About Oakland Rotary Endowment
We transform lives and communities by identifying underserved needs and taking action to empower people with the building blocks for a happy, fulfilling, and productive life of their choosing.
Focus Areas
EducationYouth developmentFood security / Hunger reliefCommunity developmentEnvironmentGlobal health and clean water
Who They Fund
transitional kindergarten students (pre-K/TK)local community organizationsinternational disaster/relief-affected populationswildlife and environmental ecosystems
Funding Style
direct service/material support
About Oakland Rotary Endowment
Oakland Rotary Endowment’s recent giving shows a strong pattern of direct support for Oakland’s youngest students and for local organizations working on basic quality of life. The largest grants in the record went to Oakland Unified School District for transitional kindergarten supplies, including $34,000 in 2023 and $31,750 in 2025. Those awards sit alongside smaller, repeated grants to Oakland-based nonprofits, showing a mix of program-specific support and steady community funding. The foundation also supports youth enrichment beyond the classroom. Children’s Fairyland received $16,940 in 2025 for a transitional kindergarten field trip, linking early learning with local cultural access. Another thread is practical community aid: Oakland Catholic Worker, St. Vincent De Paul Society, Harbor House Ministries, Operation Dignity, Meals on Wheels, Alameda County Community Food Bank, and St. Mary’s Center all appear in the recent grants list for quality-of-life support. Environmental and international service are also present, with grants to Oakland Zoo for wildlife work and to Rotary District 5170 Foundation for international relief initiatives. Across these categories, the foundation’s giving reflects a local service orientation with multiple program areas rather than a single issue focus.
What Oakland Rotary Endowment Funds
Education appears in both school support and enrichment. Oakland Unified School District received $34,000 in 2023 and $31,750 in 2025 to provide school supplies for transitional kindergarteners, while Children’s Fairyland received $16,940 in 2025 for a field trip for transitional kindergarteners. Community services are another major thread. The recent grants list includes $8,603 awards in 2025 to Operation Dignity, Alameda County Community Food Bank, St. Mary’s Center, Oakland Catholic Worker, St. Vincent De Paul Society, and Harbor House Ministries, all described as support for local organizations promoting a better quality of life. The foundation also funds environmental and global service work. Oakland Zoo received $8,000 in 2025 for wildlife around the globe, Trees for Oakland received $8,000 in 2025 for tree planting and a water tank and trailer system, and Rotary District 5170 Foundation received $19,500 in 2025 for international relief initiatives.
How Oakland Rotary Endowment Gives
Typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $7,329, median is $8,412, and p75 is $8,603. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same Oakland organizations across 2023 and 2025, including school supply support and local quality-of-life grants, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. Oakland Rotary Endowment is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it makes no program-related investments. It also funds individuals through structured scholarship programs such as Oakland Rotary Scholarship and HOPE.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$229K
Total Assets
$5.2M
Total Revenue
$494K
Total Expenses
$495K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $7K and $9K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$9K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
PAMELA CLAASSEN
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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