Crankstart

• Crankstart funds a broad range of causes, including economic mobility, education, democracy, housing, the environment, basic science and the arts, with priority given to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and 6 more California counties), where about 60% of its grants go.
• Grant size varies widely, from $10,000 to $1,000,000, with about 8 in 10 of its 1,288 grants to organisations falling in this range; the median grant is $250,000, so a request in that area would sit with most of what it gives, though its largest grant has been about $16,000,000.
• Its application method varies by programme but it does accept applications, so check which route fits your work before approaching.
• With 69% of its grant dollars going to organisations it had already funded in the two previous filings, it looks like a foundation that builds on existing relationships, so first-time applicants should expect it to be competitive and may want to build a relationship with intention and focus, as it says it does itself, rather than expecting a quick yes.

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

• Merit America · To support workforce opportunities in the bay area for workers who will benefit from tech training
  $10,500,0002024 tax year
• Arc Research Institute · To advance research to understand complex human diseases
  $10,000,0002024 tax year
• Ucsf Foundation · To support the ucsf health workforce initiative
  $9,100,0002024 tax year
• ProPublica · For the capital campaign
  $5,000,0002024 tax year
• San Francisco Foundation · For the india basin waterfront park project fund
  $5,000,0002024 tax year
• The Affordability Project · To create affordable homes at 5250 third street in san francisco
  $3,000,0002024 tax year
• uAspire · To support the san francisco crankstart scholarship initiative
  $3,000,0002024 tax year
• Neo Philanthropy · To support more equitable democracy to support and expand the electoral justice initiative
  $3,000,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.