About Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation concentrates its giving almost exclusively on K–12 education, directing large, repeat grants to a single organization. Its funding supports charter-school capacity-building and education management initiatives, with an apparent focus on scaled, system-level impact likely in California. The foundation uses big, targeted gifts rather than broad grantmaking across many organizations.
Focus Areas
Charter school network development and management (K–12)K–12 school capacity-building and leadership trainingEducation scalability and system-level reform in California
Who They Fund
K-12 students (school-aged children)people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessnessindividuals/families served by human services providers
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated giving: very few grants (two) totaling a single large commitment to one recurrent grantee, indicating preference for sizable, repeat investments in select partners rather than many small grants.
Funding Style
About Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation’s recent grantmaking is defined by large, repeated support for charter-school and K–12 reform intermediaries, especially Cambiar Education, which received $4,000,000 in 2024, $3,500,000 in 2023, and $3,000,000 in 2025. That pattern points to a funder that uses sizable multi-year grants to back organizations working on school growth, leadership, and system-level change rather than spreading money widely across many small recipients. The same approach appears in its support for charter-sector infrastructure groups such as Charter School Growth Fund and NewSchools Venture Fund. The foundation also makes substantial grants outside education, including support for housing and homelessness work through Tipping Point Community and 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s giving shows a strong preference for California-based organizations, with some larger national recipients in the education and human services space. The mix of repeat awards and program-specific support suggests a targeted grantmaker that finances capacity-building, leadership development, and direct services through established intermediaries and school network organizations.
What Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation Funds
A central cause area is K–12 education reform. In 2025, Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation gave $1,500,000 to Charter School Growth Fund in Broomfield, CO, and $1,000,000 to PlayLab Education in Union City, CA, both tied to education infrastructure and school development. The foundation also backs leadership and school-improvement work: New Leaders received $1,600,000 in 2023 and $1,000,000 in 2024. Another recurring theme is charter-school network support, visible in grants to KIPP Foundation, Silicon Schools Fund, and Oakland REACH. Outside education, the foundation funds housing and homelessness services, including $3,350,000 to Tipping Point Community in 2024 and $1,300,000 to 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic in 2025. It also supports human-services and youth well-being organizations such as Child Mind Institute.
How Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation Gives
Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation’s grant sizes are substantial: p25 is $112,500, median grant size is $250,000, and p75 is $377,500. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, including Cambiar Education, Tipping Point Community, New Leaders, Charter School Growth Fund, Oakland REACH, Innovate Public Schools, Silicon Schools Fund, KIPP Foundation, New Schools Venture Fund, and Teach for America. That pattern suggests multi-year, discretionary support rather than one-off project funding. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF sponsor, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Some grants are labeled for executive director or board chair use, showing flexibility in how funds are allocated internally.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$31M
Total Assets
$542.3M
Total Revenue
$14.1M
Total Expenses
$34.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $113K and $378K, with a median of $250K.
25th Percentile
$113K
Median
$250K
75th Percentile
$378K
Geographic Reach
Regional18 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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