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Crankstart Foundation

Annual Giving
$203.6M
Grant Range
$100K - $1.0M

Crankstart Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $203.6 million (2023)
  • Assets: $3.9 billion
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (invitation/preselected organizations only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $12.3 million
  • Typical Grant: $100,000 - $1 million
  • Geographic Focus: 60% San Francisco Bay Area; occasional commitments in Chicago and United Kingdom

Contact Details

Website: https://crankstart.org/
Email: info@crankstart.org
Address: c/o Karen Valladao, Frank Rimerman & Co, Palo Alto, CA
Location: San Jose, CA

Overview

The Crankstart Foundation was established in 2000 by venture capitalist Michael Moritz and author Harriet Heyman to support "the forgotten, the dispossessed, the unfortunate, the oppressed and causes where some help makes all the difference." With assets of approximately $3.9 billion as of 2023, Crankstart is one of the largest private foundations based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The foundation awarded $203.6 million through 424 grants in 2023, with a median grant of $250,000. Crankstart describes itself as "a San Francisco-based family foundation devoted to bolstering the foundations of a just society - wider access to better education, jobs with prospects for advancement, housing security, social welfare and the protection of civil rights." The foundation also supports the arts, basic science, and efforts to mitigate climate change. In their Giving Pledge letter, Moritz and Heyman stated: "our wealth—like all fortunes—rests so heavily on the intelligence, work and contributions of others it seems only right that we voluntarily give most of it to causes that help improve the lives of people we do not know."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Crankstart does not operate traditional grant programs with application deadlines. Instead, the foundation proactively identifies and reaches out to organizations aligned with their funding priorities. According to their approach, "once we have developed confidence in an organization, we lean toward making multi-year commitments for general support."

Recent Major Grants (2024-2025):

  • Freedom West Community Development Corp: $7 million (2025) - to revitalize a nonprofit housing cooperative in San Francisco's Fillmore District
  • UCSF Career Pathways Initiative: $14 million (2024) - to train approximately 2,000 San Francisco residents over five years for healthcare positions
  • San Francisco Public Defender's Office Immigrant Defense Unit: $3.4 million (2025) - for immigration defense representation and constitutional services through March 2029
  • San Francisco Foundation for India Basin Waterfront Park: $20 million - to support development of waterfront park access
  • San Francisco Foundation for Crankstart Transfer and Re-Entry Scholarship Program: $12.3 million (2023)
  • ProPublica Inc Capital Campaign: $5 million (2023)

Priority Areas

Education (approximately 40% of total grantmaking)

  • Expanding access to post-secondary education
  • Developing early childhood education opportunities
  • Strengthening the teacher pipeline
  • Supporting transfer students and re-entry programs

Democracy & Civic Engagement (approximately 33% of total grantmaking)

  • Fair elections and voter engagement
  • Immigrants' rights
  • Criminal justice reform and anti-recidivism initiatives
  • Civil rights protection

Economic Mobility & Housing Security (approximately 38% of total grantmaking - "Just Communities")

  • Career development tools and training programs
  • Strengthening safety net programs
  • Increasing access to public benefits
  • Reducing homelessness
  • Increasing affordable housing (primarily San Francisco and Oakland)
  • Supporting economically integrated communities

Environment, Arts, and Basic Science (approximately 8% of total grantmaking)

  • Climate change mitigation efforts
  • Supporting arts and cultural organizations (including sponsorship of the Booker Prizes)
  • Funding basic scientific research

Geographic Focus

About 60% of grants support organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the foundation: "While the Bay Area is our home, on occasion we have made commitments elsewhere – particularly in Chicago and the United Kingdom."

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals: Crankstart grants to charities and other nonprofit organizations, not to individuals
  • Unsolicited applications: The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations

Governance and Leadership

Founders

  • Michael Moritz - President & CFO. Former partner at Sequoia Capital and prominent venture capitalist. Moritz has stated: "Real talent is housed everywhere. Our new scholarship programme means that a gifted student – irrespective of financial circumstances – will always be 100% confident they can study at Oxford."
  • Harriet Heyman - Co-founder and author

Senior Leadership

  • Melissa (Missy) Narula - Chief Executive Officer. Previously founded and led Exhale Parent, and held positions at TPG, BCG, and UBS. Holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Also serves as CEO of Crankstart Management LLC, which manages Moritz and Heyman's family-office investments.
  • Eli Bildner - VP of Operations

Program Directors

  • Gloria Bruce - Program Director, Housing Security & Public-Private Partnerships
  • Tony Emerson-Zetina - Program Director, Education & Economic Mobility
  • Jesse Hahnel - Program Director, Democracy & Environment

Program Officers

  • Tia Hicks - Program Officer, Housing Security
  • Amanda Katz - Program Officer, Economic Mobility
  • Elena Fairley - Program Officer, Economic Mobility
  • Yumi Lifer - Program Officer, Education
  • Jackie Mahendra - Program Officer, Democracy & Environment

Finance & Operations Team

  • Carol Kim - Director of Finance
  • Kristin McCann - Executive Assistant
  • Olivia Silva - Project Manager
  • Holly Wong - Program Associate

The foundation employs approximately 20 staff members.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: The Crankstart Foundation does not have a public application process.

The foundation's website clearly states: "Crankstart is committed to building relationships with intention and focus, and as a small team, we're unable to respond to unsolicited funding requests." Multiple sources confirm that "the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

While the foundation maintains a contact form on their website (info@crankstart.org), they explicitly state they do not accept unsolicited grant applications. Instead, Crankstart proactively identifies organizations that align with their funding priorities and initiates contact with them.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation works on a relationship-building basis and timeline varies by organization and grant size.

Grant Structure

  • Grant size: The bulk of grants fall between $100,000 - $1 million
  • Grant duration: The foundation prefers multi-year commitments for general support once confidence in an organization is established
  • Grant type: Strong preference for general operating support over project-specific funding

Success Rates

Not publicly available. Given the invitation-only nature of the foundation's grantmaking, traditional success rate metrics do not apply.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Since Crankstart operates on an invitation-only basis, organizations cannot directly apply. However, understanding what the foundation values can help organizations position themselves to be noticed:

What Crankstart Values

1. Demonstrated Impact and Expertise The foundation supports "leaders and organisations that demonstrate know-how in areas of critical need, and have the ambition and grit required to tackle what often seems impossible." This suggests they seek organizations with proven track records and subject matter expertise.

2. Focus on Systemic Change Recent grants show a pattern of supporting initiatives that address root causes rather than symptoms. Examples include:

  • $14 million to UCSF Career Pathways for workforce training rather than direct employment
  • $7 million to Freedom West for community-owned housing development
  • Major investments in democracy infrastructure and immigrant defense

3. Geographic Alignment With 60% of grants going to Bay Area organizations, having a strong San Francisco/Oakland presence or impact significantly increases relevance to the foundation's mission.

4. Multi-Year Partnership Potential Crankstart's stated preference for "multi-year commitments for general support" indicates they value organizations positioned for sustained engagement rather than one-time projects.

5. Alignment with Founders' Values Moritz and Heyman's Giving Pledge commitment emphasizes supporting "the forgotten, the dispossessed, the unfortunate, the oppressed." Their international work (such as the £75 million commitment to Oxford University for low-income students) demonstrates commitment to educational equity on a large scale.

Recent Funding Examples as Indicators

  • UCSF Career Pathways Initiative ($14 million, 2024): Healthcare workforce development targeting San Francisco residents
  • Freedom West Community Development Corp ($7 million, 2025): Community-owned affordable housing in historically marginalized neighborhood
  • SF Public Defender's Immigrant Defense Unit ($3.4 million, 2025): Legal protection for vulnerable populations
  • ProPublica ($5 million, 2023): Investigative journalism supporting democratic accountability

These examples show the foundation's preference for: organizations with operational scale, solutions addressing structural inequity, and initiatives that combine direct service with systems change.

Quotes from Leadership

From Moritz and Heyman's Giving Pledge letter: "our wealth—like all fortunes—rests so heavily on the intelligence, work and contributions of others it seems only right that we voluntarily give most of it to causes that help improve the lives of people we do not know."

Michael Moritz on education equity: "Real talent is housed everywhere. Our new scholarship programme means that a gifted student – irrespective of financial circumstances – will always be 100% confident they can study at Oxford."

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process: Crankstart does not accept unsolicited applications. Organizations cannot apply directly but should focus on visibility and credibility within the Bay Area nonprofit sector.

  • Relationship-driven grantmaking: The foundation proactively identifies partners and builds long-term relationships. Being recognized as a leader in your field within their priority areas is essential.

  • Scale and impact matter: With a median grant of $250,000 and preference for $100k-$1M grants, Crankstart targets organizations with sufficient scale to deploy significant resources effectively.

  • General operating support preferred: Once confidence is established, Crankstart favors multi-year general support commitments rather than restricted project funding.

  • Geographic concentration: 60% of funding goes to San Francisco Bay Area organizations, particularly San Francisco and Oakland. Organizations outside this region should have exceptional alignment with foundation priorities.

  • Focus on structural solutions: Recent grants show preference for initiatives addressing root causes of inequity rather than solely providing direct services.

  • Strong in democracy/civic engagement: Democracy funding has comprised approximately one-third of annual grantmaking in recent years, making it one of the foundation's largest investment areas alongside education and just communities work.

References

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