About Callison Foundation
The Callison Foundation appears to provide large, flexible general operating support rather than program-restricted grants. Its recent giving is delivered in a small number of sizable payments that are intended to be redistributed or allocated across multiple charities, suggesting a preference for unrestricted funding and intermediary or pooled grantmaking.
Focus Areas
Unrestricted/General operating support for nonprofitsPass-through or scheduled multi-recipient grantmaking (pooled distributions)Broad, place-agnostic philanthropic support rather than narrowly mission-specific funding
Who They Fund
predominantly African American adults with advanced illnesscaregivers of adults with serious illnessadults diagnosed with cancer (California)formerly incarcerated / prisoner rehabilitation participantsseniors (Napa County)infants and children (0–5) with hearing loss or severe speech/language delay
About Callison Foundation
The Callison Foundation’s recent giving is defined less by a single issue area than by a recurring pattern of flexible support to Bay Area nonprofits. In 2024 and 2025, the foundation made two very large general grants to Chicago-based recipients — $790,000 to Various Entites and $474,000 to See Attached Schedule — indicating a capacity for sizeable, pooled distributions alongside its smaller local awards. Within California, the foundation has backed organizations working with adults facing serious illness, adults diagnosed with cancer, youth in need of mentoring, and community-serving agencies delivering basic services. Recent examples include Alameda County Care Alliance in Oakland, which received support for a faith-based, person-centered lay care navigation intervention for predominantly African American adults with advanced illness and their caregivers, and Second Opinion in San Francisco, which received funding for multidisciplinary second opinions and related services for adults in California diagnosed with cancer. The pattern suggests a funder that prioritizes practical nonprofit capacity and general operating support over narrow project restriction. The grant history also shows repeat attention to nonprofits serving young people, seniors, and vulnerable adults across the San Francisco Bay Area. Awards to Friends for Youth, Coastside Hope, Molly’s Angels, and others point to a broad local service orientation rather than a single-cause strategy.
What Callison Foundation Funds
Education is a recurring theme in the foundation’s California giving. It supported Science from Scientists in Burlingame with $25,000 to support public education, and gave the same amount to Breakthrough Silicon Valley in San Jose and Next Generation Scholars in San Rafael for public education work. Youth development and mentoring appear alongside that education focus. Friends for Youth in Redwood City received $25,000 for mentoring services for youth in need, while Brothers on the Rise in Oakland received $15,000 to empower male youth and City Youth Now in San Francisco received $15,000 for youth services. The foundation also funds basic-needs and family-support services. Hope’s Corner in Mountain View received $20,000 to provide meals, showers, resource linkages, and advocacy, and Shine Together in Milpitas received $25,000 for programs supporting young mothers. In community support for older adults, Molly’s Angels in Napa received $25,000 for services that improve quality of life for seniors in Napa County.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$474K
Total Assets
$9.4M
Total Revenue
$772K
Total Expenses
$546K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $25K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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