About Banks Family Foundation
The Banks Family Foundation appears to be a hyper-local funder focused on youth development in Oakland, using athletics as a vehicle for academic support and lifelong learning. Their sole recorded grant supports a community-based lacrosse program that explicitly combines sport with educational and developmental programming.
Focus Areas
Youth lacrosse and sport-based youth development in OaklandAfter-school and academic support tied to athleticsCommunity-based youth enrichment programs in East Bay neighborhoods
Who They Fund
disadvantaged/low-income Oakland youth (urban underserved youth)school-aged children (K-12), with emphasis on K-3 and middle-school studentsgirls (K-3 literacy programming targeted to girls)youth with disabilitiesmigrant and refugee youthfamilies using community/family resource centers
About Banks Family Foundation
The Banks Family Foundation centers youth programs in Oakland, with grants consistently tied to education, welfare, and enrichment for children and adolescents. One of the clearest signals in the recent record is support for Oakland Lacrosse Club, which received $29,500 in 2023 for "support and development of academic excellence and lifelong learning program." That grant sits alongside repeated support for programs that blend school support, arts, leadership, and after-school services. The foundation’s recent giving shows a practical preference for direct program support rather than capital or events. It has backed organizations such as Girls' Inc, which received $20,000 in 2024 for the K-3 Girl Start literacy after-school program in ten schools, and St Vincents Day Home, which received $20,000 in 2023 for a comprehensive learning program. Other grants point to a broad view of youth development that includes arts education, mindfulness, and access to organized sports. Most recipients are Oakland-based, and the pattern is shaped by local youth-serving nonprofits that work in schools, neighborhoods, and community settings. The foundation’s grantmaking reads as steady, program-focused support for organizations serving children and youth across the city.
What Banks Family Foundation Funds
A clear theme is academic support through youth programming. Girls' Inc received $20,000 in 2024 for the K-3 Girl Start literacy after-school program in ten schools, and St Vincents Day Home received $20,000 in 2023 for a comprehensive learning program. Arts and cultural enrichment is another consistent lane. Luna Dance Institute received $18,000 in 2023 for the MPACT program, while East Oakland Youth Development Center received $15,000 in 2023 for the year-round Kuumbaa arts program. The foundation also supported Mocha - Museum of Children's Art for library-based art programming in Oakland. Its youth-development priorities also include leadership, safety, and access. Youth Alive received $15,000 in 2025 for youth leadership and violence prevention programs, and Oakland Soccer Club received $15,000 in 2025 to help disadvantaged Oakland youth access competitive soccer opportunities.
How Banks Family Foundation Gives
Typical awards are small to mid-sized: the p25, median, and p75 are $10,000, $10,000, and $15,000. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same organizations across multiple years, including Girls' Inc, Youth Alive, Oakland Lacrosse Club, Oakland Leaf Foundation, Prescott Circus Theatre, Mocha - Museum of Children's Art, Creative Growth Art Center, Maps Arts, and Destiny Arts Center. That repetition suggests ongoing support rather than one-off gifts. The foundation is a regular funder and its active grant programs are described as annual program grants for Oakland youth-serving nonprofits. Applications are not accepted unsolicited.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$165K
Total Assets
$978K
Total Revenue
$57K
Total Expenses
$168K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $15K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$15K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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