Hellman Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $36.1 million (2023)
Success Rate: ~4-8% (approximately 4 awards from ~50 proposals)
Decision Time: 4-6 months from RFI submission
Grant Range: $495,000 - $825,000
Geographic Focus: San Francisco and Alameda Counties only
Foundation Status: Spending down - closing by end of 2034

Contact Details

Website: https://www.hellmanfoundation.org/

Phone: (415) 837-5408

Mailing Address: Hellman Foundation c/o Hirsch Philanthropy Partners 595 Market Street, Suite 820 San Francisco, CA 94105

Pre-Application Support: Foundation hosts informational webinars before each application cycle; contact staff with eligibility questions before applying

Overview

The Hellman Foundation was established in 2011 following the death of private equity investor Warren Hellman, founder of Hellman & Friedman. The foundation, which holds assets of approximately $636 million, has awarded over $310 million in grants to date. The foundation's mission is to "build equity and opportunity, to advance knowledge, and to foster health, science, the arts, innovation, and creativity" through grantmaking focused exclusively on San Francisco and Alameda Counties. In September 2023, the board announced a significant strategic shift: the foundation will spend down all its assets and close by the end of 2034. According to Executive Director Annie Ulevitch, "The Hellman Foundation believes that intensive strategic investments in the next decade are the most effective way we can advance sustainable change on pressing community needs." This spend-down strategy means the foundation is making larger, more concentrated investments in fewer initiatives. The foundation is currently managed by Hirsch Philanthropy Partners and employs a participatory grantmaking model through its Community Panel, established in 2022, which brings lived experience and community-centered expertise to funding decisions.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Hellman Collaborative Change Initiative - The foundation's flagship program operates on a biennial application cycle (every two years, subject to change).

LAUNCH Grants: Up to $495,000 over three years
- For early-stage collaborations pilot testing promising solutions
- Application through RFI process, invitations to full proposal based on RFI review
GROWTH Grants: Up to $825,000 over five years
- For proven collaborations ready to scale after successful pilot testing
- Supports building momentum toward systems change
- Application through same RFI process as LAUNCH

Strategic Investments - As part of the spend-down strategy, the foundation is making large, concentrated investments (e.g., $20 million commitment announced in November 2023 for nutrition equity). These strategic investments do not accept unsolicited applications.

Hellman Fellows Program - Separate academic fellowship program supporting early-career faculty research at UC campuses and select private universities. Note: This program operates independently with its own endowment and will continue after the foundation closes in 2034.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival - Ongoing support to this annual free music festival founded by Warren Hellman; will continue after foundation closes.

Priority Areas

The foundation prioritizes collaborations addressing:

Health equity - Particularly maternal health, chronic disease prevention, food as medicine, and reducing health disparities in BIPOC communities
Education - Early childhood education, K-12 pathways, postsecondary access and completion, particularly for underserved populations
Opportunity - Economic security, housing stability, youth support services, and addressing root causes of poverty and incarceration

The foundation emphasizes "bold and creative" approaches to structural inequities and actively seeks solutions that can influence systems change and policy.

What They Don't Fund

Organizations or collaborations operating outside San Francisco and Alameda Counties
Individual organizations not part of a cross-sector collaboration
Projects without public sector partnership
General operating support without clear growth/scale/systems change plans
Individuals seeking to form a collaboration (must have pre-existing working history)
Unsolicited strategic investment proposals
Projects seeking support beyond the foundation's 2034 closure date

Governance and Leadership

Board Leadership

Patricia Hellman Gibbs, MD - Board Chair and President
- Daughter of founders Warren and Chris Hellman
- Quote: "Access to medically supportive food and nutrition services is integral for the health of our communities, especially those who are underserved and have greater risks of chronic health disparities"

Staff

Annie Ulevitch - Executive Director
- Key voice on spend-down strategy: "Spending down is about saying, 'What happens if we put a larger amount of money into the community over a shorter time frame?'"
- On partnership approach: "The focus of our conversations was and continues to be, 'What do you need that would enable you to continue your work more effectively into the future?'"
Susan Mayer Hirsch - Senior Advisor, Hellman Collaborative

Community Panel (Participatory Grantmaking Body)

The Community Panel, established in 2022, collaboratively reviews proposals and determines funding recommendations. Current members include:

Jordan Akerley - End Hep C SF, Strategic Director
Kym Johnson - BANANAS, Inc., CEO
Sonia Mañjon, PhD - Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Chief Academic Officer
Steven Chen, MD - Recipe4Health Alameda County, Chief Medical Officer
Bonnie Kwon, JD - W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Policy Officer
Agnes Ubalde - PNC Bank, Senior Vice President for Community Development
José Corona - Rebozo Ventures, Founder
Zea Malawa, MD, MPH - Expecting Justice, Director
Laney Whitcanack - Coro Northern California, CEO

Several panel members lead grantee organizations, embodying the foundation's commitment to trust-based philanthropy and power-sharing with community members.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Application Cycle: The foundation operates on a biennial (every two years) application cycle, subject to change. Applications are accepted only during announced open cycles.

Three-Step Process:

Request for Information (RFI)
- Submit online through foundation website during open cycle
- One contact per collaboration serves as primary applicant
- Deadline typically mid-March (e.g., March 15, 2024 at 5:30pm PT)
- Foundation hosts informational webinar before each cycle
Proposal Phase (by invitation only)
- Approximately 50% of RFI applicants invited to submit full proposals
- Invitation based on Community Panel review of RFIs
Final Selection
- Community Panel makes final funding decisions
- Approximately 4 awards made per cycle from ~25 full proposals

Pre-Application Resources:

Attend required informational webinar (recording available)
Review "Five Phases of Collaboration" framework
Study current awardees' work on foundation website
Contact staff if uncertain about eligibility before investing time in application

Decision Timeline

From RFI submission to final decision: 4-6 months

March: RFI submission deadline
Spring: RFI review and proposal invitations
Summer: Full proposal submission (by invitation)
Fall: Community Panel review and decision
Late Fall/Early Winter: Award notifications and announcement

Notifications are made via email, with public announcement of awardees on the foundation website and through social media.

Success Rates

Highly Competitive: In 2022, approximately 50 initial RFI applications were submitted. About 50% (25 applications) were invited to submit full proposals, with 4 final awardees selected, representing an overall success rate of approximately 8%.

2024 Cycle: Nearly 200 people registered for the informational webinar, suggesting high interest. Four awardees were ultimately selected with a total of $2.66 million awarded.

Historical Context: In 2015, the foundation received 141 applications, highlighting the consistently competitive nature of this funding opportunity.

Reapplication Policy

The foundation website does not explicitly state a reapplication policy for unsuccessful applicants. The foundation encourages collaborations that include current Hellman Foundation grantees to apply, though lead agencies of current or past Collaborative Change Initiative projects should discuss potential applications with staff before submitting.

Given the biennial application cycle, unsuccessful applicants could potentially reapply in the next cycle (two years later), but should contact foundation staff to discuss their proposal before resubmitting.

Application Success Factors

Mandatory Eligibility Requirements (ALL must be met)

Geographic Requirement:

Must operate within San Francisco or Alameda County only
Solutions must be piloted or scaled across the entire county (not neighborhood-specific)

Cross-Sector Partnership:

Must include representatives from:
- Community (lived experience and/or benefitting from activities)
- Nonprofit sector
- Public sector (government agencies, school districts, public hospitals/universities)
At least one lead public sector partner is required

Collaborative Structure:

Minimum 4 partner institutions
Minimum 6 active members meeting regularly as a collaborative table
Must be member-driven, not reliant on single organization or leader
Must have pre-existing working history together (not forming a collaboration through application)

Phase of Development:

LAUNCH: Must be in Pilot Testing Phase (Phase II of Five Phases framework)
GROWTH: Must be in Building Momentum or Initial Scale-Up phase (Phase III or IV)

What Makes Applications Stand Out

Systems-Level Thinking: The foundation seeks collaborations addressing root causes and driving systems change, not just programmatic interventions. Successful awardees demonstrate how their work will influence policy and practice beyond their immediate participants.

Community-Centered Approach: Projects led by or deeply accountable to communities with lived experience are prioritized. The foundation values participatory design and community power-building.

Ambitious Yet Realistic: The foundation describes successful projects as "bold and creative" in addressing structural inequities while demonstrating a clear pathway to implementation and scale.

Strong Public Sector Partnership: Given the requirement for public sector involvement, successful applications show genuine partnership (not just endorsement) with government agencies or institutions that can enable systems change.

Clear Equity Focus: Successful projects explicitly address racial, economic, and health disparities in specific populations. Recent awardees focus on BIPOC communities, LGBTQIA+ youth, women on probation, and other underserved groups.

Examples of Funded Projects

2024 Awardees ($2.66M total):

Alameda County MPCAH Birth Worker Capacity Building Project - Increasing doula workforce by 25% to address birth outcome disparities
Recipe4Health Collaborative - Scaling Food as Medicine program county-wide with aim of making it a covered Medi-Cal benefit
Freedom Forward: The HYPE Center - Anti-trafficking support services for San Francisco youth (BIPOC, females, LGBTQIA+)
Beloved Youth Collective - Providing housing alternatives to reduce institutional placements for girls and young women on probation

2022 Awardees:

Oakland Postsecondary Education & Workforce Collaborative
The Pop-Up Village
Ready, Resilient, & Rising! Network (R3)

2019 Awardees:

Alameda Families United CARE
Expecting Justice
Oakland Ceasefire

Common Disqualifiers

Based on FAQ guidance:

No public sector lead partner
Not meeting regularly as multi-party collaborative
Individual organizations applying (not a collaboration)
Operating outside the two-county geographic area
Seeking general operating support without scaling/systems change plans
Individuals wanting to form a collaboration (must already exist)

Strategic Advice from Foundation

From informational materials:

Watch the full webinar recording - don't skip this step
Ensure you genuinely meet ALL eligibility requirements before applying
Contact staff if uncertain - they prefer clarifying questions over ineligible applications
Study the "Five Phases of Collaboration" framework to accurately assess your readiness
Review current and past awardees to understand the level and type of work funded

Regarding the spend-down: Executive Director Annie Ulevitch emphasizes the foundation's collaborative approach: "These are larger, more concentrated, ecosystem-level investments that will be made over a short period of time... We brought our partners together and they said, 'Here's what we think we can accomplish,' so it [the complexion of the funding] is really coming from them."

This suggests applicants should think big and be prepared to articulate transformative outcomes aligned with the foundation's accelerated giving timeline.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Geographic restrictions are absolute - Do not apply if your collaboration operates outside San Francisco and Alameda Counties or if solutions cannot scale county-wide.
Public sector partnership is non-negotiable - You must have at least one lead public sector partner actively involved, not just providing a letter of support. Government agencies, school districts, public hospitals, or public universities qualify.
Demonstrate existing collaboration - You must already be working together with a track record. The foundation will not fund the formation of new collaborations.
Think systems change, not just programs - Successful applications show pathway to policy influence and structural change, not just direct service expansion.
The spend-down creates urgency and scale - With the foundation closing in 2034, think about transformative investments that can create lasting infrastructure or policy changes within the timeline.
Competition is fierce (8% success rate) - Invest time in the application only if you genuinely meet all eligibility criteria and can demonstrate systems-level impact.
Community Panel values lived experience - Applications that demonstrate deep community accountability and leadership from those with lived experience will resonate with the panel members, several of whom lead community organizations.

References

Accessed December 2024