About Crankstart Foundation
Crankstart Foundation concentrates on large, place-based investments in the San Francisco Bay Area while also funding national policy, democracy, and research organizations. Its giving emphasizes housing and homelessness prevention, youth services and K–12 supports (including summer programming and career/CTE pathways), immigrant legal services and civic engagement, plus selective high-impact investments in journalism and medical research. The foundation frequently makes multi-million dollar grants and returns to the same regional partners to fund both capital projects and flexible general operating support. This mix produces deep, sustained partnerships locally alongside strategic national grants advancing voting rights, trustworthy elections, and workforce pathways.
Focus Areas
Bay Area affordable housing, homelessness prevention, and community development (e.g., Homekey, housing providers, neighborhood development corporations)San Francisco youth programming and K–12 system supports (summer programs, before/aftercare, literacy pilots, CTE/early college and teacher residency support)Immigrant legal defense and family reunification services in the Bay AreaDemocracy, election integrity, and civic engagement infrastructure (supporting NGOs and pass-throughs that protect voting rights and local civic participation)Workforce development and career pathways tied to tech and healthcare (paid summer internships, UCSF workforce initiatives, Merit America)
About Crankstart Foundation
Crankstart Foundation’s largest recent grants point to a funder that combines deep Bay Area place-based giving with national policy and research support. In 2023, it gave $15,937,000 to the San Francisco Department of Children Youth and Their Families for Summer Together, and it followed with $12,300,000 to the San Francisco Foundation for the Crankstart Transfer and Re-Entry Scholarship Program. Those two awards show a pattern that runs through the portfolio: support for children and youth, education pathways, and access to opportunity for people facing systemic barriers. The foundation also backs housing and neighborhood projects at a scale more often seen in capital campaigns than in routine grantmaking. It has funded the India Basin Waterfront Park Project Fund, affordable homes at 5250 Third Street in San Francisco, and the community hub at Sunnydale, alongside regional operating support for organizations working on homelessness prevention and community development. Outside the Bay Area, Crankstart has made large grants to organizations focused on democracy, journalism, and medical research, including ProPublica, Voter Registration Project, and Arc Research Institute. The grant record suggests a funder that uses large awards to shape both local infrastructure and selected national initiatives.
What Crankstart Foundation Funds
Education and youth services are a major thread in Crankstart Foundation’s recent grants. It gave $5,000,000 to the San Francisco Department of Children Youth and Their Families for before and aftercare programs for SFUSD students, and $4,500,000 to the same agency to provide San Francisco youth with summer programming opportunities. It also supported the San Francisco Education Fund with $2,500,000 for additional scholarships to summer camp. Workforce development is another clear focus. In 2025, the foundation awarded $10,500,000 to Merit America to support workforce opportunities in the Bay Area for workers who will benefit from tech training, and it gave $9,100,000 to the UCSF Foundation for the UCSF Health Workforce Initiative. Crankstart also funds postsecondary access and re-entry supports, including a $3,000,000 grant to UAspire for the San Francisco Crankstart Scholarship Initiative. In civic engagement and democracy work, the foundation backed the Voter Registration Project with $3,000,000 for the Everybody Votes Campaign and Neo Philanthropy with $3,000,000 for the Electoral Justice Initiative.
How Crankstart Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$605.4M
Total Assets
$4.4B
Total Revenue
$349M
Total Expenses
$268M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $50K and $500K, with a median of $250K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$250K
75th Percentile
$500K
Geographic Reach
Regional39 states funded
About 73% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MICHAEL MORITZ
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Crankstart Foundation Funds
Top 4 recipient countries by grant volume for Crankstart Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 1,271 | $606.9M | 98.2% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 20 | $16.1M |
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