CARESTAR Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $5,155,000 (2023)
Assets: $62.7 million
Average Grant: $359,000
Decision Time: LOI response within ~2 weeks
Grant Range: $50,000 - $400,000+
Geographic Focus: California statewide
Multi-year Grants: 82% of grants awarded
Unrestricted Funding: 81% of grants awarded

Contact Details

Website: www.carestarfoundation.org

Phone: 510-710-6799

Address: 921 Ensenada Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707

General Inquiries: Via contact form at carestarfoundation.org/contact-us

Grant Inquiries: See application page at carestarfoundation.org/apply

Overview

Founded in 2017, the CARESTAR Foundation is a private foundation with $62.7 million in assets that contributed $5,155,000 in grants during 2023 across 45 awards. The foundation uses a racial equity lens to fund and advocate for improvements to California's emergency response and prehospital care systems to improve health outcomes for all Californians. CARESTAR is reimagining emergency and prehospital care by elevating community voice and power, building a movement, and serving as a catalyst for systems change. The foundation employs trust-based philanthropy principles, with 81% of grants awarded as unrestricted general operating support and 82% as multi-year commitments. Under CEO Tanir Ami's leadership, CARESTAR has become a significant force in transforming emergency response systems across California since its establishment.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

General Operating Grants: Amount varies; unrestricted, multi-year support for organizations aligned with CARESTAR's mission, vision, and priorities. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Project/Program Grants: Amount varies; support for specific work or programs aligned with CARESTAR's priorities. 15% indirect rate cap applies. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

Transformations & Innovations Initiative (TII): $100,000 maximum for one-year grants; $300,000 maximum for multi-year grants. Supports cross-sector collaborative partnerships testing new ideas and centering community voices in emergency response transformation.

Community Paramedicine Grants: $50,000 for CP and TAD programs; additional funds available for collaboratives with two or more participating providers within a LEMSA service area.

Priority Areas

Research identifying gaps, challenges, best practices, and innovations to bring greater racial equity to emergency and prehospital care
Workforce development programs (e.g., EMT training for young people of color)
Policy advocacy advancing equitable emergency care systems
Community-led initiatives centering voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color
Multi-sector collaboratives transforming local EMS systems
Projects addressing racial disparities within emergency and prehospital care
Injury prevention and trauma care improvements

What They Fund

Most grants support local community organizations and/or collaboratives focused on individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color. The foundation invests in systems, processes, and policies that guide emergency response in California, with emphasis on community-driven initiatives, research, workforce development, policy change, and transformative innovations.

What They Don't Fund

Projects outside of California
Individual emergency response equipment purchases unconnected to systemic change
General operations for organizations not aligned with racial equity focus in emergency/prehospital care

Eligibility Requirements for TII Program: Lead agency must be a non-profit organization or public entity; must include one EMS provider agency, one Local EMS Agency (LEMSA), and one community-based organization; project must serve a population within California; at least one partner must be based where the project will occur; project must aim to transform the local EMS system and address racial disparities.

Governance and Leadership

Leadership

CEO: Tanir Ami - A seasoned health services administrator with an MBA and former CEO of OLE Health in Napa and its Foundation. She has experience leading health service organizations including community clinics and Blue Shield of California Foundation. Received the Outstanding Non-Profit Leader of the Year award in Napa in 2016.

Board Chair: Fatima Angeles (as of recent filings); previously the Levi Strauss Foundation served as Board Chair

Board Members

Sarah de Guia - Chief Executive Officer of ChangeLab Solutions (joined October 2020)

Dr. Michael Rodriguez - Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (joined October 2020)

Jane Smith - EMS Commissioner and former Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Paramedic Association (joined October 2020)

Program Staff

Sedella Jefferson - Program Officer (promoted January 2023)

The foundation has worked on conscious whiteness and racial equity training with staff and trustees through Northern California Grantmakers programming.

Leadership Philosophy

As one grantee partner stated: "CARESTAR's trusting approach gave us the time to explore policy ideas" and seize emerging opportunities. The foundation emphasizes trust-based relationships and actively listening to and working with communities to understand the unique needs of those most impacted by health inequities.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

CARESTAR accepts applications on a rolling basis through an online process:

Eligibility Quiz: Register and complete a short eligibility quiz to determine if your organization or project is a good fit
Letter of Interest (LOI): If the initial screening shows potential, submit a Letter of Interest
LOI Review: CARESTAR reviews and responds within approximately two weeks
Full Application: If invited, receive an email with application link and submission deadline
Final Review: Upon review, CARESTAR contacts applicants to discuss the request and share next steps including due dates and final review process

All applications must be submitted online using the link provided at carestarfoundation.org/apply.

The foundation values applicants' time and is committed to ensuring that the application process is as streamlined as possible.

Decision Timeline

LOI Response: Approximately 2 weeks from submission
Full Application to Decision: Timeline varies; foundation contacts applicants to discuss next steps
Notification Method: Email communication

Success Rates

2023: 45 grants awarded
2022: 33 grants awarded
2021: 17 grants awarded
2020: 30 grants awarded totaling $4.3 million

Specific application-to-award ratios are not publicly disclosed, but the foundation has shown consistent growth in grantmaking since its 2017 founding.

Reapplication Policy

Not explicitly stated in public materials. The foundation's trust-based approach and emphasis on multi-year grants (82% of awards) suggests they prefer long-term partnerships over repeated applications.

Application Success Factors

Alignment with Racial Equity Focus: CARESTAR explicitly centers racial equity in emergency and prehospital care. Successful applicants demonstrate how their work addresses racial disparities and serves Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. The foundation states that "most grants support local community organizations and/or collaboratives focused on individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color."

Community Voice and Power: Projects should elevate community voice and center the perspectives of those most impacted by health inequities in emergency response. As the foundation emphasizes, they actively listen to and work with communities to understand unique needs.

Systemic Change Orientation: CARESTAR invests in "systems, processes, and policies that guide emergency response in California." Strong applications demonstrate how the work will transform emergency response systems, not just provide services.

Collaborative Approaches: The foundation values multi-sector partnerships. Their TII program explicitly requires collaboration between EMS providers, LEMSAs, and community-based organizations. Applications showing genuine partnership across sectors are favored.

California Focus: All work must serve populations or communities within California. Demonstrate clear understanding of the local/regional California EMS landscape.

Trust-Based Partnership Readiness: CARESTAR uses trust-based philanthropy principles. They offer unrestricted, multi-year funding and expect grantees to be ready for flexible, adaptive partnerships rather than rigid program requirements.

Recent Funding Examples:

$400,000 to California Emergency Medical Services Authority for comprehensive equity and access project (2024)
$300,000 to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals for equitable emergency care for children in crisis (2024)
$2 million investment in 10 nonprofit organizations working on racial equity in emergency/prehospital care (June 2023)
Workforce development programs like Bay EMT and EMS Corps (EMT training for young people of color)
Interface Children and Family Services ($300,000 for 211 option expansion, 2022)
Prevention Institute ($150,000, 2022)

Foundation Language: Use terminology around "emergency and prehospital care," "EMS systems transformation," "racial equity," "community-driven," and "systemic change." Review the 2023 Annual Review at report.carestarfoundation.org for current priorities.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Racial equity is non-negotiable: This must be central to your proposal, not peripheral. CARESTAR explicitly uses a racial equity lens in all grantmaking decisions and prioritizes organizations serving BIPOC communities.
Think systems, not services: CARESTAR wants to transform how emergency response works, not just fund individual service delivery. Frame your work in terms of systemic impact on California's EMS infrastructure.
Embrace trust-based partnership: With 81% unrestricted funding and 82% multi-year grants, CARESTAR is committed to flexible, trusting relationships. Be prepared to articulate outcomes without overly prescriptive plans.
Start with the eligibility quiz: Don't waste time on a full proposal if you're not aligned. The foundation's screening process helps ensure fit before investing significant time.
Collaboration strengthens applications: Partnerships between EMS providers, LEMSAs, and community organizations demonstrate the cross-sector approach CARESTAR values, especially for their larger TII grants.
California-specific and local: Demonstrate deep knowledge of the California EMS landscape and the specific local/regional context where you work. Projects must serve California communities.
Average grant size is substantial: At $359,000 average, CARESTAR makes significant investments. Don't necessarily aim for maximum amounts—they encourage applicants to request what's needed and note they aim to fund as many worthy collaboratives as possible within their budget.

References

All sources accessed December 23, 2025.