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Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation

Annual Giving
$33.1M
Grant Range
$25K - $4.0M

Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $33,065,074 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $542 million
  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $1,000,000+
  • Average Grant: $200,000
  • Geographic Focus: National (education); San Francisco Bay Area (housing & homelessness)
  • Application Process: No unsolicited applications accepted (invitation only)

Contact Details

Address: 201 Mission Street, Suite 1950, San Francisco, CA 94105

Phone: (415) 795-4920

Fax: (415) 795-4921

Email: info@schwabfoundation.org

Website: https://www.schwabfoundation.org/

General Inquiries: The foundation accepts general inquiries via phone or email, though they do not accept unsolicited grant applications.

Overview

The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation was established in 1987 by investment pioneer Charles Schwab and Helen Schwab. With assets totaling $542 million and annual giving of approximately $33 million, the foundation is independent from both the Charles Schwab Corporation and the Charles Schwab Corporate Foundation. The foundation's vision is "a world in which all people lead fulfilling and choice-filled lives." In March 2023, the board of trustees approved a new strategic plan that refocused the foundation's work on two primary areas: public education nationally and housing and homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area. The foundation prioritizes innovative approaches that advance racial equity and remove systemic barriers that perpetuate generational cycles of poverty. The foundation is motivated by "working to break the correlation between the zip code of one's birth or residence and projected life outcomes."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates through two main focus areas with grants ranging from $25,000 to over $1 million:

Public Education (National) - Represents more than 50% of total giving

  • Grant range: $25,000 - $4,000,000+
  • Focus on charter schools, teacher development, and education innovation
  • Notable grants include $4 million to Pacific Charter School Development for economically sustainable, high-quality charter schools

Housing & Homelessness (San Francisco Bay Area)

  • Grant range: $25,000 - $1,000,000+
  • Support for homeless services, housing advocacy, and workforce development
  • Focus on organizations providing direct services and systemic solutions

Priority Areas

Education:

  • High-quality public charter schools driving learning gains for low-income children of color
  • Charter school creation, growth, and networks (KIPP, Success Academy, Rocketship, Summit, etc.)
  • Teacher and school leader development programs (Teach For America, TNTP, New Leaders)
  • Parent-led and community-based organizations and advocacy efforts
  • Innovations in school design and the future of learning
  • Programs ensuring access to effective and diverse teachers and school leaders
  • Education equity and access for historically marginalized communities

Housing & Homelessness:

  • Direct homeless services and support programs
  • Youth services (First Place for Youth, Larkin Street Youth Services)
  • Workforce development and employment programs (JobTrain, Rubicon Programs, Center for Employment Opportunities)
  • Housing advocacy and systems change initiatives
  • Prenatal and family support programs
  • Reentry and criminal justice reform (Impact Justice)
  • Eviction defense and tenant rights

Cross-Cutting Priorities:

  • Racial equity advancement
  • Removal of systemic barriers perpetuating generational poverty
  • Scalable, innovative solutions
  • Programs with clearly defined goals, objectives/outcomes, and sound evaluation plans
  • Planning grants and carefully controlled innovative pilot programs

What They Don't Fund

While the foundation does not explicitly list exclusions on their website, their strategic focus is clearly limited to:

  • Education initiatives outside of K-12 public education (higher education is no longer a primary focus after the 2023 strategic shift)
  • Housing and homelessness work outside the San Francisco Bay Area
  • Organizations not aligned with their racial equity priorities
  • Projects without clear evaluation plans or measurable outcomes

Governance and Leadership

Founders

  • Charles R. Schwab - Founder, CFO & Treasurer
  • Helen O. Schwab - Founder

Board of Trustees

  • Katie Schwab Paige - Board Chair, President & Trustee
  • Tomiquia Moss - Trustee
  • Matt Wilsey - Secretary & Trustee
  • April Chou - Trustee
  • Haley Schwab - Trustee

Staff Leadership

  • Christopher Nelson - Executive Director (compensation: $657,377)
  • Erin Gilbert - Senior Program Officer, Housing & Homelessness and Director of Operations (compensation: $240,071)
  • Joe Shook - Senior Program Officer, Education
  • Amanda Aiken - Program Officer, Education
  • Dale Chu - Program Officer, Education
  • Demaree Miller - Program Officer, Housing & Homelessness
  • Nathalie Lowenthal-Savy - Grants and Operations Manager

The foundation describes its team as "a small, dynamic team of former teachers, school leaders, school systems administrators, public health researchers, policy and advocacy practitioners, and long-time foundation and philanthropy leaders."

Leadership Quotes

Katie Schwab Paige, Board Chair, stated in relation to homelessness funding: "As longtime supporters of the fight against homelessness in San Francisco, we believe the Breaking the Cycle Fund presents a unique opportunity to address our city's homelessness and behavioral health crises."

The staff emphasize their approach: "We view our work first and foremost as in service of and in partnership with our grantees and the individuals, families and communities they serve."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation employs a proactive funding approach and does not accept unsolicited grant applications. The foundation contributes only to pre-selected organizations identified through their own research and networks.

For General Inquiries:

  • Phone: (415) 795-4920
  • Email: info@schwabfoundation.org
  • Review the foundation's staff and board contacts on their website (schwabfoundation.org)

The foundation maintains transparency by publishing a complete list of current grantees on their website, updated regularly (most recently September 2024).

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation's proactive approach means they identify potential grantees through their own network and research. Based on their current grantee portfolio, the foundation appears to discover organizations through:

  • Charter school networks and associations: The foundation supports many established charter school networks (KIPP, Success Academy, Rocketship, etc.) and organizations that work across multiple charter schools. Being part of these networks or coalitions may increase visibility.

  • Education innovation and advocacy spaces: Organizations like NewSchools Venture Fund, Charter School Growth Fund, and Silicon Schools Fund are grantees that also work across the sector and may help surface innovative organizations.

  • Bay Area homeless services ecosystem: For housing/homelessness work, the foundation supports coordinating bodies like All Home and Bay Area Homelessness Funders Network, which work across the sector.

  • Board and staff expertise: The foundation's team includes "former teachers, school leaders, school systems administrators, public health researchers, policy and advocacy practitioners" who bring sector knowledge and connections.

Important: Networking and building visibility in the charter school education and Bay Area homelessness sectors is essential given the competitive, invitation-only nature of this foundation's grantmaking.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, success depends on alignment and visibility rather than application strength. However, analyzing their grantee portfolio reveals clear patterns:

Scale and Impact:

  • The foundation supports both national organizations and networks (KIPP Foundation, Teach For America, Success Academy) as well as local Bay Area entities
  • They favor organizations "operating at scale" with demonstrated impact
  • Average grant size of $200,000 suggests they support established organizations with capacity for significant work

Deep Alignment with Equity Principles:

  • The foundation explicitly prioritizes "innovative approaches that advance racial equity and remove systemic barriers"
  • Their focus on "low-income children of color" and "historically marginalized communities" is central
  • Organizations must demonstrate how their work addresses systemic barriers, not just symptoms

Charter School Focus:

  • In education, the foundation is "a leading supporter of charter schools"
  • They support the full charter school ecosystem: individual schools, networks, talent development, parent empowerment, and advocacy
  • Organizations working on charter school quality, growth, and sustainability align strongly with their priorities

Evidence-Based Approaches:

  • The foundation funds "programs with clearly defined goals, objectives/outcomes, and sound evaluation plans"
  • They support "charter schools that are driving significant learning gains" - suggesting outcomes matter
  • Willingness to fund "planning grants and/or carefully controlled innovative pilot programs" indicates openness to rigorous experimentation

Bay Area Focus for Housing:

  • For housing and homelessness work, geographic proximity matters - the foundation exclusively focuses on the San Francisco Bay Area for this work
  • They support a range of approaches from direct services to systems change and advocacy

Recent Grantee Examples:

  • Education: Success Academy Charter Schools, KIPP Foundation, Innovate Public Schools, InspireNOLA Charter Schools, Freedom Preparatory Academy, Teach for America, TNTP, New Leaders (teacher development), Pacific Charter School Development ($4 million for sustainable charter schools)
  • Housing & Homelessness: JobTrain, Larkin Street Youth Services, REDF, Episcopal Community Services, First Place for Youth, Homeless Prenatal Program, Rubicon Programs, Tipping Point Community, Urban Alchemy, Eviction Defense Collaborative

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No unsolicited applications accepted - This foundation uses an invitation-only, proactive funding model. Focus on building visibility and relationships rather than preparing applications.

  • Alignment is everything - Organizations must demonstrate deep commitment to racial equity and removing systemic barriers. This is not a box-checking exercise but a core priority that should be evident throughout your work.

  • Charter schools dominate education giving - More than 50% of the foundation's giving goes to education, and within that, charter schools are the clear priority. If you're not working on charter school creation, growth, quality, or supporting systems (teacher development, parent empowerment), education funding is unlikely.

  • Geography matters for housing work - Housing and homelessness funding is restricted to the San Francisco Bay Area. Organizations outside this region should not expect support in this area.

  • Scale and sustainability matter - With an average grant of $200,000 and grants ranging up to several million dollars, this foundation supports organizations with the capacity to operate at scale and sustain significant programmatic work.

  • Evidence and evaluation are expected - The foundation requires "clearly defined goals, objectives/outcomes, and sound evaluation plans." Organizations should be prepared to demonstrate measurable impact.

  • Build sector visibility - Since the foundation proactively identifies grantees, being visible in charter school networks, education innovation spaces, or Bay Area homelessness coalitions increases the likelihood of being discovered. Consider connections with current grantees and sector convenings.

References

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