Stupski Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $56,379,067 (2023)
Total Assets: $261 million (FY22)
Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
Grant Range: $12,000 - $1,300,000+ (historically)
Geographic Focus: San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda and San Francisco Counties) and Hawaiʻi
Status: Spending down all assets by 2029; not accepting new applications

Contact Details

Website: https://stupski.org/
Address: 90 New Montgomery St Ste 1100, San Francisco, CA 94105-4514
For Inquiries: Contact individual staff members via their profiles on the foundation website or LinkedIn

Overview

Founded in 1996 by Larry and Joyce Stupski, the Stupski Foundation initially operated as an operating foundation focused on transforming public education nationwide. After Larry's passing in 2013, Joyce converted the foundation to a grantmaking spend-down model in 2014, dedicating it to returning all resources to communities in Hawaiʻi and the San Francisco Bay Area by 2029. Together, Larry and Joyce donated $723 million to individual nonprofits and the foundation. Joyce led the spend-down until her passing in 2021, overseeing more than $155 million in grantmaking. Under CEO Glen Galaich, Ph.D., who joined in 2015, the foundation has distributed $370+ million in grants since 2014, with 248 awards totaling over $56 million in 2023 alone. In 2025, the foundation accelerated its spend-down, awarding 76% of remaining allocated funds (over $57 million) to existing partners in response to threats facing communities, and expects to complete grantmaking by 2026 or early 2027.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation focuses on four core areas:

Early Brain Development: Strengthens bonds between children and families during early years; funds family-informed efforts to improve access to care supporting childhood development and lifelong health.

Serious Illness Care: Partners with community-based organizations and health systems to ensure people living with serious illness have agency and access to care they want and need through end of life.

Food Justice: Supports healthy food systems, food justice, and food sovereignty initiatives. Food justice should be central (though not necessarily exclusive) to an organization's work.

Postsecondary Success: Supports accessible postsecondary pathways enabling young people to live, learn, and thrive in their communities. Centers youth voices to shift power, policy, and practice in the postsecondary ecosystem.

Historical Grant Ranges

While the foundation is no longer accepting new applications, past grants included:

Student Power-Building: $300,000 over four years ($75,000/year) for organizations with budgets $150K-$5M; $12,000 for very small organizations with budgets under $150K
Student and Community Wellness: $50,000-$300,000 for Hawaiʻi applicants; $50,000-$200,000 for Bay Area applicants (up to four years)
General Operating Support: Ranged from $20,000 to $1,300,000+ depending on organization size and scope
Major Partnership Example: Hawaiʻi Community-Centered Partnership with Early Childhood Action Strategies received $2,000,000

Priority Areas

Community-led organizations, particularly those led by people of color
Organizations serving historically underserved communities including immigrants, refugees, people of color, and low-income populations
Organizations primarily serving communities in Hawaiʻi and San Francisco/Alameda Counties
Partners who transform systems that harm communities
General operating support preferred over restricted program funding

What They Don't Fund

Proposals outside their four priority strategies (Early Brain Development, Serious Illness Care, Food Justice, Postsecondary Success)
Proposals emphasizing mental health treatment and diagnosis options
Programs not prioritizing historically underserved communities
Organizations primarily serving students in middle school or younger
Endowments, lobbying, or voter registration funds
Currently: Any new organizations (focus is exclusively on existing partners through 2027)

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

Jim Wiggett, Board Chair
Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, Director
Keoni Lee, Director
Marisa Hayase, Director
Maida Lynn, Director
Richard Tate, Director
Sam Cobbs, Director

The board expanded recently to add collective wisdom, activism, and community-based leadership experience. The foundation also established a new investment committee in 2023 that prioritized activating remaining assets.

Leadership Team

Glen Galaich, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer (joined 2015; leads overall strategy)
Claire Callahan, Communications Director
Lorree Novotny, Director of Finance and Accounting
Dan Tuttle, Director of Health
Aileen Suzara, Director of Food Justice
Jennifer Nguyen, Director of Postsecondary Success
Constance Haddad, Human Resources Director
Devona Williams, Controller

The team includes 18 staff members who bring deep community connections and reflect the foundation's commitment to equity and social justice.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Stupski Foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation accelerated its spend-down in June 2025 and committed 76% of remaining funds to existing partners. According to their FAQs: "We do not plan to fund new rounds of open applications for new grantee partners" and "We do not anticipate issuing new grants after 2027."

Their priority is to support existing partners with remaining grantmaking funds during the closing chapter of the foundation leading to their 2029 closure.

Organizations interested in learning about the foundation's work can:

Contact staff members directly through individual staff pages on the website or LinkedIn
Sign up for newsletter updates
View current grantee partners in their grant directory

Historical Application Methods: Prior to the accelerated spend-down, the foundation used invitation-based processes including pre-proposal concept papers, collaborative co-design sessions with community members, and targeted calls for proposals in specific areas. They offered accessibility support including office hours for smaller organizations and translation support for non-English speakers.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable for new applicants. The foundation is not accepting new applications and expects to complete all grantmaking by 2026 or early 2027.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable. The foundation is not accepting applications from new organizations and is focused exclusively on supporting existing partners through the spend-down.

Application Success Factors

While the Stupski Foundation is no longer accepting new applications, their documented values and past practices reveal what they prioritized in partnerships:

Trust-Based Philanthropy Commitment: Stupski practices trust-based philanthropy with "multiyear or unlimited-term grants that are larger, more flexible, and less restricted—focusing on conversation and learning." They shifted decision-making power to communities, believing "the people closest to the challenges in communities—not philanthropy—can best determine where funds can make lasting change."

General Operating Support: The foundation strongly prefers unrestricted general operating support over program-specific funding, believing funding should "be tailored to best support partners' work" rather than requiring nonprofits to meet burdensome requirements.

Community-Centered Leadership: Stupski intentionally funds community-led organizations, particularly those led by people of color who are closest to the challenges their communities face. They hire staff with deep community connections and value diverse perspectives as "key to finding better ways of understanding issues."

Honest Communication and Adaptability: The foundation fosters "open, honest communication with grantee partners" to ensure funding aligns with actual organizational needs. They use tools like the Grantee Perception Report to actively solicit feedback and adapt practices accordingly. "Their partners help them grow into a more equitable funder and challenge their assumptions."

Equity and Justice Focus: Beginning in 2019, the foundation committed to "deepening their understanding of how racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression harm communities" and examining how these impact grantmaking practice. In 2025, they reaffirmed commitment to "advancing equity and justice in every aspect of their philanthropy."

Wellness as a Value: Inspired by the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, "their team views wellness as a value and a lens rather than siloing student mental health into a small subset of grants."

Beyond Grantmaking Support: Stupski strengthens partner capacity through strategic communications training, facilitated community connections, and wellness initiatives—not just funding.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No Current Opportunities: The foundation is not accepting new applications and will complete grantmaking by 2026-2027 as part of their planned 2029 spend-down
Existing Partners Only: All remaining funds (approximately $23+ million) are committed to supporting existing grantee partners through the transition
Trust-Based Model: When they were funding, Stupski exemplified trust-based philanthropy with unrestricted, multiyear general operating support averaging much larger than typical grants
Community Leadership: They prioritized organizations led by people of color and those with deep roots in the communities they serve (Hawaiʻi and San Francisco Bay Area)
Geographic Restriction: Focus was exclusively on Hawaiʻi and San Francisco/Alameda Counties to ensure concentrated impact during spend-down timeline
Power-Sharing Philosophy: The foundation believed in shifting power and resources to communities rather than imposing traditional philanthropic requirements
Learning from Spend-Down: As one of the prominent spend-down foundations, Stupski's documented practices offer valuable insights into trust-based philanthropy for grant writers working with other funders

References

All sources accessed December 16, 2025.