However, historical grantmaking shows:

  • Repeat grantees: Stanford University received multiple grants across different years ($12 million, $8 million, $6.375 million, $4 million documented)
  • This suggests the foundation maintains ongoing relationships with organizations it supports

Application Success Factors

Given the limited public information and the foundation's preference for operating quietly, success factors must be inferred from documented grantmaking patterns:

Alignment with Trustee Priorities:

  • Organizations working in education (especially HBCUs and elite universities), environmental advocacy, criminal justice reform, community services, and reproductive rights appear most likely to receive funding
  • Recent emphasis on HBCUs suggests current trustee interest in racial equity in higher education
  • Continued support for environmental groups (Greenpeace, Sunrise Movement) indicates sustained commitment to climate advocacy

Scale and Impact:

  • The foundation makes both transformational grants ($20 million) and smaller community grants ($20,000-$50,000)
  • However, recent trend shows concentration of resources: 2023's $130 million in grants went to just 8 organizations
  • Organizations should be prepared to articulate how they would use grants of varying sizes effectively

Geographic Connection:

  • Strong preference for Bay Area organizations (Redwood City, San Francisco, Alameda)
  • Also funds national organizations and specific projects outside California
  • Local connection or national prominence appears more important than geographic diversity

Institutional Reputation:

  • Recipients include major universities (Stanford, UC Berkeley), established national nonprofits (Greenpeace, Planned Parenthood, Innocence Project), and well-regarded HBCUs
  • The foundation appears to favor organizations with proven track records

Relationship Building:

  • The statement that "unsolicited grant requests may not receive acknowledgement" strongly suggests personal connections and pre-existing relationships matter significantly
  • Repeat grantees (like Stanford) indicate value placed on ongoing partnerships

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Relationship-driven grantmaking: With no website, minimal public presence, and explicit warnings that unsolicited applications may not receive acknowledgement, this foundation operates primarily through trustee discretion and existing relationships. Cold applications face significant obstacles.

  • Wide range but concentrated giving: While grants range from $20,000 to $20,000,000, recent patterns show concentration of resources into a small number of very large grants ($20 million to six HBCUs in 2023). Organizations should be prepared to articulate need for grants at various scales.

  • Current priorities favor racial equity and environmental advocacy: The 2023 focus on HBCUs ($120 million to six institutions) and continued support for environmental groups (Greenpeace, Sunrise Movement) suggest these are current trustee passions.

  • Bay Area connection helps but isn't required: Strong preference for local Bay Area organizations, but national organizations aligned with trustee priorities also receive significant support.

  • No structured process means no predictability: With no deadlines, no application format, and rolling consideration, timing and approach are unpredictable. Organizations should not expect timely responses or structured communications.

  • Proof of 501(c)(3) status is mandatory: Electronic submission must include IRS determination letter or equivalent proof of tax-exempt status.

  • Consider alternative pathways: Given the challenges of unsolicited applications, organizations might explore whether board members, major donors, or partner organizations have connections to the Matta family or trustees who could facilitate an introduction.

References

← Back to US Funders Directory