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Greenbridge Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$1.6M
Grant Range
$5K - $0.5M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $1,612,900 (2023)
  • Total Grants: 52 awards (2023)
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $500,000
  • Average Grant: $31,017
  • Geographic Focus: National (United States) with some international grants
  • Total Assets: $53+ million
  • Application Process: Not accepting unsolicited proposals

Contact Details

Website: https://www.greenbridge.foundation/

Address: 220 Jackson Street Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94111

EIN: 82-3458443

Overview

Founded by Jason and Ann Green, the Greenbridge Family Foundation is a San Francisco-based private foundation with over $53 million in assets. The foundation's mission is "to unlock human potential while keeping the planet beautiful and sustainable." Since beginning their grantmaking journey, they have supported over 90 organizations across their priority portfolio areas. The foundation operates through two complementary entities: the Greenbridge Family Foundation, which issues grants to mission-aligned organizations, and Greenbridge Capital, which invests in issue-aligned funds and companies. Jason Green, co-founder of Emergence Capital (early investor in Salesforce, Zoom, Veeva, and Box), shifted his focus to venture philanthropy and impact investing in 2021, bringing a venture capital mindset to their strategic grantmaking approach.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Greenbridge uses a three-tiered grantmaking strategy:

Pebbles: $5,000 - $50,000 Initial commitments to build knowledge, confidence, and trust with organizations that meet most criteria in their focus areas. Made approximately 35 "Pebbles" grants in their first year.

Rocks: $50,000 - $250,000 Multi-year projects designed to "catalyze and unlock potential." Provides unrestricted funds with lightweight reporting requirements. Some "Pebbles" grantees are elevated to this tier.

Boulders: $250,000 - $500,000 Highly selective, larger multi-year commitments representing their venture philanthropy approach. These are the most time-intensive investments, with Freeworld (second-chance employment organization) cited as an example.

Priority Areas

Environment: Support interventions that leverage science, policy, and market-driven innovation to create a more sustainable and resilient planet. Recent grantees include Megafire Action, Blue Forest, Homeworld Collective, Hourglass Climate, Materiom, Mati Carbon, and Rewiring America.

Education & Opportunity: Increase educational and career opportunities for young people throughout the Bay Area and across the United States, prioritizing low-income youth and first-generation college students. Recent grantees include CodePath, CommonLit, FabNewport, Last Mile Education Fund, Lenny Learning, Playlab, Quill, The Avalon Academy, and UPchieve.

Mental Health: Introduced as a brand-new portfolio in 2024, focusing on early-stage interventions for youth addressing anxiety and depression prevention.

Criminal Justice & Second-Chance Employment: Reduce incarceration rates by supporting alternatives to incarceration and addressing systemic inequities. Champion second chances by removing barriers to employment. Jason Green serves as Chairman of Freeworld, a key partner organization.

Democracy: Strengthen American democracy by promoting equitable civic engagement and trust in democratic systems, breaking down barriers to participation and ensuring elections are transparent, inclusive, and trusted. Grantees include Vote.org.

Women & Children: Empower women and children through education, job opportunities, and social, political, and psychological support. Grantees operate locally, nationally, and internationally, including Girls Garage and Equal Justice Initiative.

Diverse Emerging Managers: Support and mentor diverse emerging investors to create a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem.

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, but the foundation's focus is clearly defined around their eight priority areas. They are currently not accepting unsolicited proposals.

Governance and Leadership

Jason Green, Co-Founder and President Co-founded Emergence Capital, a leading venture capital firm, and was an early investor in companies including Salesforce, Zoom, Veeva, and Box. He stepped back from active investing in 2021 to focus on philanthropy and impact investing. Serves as Chairman of Freeworld, board member of Impact Assets, Board Observer at Ignite Reading, and Founding Chairman of Kauffman Fellows Program. Studied economics and computer science at Dartmouth College and graduated from Harvard Business School. Jason is passionate about "creating opportunity for all, protecting the environment, supporting a healthy democracy, educational opportunity for all and mental health."

Dr. Ann Wilson Green, Co-Founder and Treasurer Earned a PhD in English from Claremont Graduate University (expected 2025) and serves on the Board of Trustees for several educational non-profits.

Kim Plewes, Founder/Leader Over 20 years of experience in the charitable sector, working with philanthropists across North America to develop charitable giving strategies. Presidential Scholar from American University, studied at Oxford University, and holds a degree in International Development in Africa. The foundation's founders describe her as "an instrumental thought partner for Greenbridge from the very beginning."

Key Leadership Quote: "At Greenbridge, we've always believed that philanthropy is about more than just writing checks. It's about relationships, collaboration, and being there for partners when it matters most." - Jason Green

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Greenbridge Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Their website explicitly states they are "currently not accepting unsolicited proposals."

Grants are awarded through the founders' and board's discretion, based on their strategic priorities and existing relationships. The foundation takes a proactive approach to identifying organizations that align with their mission and values.

Getting on Their Radar

The Greenbridge Family Foundation identifies potential partners through:

Board Connections: Jason Green's board positions at organizations like Freeworld, Impact Assets, and Ignite Reading provide direct visibility into high-performing organizations in their focus areas.

Sector Networks: The foundation attends their annual Greenbridge Summit, where they gather grantees and partners. They also engage with the effective altruism community and philanthropic networks.

Relationship-First Approach: As stated in their philosophy, "the real magic happens when we empower leaders to make decisions and execute their vision." They prioritize building trust and meaningful partnerships before making grants. Organizations they discover typically demonstrate ethical, hard-working leadership; innovative and strategic teams; ambition to create transformative impact; and a path to self-sustainability.

Strategic Introductions: The foundation values strategic introductions from trusted partners, funders, and sector leaders who can vouch for an organization's leadership and impact potential.

Application Success Factors

The foundation seeks organizations that align with their guiding principles and demonstrate specific characteristics:

Leadership Quality: "People drive change" is a core principle. They look for ethical, hard-working leaders with strong vision and execution capability. As they state, their goal is to "identify great leaders making a positive difference and help unlock even bigger impact in the future."

Long-Term Vision: The foundation operates with a "20+ year impact perspective," seeking partners focused on systemic, transformational change rather than short-term fixes.

Path to Sustainability: Organizations must demonstrate a pathway to self-sustainability and be positioned for significant impact. The foundation prioritizes organizations that have the potential to scale or catalyze broader change.

Alignment with Venture Philanthropy: Drawing from Jason Green's venture capital background, they seek organizations with "ambition to create transformative impact" and an "ownership mentality" – taking accountability for results and being willing to adapt strategies based on outcomes.

Innovative Approaches: Whether through science-backed environmental solutions, market-driven innovation, or novel approaches to social challenges, the foundation prioritizes organizations that bring fresh thinking to entrenched problems.

Partnership Readiness: The foundation emphasizes being a true partner, not just a funder. Organizations should be ready for a collaborative relationship where they can openly share challenges and opportunities. As they advise other funders: "Ask grantees: 'How would you like us to show up?'" This suggests they value organizations that can articulate their needs and engage meaningfully.

Trust and Transparency: "We've learned that trust is at the heart of impactful partnerships." Organizations that practice transparency and are willing to have honest conversations about challenges are more likely to develop deeper partnerships.

Recent Examples of Funded Work:

  • CodePath: Reprogramming higher education to create the first AI-native generation of engineers for first-generation and low-income students
  • Megafire Action: Building policy solutions to eliminate catastrophic fires
  • Last Mile Education Fund: Closing critical gaps in financial and career support for vulnerable college students in their final semesters

Avoid: The foundation warns against funders who "believe that since they are writing the checks, they know more than the leaders of the organizations they are supporting." Organizations should be prepared to lead their own strategy with the foundation as a supporter, not a director.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Grants are made through founders' discretion and existing relationships, making networking and strategic introductions critical.

  • Three-Tier System: Understanding their Pebbles ($5K-$50K), Rocks ($50K-$250K), and Boulders ($250K-$500K) approach helps contextualize their investment philosophy – they start smaller to build trust before deepening commitments.

  • Venture Philanthropy Mindset: With Jason Green's venture capital background, they seek high-impact, scalable solutions with strong leadership – think less traditional charity, more transformative investment in change-makers.

  • Relationship-Driven: The foundation emphasizes partnership over transactions, offering strategic introductions, advice, and connections beyond just funding. They value organizations that can articulate how they'd like funders to "show up."

  • Long-Term Focus: With a 20+ year impact horizon, they're not interested in quick fixes. They seek systemic change through organizations with sustainability plans and potential for transformative impact.

  • Board Connections Matter: Jason Green's board positions at Freeworld, Impact Assets, Ignite Reading, and Kauffman Fellows provide natural entry points for visibility within those networks and sectors.

  • Effective Altruism Influence: The foundation has engaged with effective altruism principles, including "measuring return on philanthropy," suggesting they value data-driven impact assessment and evidence-based approaches.

References

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