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Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$0.8M

Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $845,500 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
  • Geographic Focus: National (primarily U.S. cities including San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, New York, Chicago, and others)

Contact Details

Address: 1750 Taylor St Unit 203, San Francisco, CA 94133-3644

Note: Contact information is not publicly available. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Overview

The Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2016 and based in San Francisco, California. As of 2024, the foundation holds approximately $20.1 million in assets and distributed $845,500 in charitable grants during the year. The foundation is governed by family trustees Kathryn Meister, Robert Meister, and Thomas Meister, all of whom serve without compensation. The foundation makes grants to preselected charitable organizations across multiple U.S. cities, with a geographic footprint spanning from California to New York and other major metropolitan areas. While the foundation does not publicly disclose specific priority areas, their grantmaking has reached organizations in cities including Aptos, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Evanston, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and Washington, D.C. The foundation operates as a lean organization with minimal administrative overhead, directing the vast majority of its expenses toward charitable purposes.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs or publicly defined funding streams. Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees to preselected organizations.

Recent Grant Activity:

  • 2024: 13 grants awarded
  • 2023: 13 grants awarded, totaling $770,000
  • 2022: 11 grants awarded
  • 2021: 5 grants awarded

Priority Areas

The foundation does not publicly disclose specific priority areas or thematic focuses. Based on available data, the foundation has supported organizations across multiple U.S. cities, suggesting a diverse portfolio of charitable interests.

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funding from organizations with which they do not have a pre-existing relationship.

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Kathryn Meister (Trustee, serves without compensation)
  • Robert Meister (Trustee, serves without compensation)
  • Thomas Meister (Trustee, serves without compensation)

The foundation operates with a minimal administrative structure and no paid staff, with the trustees making all grantmaking decisions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." All grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees to organizations they have already identified or with which they have existing relationships.

Organizations cannot apply for funding through any public portal, application form, or letter of inquiry process.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Success Rates

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Since the Albert and Janice Meister Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, there is no application process to optimize. The foundation awards grants exclusively to organizations selected by the trustees based on their own research, networks, and philanthropic interests.

Organizations seeking funding from this foundation would need to be identified proactively by the trustees themselves, rather than through any application or outreach effort.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: This foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or letters of inquiry
  • Invitation-only grantmaking: All grants are made to preselected organizations identified by the family trustees
  • Consistent grantmaking: The foundation has maintained steady grant activity, awarding 11-13 grants annually in recent years
  • Strong financial position: With $20+ million in assets, the foundation has substantial resources for sustained philanthropy
  • Lean operations: The foundation directs the vast majority of its resources to charitable grants rather than administrative costs
  • Geographic diversity: While based in San Francisco, the foundation supports organizations across multiple U.S. cities
  • Family-directed: All decisions are made by family trustees without outside influence or formal advisory structures

References

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