The Carla and David Crane Foundation concentrates its giving on environmental and wildlife conservation alongside place-based civic and cultural investments in the San Francisco area, with a secondary thread of Jewish community and refugee/relief support. Their portfolio mixes large strategic gifts for landscape- and species-level conservation and major local capital projects with smaller recurring grants to community arts, education and refugee assistance organizations. Recipients range from international conservation NGOs to neighborhood park and arts nonprofits, suggesting an interest in both global biodiversity and local civic life.
A $300,000 grant to Linden Trust for Conservation for the Geothermal Initiative is the clearest signal in the Carla and David Crane Foundation’s recent giving: climate- and land-focused conservation sits at the center of a portfolio that also includes San Francisco civic projects, Jewish community support, and emergency relief. The foundation’s recent grants range from six-figure commitments for major conservation and public-space efforts to smaller operating gifts for arts, health, and advocacy groups. The foundation backed the Presidio Tunnel Tops project with $200,000 through Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and supported the greenhouse project at Portola Urban Farm with $150,000 through San Francisco Parks Alliance. It also gave $100,000 to the Jewish Community Federation for the 2023 Israel Emergency Fund, showing that rapid-response community funding is part of the mix alongside longer-horizon place-based work. Other recent grants point to a broad but recognizable pattern: conservation organizations, Bay Area civic institutions, and community-serving nonprofits receiving general support or project-specific support. The result is a grantmaking profile that combines environmental priorities with civic life and community resilience, especially in California.
Environmental and wildlife conservation is the most visible theme. The Carla and David Crane Foundation gave $300,000 to Linden Trust for Conservation for the Geothermal Initiative, $50,000 to Planet Indonesia for the Acacia Conservation Fund, and $25,000 to Island Conservation for general support. Place-based civic and parks funding is another strand. It awarded $200,000 to Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for general support of the Presidio Tunnel Tops project and $150,000 to San Francisco Parks Alliance for the capital campaign for the greenhouse project at Portola Urban Farm. It also gave $100,000 to Civic Space Foundation for the Civic Joy Fund. Arts and public programming appear as well. Illuminate the Arts received $100,000 to support free programming at the newly restored Golden Gate Bandshell and another $50,000 to support bandshell programming. Root Division received $45,000 for general support.
Typical grants cluster around a median of $25,000, with the lower quartile at $12,670 and the upper quartile at $61,460. That spread indicates a mix of modest operating gifts and larger project commitments. The foundation is a regular funder and a DAF-classified grantmaker, and its active program description says it funds 501(c)(3) organizations. Unsolicited applications are not accepted. Recent grants show some repeat recipients across years or within the dataset, including Jewish Community Federation and Illuminate the Arts, which suggests a pattern of ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards only.
$834K
$26M
$1.4M
$922K
Most grants fall between $13K and $61K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$61K
DAVID CRANE
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A concentrated-but-diverse strategy: a handful of large multi-hundred-thousand-dollar gifts (often project- or capital-focused) complemented by multiple mid- and small-sized grants; several repeat grantees indicate ongoing relationships, and funding spans local Bay Area civic/cultural projects and international conservation initiatives.
Notable grantees: Linden Trust for Conservation, Jewish Community Federation, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Illuminate the Arts, Planet Indonesia
Grantmaking is regional, with California receiving the majority of recipients and 62% of grants going to organizations in the HQ state. San Francisco appears frequently, with grants to the Jewish Community Federation, Illuminate the Arts, Civic Space Foundation, Root Division, California Pacific Medical Center Foundation, and Jewish Community Relations Council. Outside California, recent recipients include New York, Washington, DC, Seattle, Boise, and Baraboo. All recorded grants in the dataset went to U.S. organizations.
It funds 501(c)(3) organizations, with active program areas spanning education, philanthropy and grantmaking, human services, health care, and arts/culture/humanities. Recent grants also show strong support for environmental and wildlife conservation, San Francisco civic projects, and Jewish community and emergency relief efforts.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution centers on a $25,000 median. The lower quartile is $12,670 and the upper quartile is $61,460, with recent awards ranging from $10,000 to $300,000.
No. The active program listing says it does not accept unsolicited applications.
California is the top state by grant count, with 62% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. San Francisco organizations appear especially often in the recent grants list.
Yes. Some recipients appear more than once in the recent grants data, including Jewish Community Federation and Illuminate the Arts. That points to continued support for selected organizations across different purposes and years.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LINDEN TRUST FOR CONSERVATION | NEW YORK, NY | $394,000 | 2026 | FOR THE GEOTHERMAL INITIATIVE |
| LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION | WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA | $330,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| KALW PUBLIC MEDIA INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | DEVELOPMENT OF NEW STUDIOS AT FUTURE OFFICES IN WARFIELD COMMONS |
| CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | WILDFIRE CRISIS RELIEF |
| INSTITUTE ON AGING | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT, IN HONOR OF DR WARREN BROWNER |
| LINDEN TRUST FOR CONSERVATION | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2024 | FOR THE GEOTHERMAL INITIATIVE |
| CIVIC SPACE FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | CIVIC JOY FUND |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | THE 2023 ISRAEL EMERGENCY FUND |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | DAVID AND CARLA CRANE PHILANTHROPIC FUND |
| ILLUMINATE THE ARTS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT BANDSHELL PROGRAMMING |
| PLANET INDONESIA | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $50,000 | 2024 | ACACIA CONSERVATION FUND |
| ROOT DIVISION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $45,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION | WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ISLAND CONSERVATION | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION | BARABOO, WI | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN FEDERATION FOR CHILDREN GROWTH FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2024 | FUND BLACK MINDS MATTER |
| CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MALIASILI INITIATIVES INC | UNDERHILL, VT | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONGABAYORG | MENLO PARK, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WILDLIFE GUARDIANS | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION | WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA | $13,560 | 2024 | SCHOOL TUITION FOR STUDENTS IN PANAJACHEL, GUATEMALA, AS RECOMMENDED BY ALEX CRANE |
| NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | THE JEWISH FUND FOR ABORTION ACCESS |
| UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | FOR THE SCHWARZENEGGER INSTITUE FOR STATE AND GLOBAL POLICY |
| INTERNATIONAL SNOW LEOPARD TRUST | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SAHARA CONSERVATION | MARANA, AR | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HEALTHRIGHT 360 | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | BLACK TIE AND TIE DYE HAPPENING |
| THE PEREGRINE FUND | BOISE, ID | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $200,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT OF THE PRESIDIO TUNNEL TOPS PROJECT |
| SAN FRANCISCO PARKS ALLIANCE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $150,000 | 2023 | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE GREENHOUSE PROJECT AT PORTOLA URBAN FARM |
| ILLUMINATE THE ARTS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT FREE PROGRAMMING AT THE NEWLY RESTORED GOLDEN GATE BANDSHELL |
| CN FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $95,841 | 2023 | THE PURCHASE AND OPERATIONS OF CAMP NEBAGAMON |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | UKRAINE EMERGENCY FUND |
| HIAS INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | AFGHAN RELIEF EFFORTS |
| HIAS INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2023 | AFGHAN RELIEF EFFORTS |
| DOLORES HUERTA FOUNDATION | BAKERSFIELD, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION | WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA | $9,000 | 2023 | SCHOOL TUITION FOR STUDENTS IN PANAJACHEL, GUATEMALA, AS RECOMMENDED BY ALEX CRANE |
LINDEN TRUST FOR CONSERVATION
$394,000FOR THE GEOTHERMAL INITIATIVE
LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$330,000GENERAL SUPPORT
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW STUDIOS AT FUTURE OFFICES IN WARFIELD COMMONS
LINDEN TRUST FOR CONSERVATION
$300,000FOR THE GEOTHERMAL INITIATIVE
LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$13,560SCHOOL TUITION FOR STUDENTS IN PANAJACHEL, GUATEMALA, AS RECOMMENDED BY ALEX CRANE
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN
$10,000THE JEWISH FUND FOR ABORTION ACCESS
FOR THE SCHWARZENEGGER INSTITUE FOR STATE AND GLOBAL POLICY
SAHARA CONSERVATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT OF THE PRESIDIO TUNNEL TOPS PROJECT
CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE GREENHOUSE PROJECT AT PORTOLA URBAN FARM
TO SUPPORT FREE PROGRAMMING AT THE NEWLY RESTORED GOLDEN GATE BANDSHELL
LIFE SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$9,000SCHOOL TUITION FOR STUDENTS IN PANAJACHEL, GUATEMALA, AS RECOMMENDED BY ALEX CRANE