About Schwartz Foundation
The Schwartz Foundation concentrates its giving on community grantmaking intermediaries in the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily supporting local pooled-fund and capacity-building organizations that regrant or run regional initiatives. Most dollars go to a small number of large gifts to intermediaries (Community Initiatives and East Bay Community Foundation), with a secondary interest in arts funding as evidenced by a single grant to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The foundation prefers a handful of substantial, strategic grants rather than many small direct-service awards.
Focus Areas
Bay Area community foundations and regional grantmaking intermediariesCapacity-building and pooled funds for local nonprofits (e.g., community initiatives and regional funds)Support for performing arts organizations (classical symphony)
Who They Fund
local Bay Area nonprofit organizations (via intermediaries)regional philanthropic intermediaries and community foundationsperforming arts institutions (classical symphony)Bay Area residents served by regional initiatives
About Schwartz Foundation
Schwartz Foundation’s largest recent gift was $425,000 to Community Initiatives in Oakland, a signal that the foundation favors large, concentrated support for intermediaries that can move money and resources through local networks. Across the recent grant list, the pattern is consistent: Schwartz Foundation backs community grantmaking vehicles, regional infrastructure, and a smaller set of arts organizations with repeated awards over multiple years. East Bay Community Foundation received $125,000 in 2023, another $125,000 in 2024, and a further $125,000 in 2025, showing a steady, multi-year relationship rather than one-off support. The foundation also appears to use targeted arts grants alongside its community funding, with awards to organizations such as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Oakland Symphony. Recent grants also include support for nonprofit capacity and local initiative work through Urban Strategies Council and other Bay Area intermediaries. The result is a compact grant portfolio built around a few organizations that can distribute funds, strengthen local nonprofits, or anchor regional programs.
What Schwartz Foundation Funds
A central theme in Schwartz Foundation’s grantmaking is support for regional intermediaries. In 2025, it gave $425,000 to Community Initiatives for charitable work, and it supported East Bay Community Foundation with $125,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation also backs capacity-building and local infrastructure through a $25,000 grant to Urban Strategies Council in 2024. Arts funding is another visible thread: it awarded $50,000 to Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2025 and $30,000 to Oakland Symphony in 2023. Its support for music organizations continues through Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, which received $25,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
How Schwartz Foundation Gives
Typical awards cluster at $25,000, with the middle half of grants running from $25,000 to $45,000. The recent record shows both one-time gifts and repeated support: East Bay Community Foundation and Girls Who Code Inc each appear in multiple years, and Wisconsin Conservatory of Music also received grants across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Schwartz Foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or program-related investments. The pattern is concentrated rather than broad, with a small number of recurring recipients accounting for much of the activity.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.1M
Total Assets
$7.4M
Total Revenue
$591K
Total Expenses
$753K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $25K and $45K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$45K
Geographic Reach
Regional3 states funded
About 50% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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