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The Libra Foundation

Annual Giving
$28.0M
Grant Range
$100K - $0.2M

The Libra Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $28 million (2024)
  • Total Assets: $451.96 million
  • Grant Range: Typically $100,000/year for two years
  • Geographic Focus: National and international
  • Application Process: Invitation only / No public application process
  • Decision Time: N/A (invitation-based)

Contact Details

Overview

The Libra Foundation was founded in 2006 by Nicholas and Susan Pritzker and their four children (Regan, Joseph, Jacob, and Isaac) as their family's principal philanthropic vehicle. With assets of approximately $452 million and annual grantmaking of $28 million, Libra is a leading funder of grassroots social justice movements. The foundation operates on the principle that "those closest to the problem understand those issues best and are most equipped to build and implement solutions." Libra has funded over $163 million to 319 grantee partners to date. The foundation is recognized as a pioneer in trust-based philanthropy, providing multi-year, unrestricted general operating support with no proposal or report required. In 2024, Supriya Lopez Pillai became President after Crystal Hayling's six-year tenure. Notable initiatives include co-founding the Democracy Frontlines Fund in 2020.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Core Grantmaking Program

  • Typical Grant: $100,000/year for two years
  • Structure: Multi-year, unrestricted general operating support
  • Application: Invitation only through existing grantee network
  • Requirements: No proposals or reports required

Democracy Frontlines Fund

  • Co-founded by Libra in 2020
  • Pools resources from multiple funders
  • Supports Black-led grassroots organizing and civic engagement
  • Grant recipients selected by "brain trust" of women of color with expertise in racial justice movements

Priority Areas

Community Safety and Justice

  • Organizations led by those directly impacted by the carceral punishment system
  • Reimagining safety through community-defined restoration
  • Ending mass incarceration and criminalization
  • Healing and transformational justice approaches
  • Decarceration and abolition of jails and policing
  • Liberation of Black, Brown, Indigenous, trans, and low-income people

Environmental and Climate Justice

  • Anchored in Just Transition principles
  • Frontline communities most impacted by climate crisis and environmental harm
  • Community-powered organizations working locally and trans-locally
  • Intersection of environmental justice and systemic racism

Gender Justice

  • Self-determination, safety, and equity for women, girls, gender-expansive and non-conforming, queer, and trans people
  • Organizations centering those most impacted

Cross-Cutting Priorities

  • BIPOC-led organizations
  • Frontline, grassroots organizations working in deep community
  • Movement building and power-building work
  • Donor organizing
  • Strengthening democracy
  • Intersectional strategies across portfolio areas

What They Don't Fund

  • The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications
  • Organizations not identified through their existing grantee network
  • Traditional service-delivery organizations (focus is on movement-building and advocacy)
  • Organizations not led by communities of color or those most impacted

Governance and Leadership

Board Leadership

Regan Pritzker - Board Co-President and Chair of Investment Committee

  • Member of the Pritzker family
  • Advocates for shifting private investment and philanthropy toward economic justice, reparations, and transformation
  • Quote: "In Supriya, we have a philanthropic leader and partner committed to grassroots power building, supporting a healthy democracy, and protecting our planet with community-based solutions."

Susan Pritzker - Board Member and Co-President (Founding Board Chair)

  • Co-founder with husband Nicholas Pritzker

Nicholas J. Pritzker - Board Chairman

  • Billionaire member of the Pritzker family (Hyatt hotels chain)

Executive Leadership

Supriya Lopez Pillai - President (appointed 2024)

  • 30 years of movement experience, including 20+ years focused on gender, racial, and environmental justice philanthropy
  • Former Executive Director of Hidden Leaf Foundation ($54 million progressive grantmaker)
  • Born and raised in Chicago to parents from Kerala, India
  • Quote: "I have come to believe in the possibility of organizing philanthropy, closing the gap between those with wealth and those most impacted by inequity who are transforming our world for the better."

Crystal Hayling - Former Executive Director (2017-2024)

  • 32-year career in philanthropy
  • Co-founded Democracy Frontlines Fund in 2020
  • Pioneered trust-based philanthropy practices at Libra
  • Quote: "In every job that I've had, I've been aware that I might, at some point, say or do something that might result in me no longer having that job. And yet, it felt important to know that I was the voice for the people who weren't in the room."
  • Recognized by Robert Ross (CEO of California Endowment) as being "at least a step or two ahead of the pack on trust-based philanthropy"

Staffing: As of 2018, the foundation operated with three full-time staff, notably lean for the number of grantees supported. Program officers hold office hours for grantee partners.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Libra Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to pre-selected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

All new grantee prospects are sourced through their existing grantee network. The foundation hosts "getting to know you" sessions where current grantees discuss their networks and identify promising organizations and leaders, which can lead to unsolicited grants from Libra.

Getting on Their Radar

The Libra Foundation uses a network-informed approach where current grantees serve as the pathway to new funding relationships. Specifically:

  • Build relationships with existing Libra grantees: The foundation actively seeks recommendations from their current partners. Established Libra grantees participate in "getting to know you" sessions where they identify promising organizations in their networks.

  • Engage in the broader movement ecosystem: Libra prioritizes organizations that are connected to and working within broader social justice movements, particularly in criminal justice reform, environmental/climate justice, and gender justice spaces.

  • Participate in collaborative funding initiatives: Libra co-founded and participates in initiatives like the Democracy Frontlines Fund, which uses a "brain trust" of women of color to identify grantees. Being visible to movement leaders and experts in these spaces can create pathways to Libra's attention.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation operates on an invitation-only basis with no formal application deadlines or decision timelines for external applicants.

Success Rates

Not applicable due to invitation-only model. The foundation has supported 319 grantee partners with $163 million in funding to date.

Recent grant rounds include:

  • November 2020: $13.5 million to 69 organizations
  • First half of 2021: $10.2 million to 52 organizations
  • First half of 2019: $12.4 million (including $3.4 million to 23 organizations new to the foundation)

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable for external organizations. The foundation provides multi-year support to existing grantees, typically structured as $100,000/year for two years.

Application Success Factors

Since Libra operates on an invitation-only model, success depends on alignment with their specific approach and values:

What Libra Values (from their own statements):

  • Proximity to the issue: "Those closest to the problem understand those issues best and are most equipped to build and implement solutions." Organizations must be led by communities most impacted by systemic oppression.

  • BIPOC leadership: Libra prioritizes organizations "led by and for those directly impacted" - particularly Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, as well as trans and low-income people.

  • Grassroots and frontline positioning: The foundation seeks organizations "working in deep community" rather than top-down or technocratic approaches.

  • Movement-building over service delivery: Libra funds power-building, organizing, and advocacy rather than traditional service provision.

  • Intersectional strategies: The foundation values work that crosses traditional issue boundaries and addresses multiple forms of oppression.

Notable Grantees (as examples of their priorities):

  • ACLU Foundation
  • National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
  • Earthrights International
  • Drug Policy Alliance
  • Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
  • Center for Reproductive Rights
  • Planned Parenthood Federation of America
  • Black Feminist Fund
  • California Black Freedom Fund
  • Native Voices Rising
  • Trans Justice Funding Project
  • Democracy and Power Innovation Fund
  • Mi Familia Vota Education Fund
  • People's Action Institute

What Makes Libra Distinctive:

According to Crystal Hayling: "The Libra Foundation is unique and compelling because it centers social justice at the heart of its work."

The foundation practices trust-based philanthropy by:

  • Providing unrestricted general operating support
  • Requiring no proposals or reports
  • Staying informed through conversations, webinars, and public information rather than "extractive requirements"
  • Building "relationships of trust with grantee partners"
  • Reducing bureaucratic barriers and paperwork

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No direct application possible: This is strictly an invitation-only funder. Do not send unsolicited proposals.

  • Network your way in: The only pathway to Libra funding is through their existing grantee partners. Build authentic relationships with organizations already funded by Libra in your issue area.

  • Demonstrate grassroots, BIPOC-led credentials: Libra exclusively funds organizations led by and for communities of color most impacted by systemic oppression. If this isn't your organization's profile, Libra is not an appropriate funder to pursue.

  • Focus on movement-building, not services: Libra funds organizing, advocacy, and power-building work, not traditional service delivery.

  • Intersectionality matters: Organizations working at the intersection of multiple justice issues (criminal justice, climate, gender) are particularly aligned with Libra's approach.

  • Trust-based model means different relationship: If invited to become a grantee, expect multi-year unrestricted funding with minimal reporting requirements - Libra has reimagined the traditional funder-grantee power dynamic.

  • Be visible in movement spaces: Engage in collaborative funds, attend movement convenings, and be recognized by movement leaders who may serve on brain trusts or be consulted by Libra.

References

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