our grantmaking process

The Raikes Foundation makes grants in three core program areas: Education, Youth Homelessness, and Impact-Driven Philanthropy. We also make a limited number of community grants and grants for special projects. Proposals are by invitation only. We make the majority of our grants to organizations we have identified. We do not accept unsolicited proposals. 

To be eligible for a grant, applicants must be classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and as public charities under section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) of the Code. Public organizations designated under section 170(c) of the Code are also eligible. The Raikes Foundation does not make grants to individuals or to organizations outside the United States. 

The Raikes Foundation does not fund: individuals; organizations that discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin or citizenship, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief; or religious purposes unless grant activities address the needs of the wider community without regard to religious beliefs.

Even if our grants and strategies don’t fully succeed, we only fail if we don’t learn.

– Jeff Raikes

List of Grants

Organization Requests Award Date Amount Program
Donors of Color Network Inc. Annual Membership (2023) 10/26/23 $50,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Youth Collaboratory, Inc. General Operating Support 12/05/23 $50,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc. Grantmakers for Girls of Color: Black Girl Freedom Fund 12/07/22 $50,000.00 RED Base
Children’s Defense Fund General Operating Support 06/01/22 $50,000.00 Executive Director Discretionary
Johns Hopkins University SNF Agora Institute P3 Labs General Operating Support 10/20/23 $50,000.00 RED 1 - National Strategy
Center for Community Change Workshop Fellowship 08/02/22 $50,000.00 Executive Director Discretionary
Third Way Institute General Operating Support 12/01/22 $50,000.00 Education
Grantmakers For Effective Organizations Organizational Strategic Planning and Visioning 12/09/22 $50,000.00 Executive Director Discretionary
The Seattle Foundation Grantmakers for Thriving Youth, Education Forward Fund 12/01/22 $50,000.00 Special Initiatives
National Public Education Support Fund Narrative and Policy Work on Critical Race Theory 09/16/21 $50,000.00 Education
American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education National Education Effort of Students Experiencing Homelessness, Foster Care, and the Justice System 12/09/22 $50,000.00 Youth Homelessness
National Homelessness Law Center Tracking Laws to End Youth Homelessness - Federal and Tribal Indexes & Website 08/01/23 $50,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Common Counsel Foundation Visionary Freedom Fund 12/13/21 $50,000.00 Youth Serving Systems - Cross Cutting
New York University NYU Steinhardt Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools General Operating Support 08/01/23 $50,000.00 Special Initiatives
Building Changes We Are In: Partnership for Zero 04/26/22 $50,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Neighborhood Funders Group Amplify Fund 10/21/21 $50,000.00 Community Giving
PolicyLink Liberation Ventures: General Operating Support 11/28/23 $50,000.00 Executive Director Discretionary
Building Changes Youth & Young Adult Homelessness Landscape and Plan 10/21/22 $50,000.00 Regional Homelessness
Movement Strategy Center General Operating Support 01/24/22 $50,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
University Of Washington Foundation Brotman Baty Institute Core Operating Support 07/14/22 $50,000.00 Trustee Directed Gifts (Historical)
Legal Counsel for Youth and Children General Operating Support 10/30/23 $50,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Third Way Institute General Operating Support 07/11/23 $50,000.00 Education
Southern Education Foundation Brown’s Promise: Communications Research Project 09/27/23 $55,000.00 Education
National Homelessness Law Center State Index on Youth Homelessness (V4) 08/31/21 $55,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative Youth Homelessness Prevention Steering Committee 01/04/22 $57,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Washington State Department of Commerce Office of Homeless Youth 6560 Rapid Response Team 12/01/21 $70,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Point Source Youth Inc. Prevention Interventions & National Discussions on Preventing Tracks on Ending and Preventing Youth Homelessness 05/12/21 $70,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Seattle Parks Foundation Community-Centric Fundraising General Operating Support 10/13/21 $75,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Kennesaw State University Foundation (KSUF) Preventing Youth Homelessness and Housing Insecurity 10/11/22 $75,000.00 Youth Homelessness
NEO Philanthropy AAPI Civic Engagement Fund 05/11/21 $75,000.00 Special Initiatives
Funders Together To End Homelessness Inc General Operating Support 10/25/22 $75,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Policy Innovators in Education Network Inc. General Operating Support 06/24/22 $75,000.00 Education
Camelback Ventures Inc. General Operating Support 08/02/21 $75,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Panorama Global We Are In: Youth By Name List (YBNL) 12/08/23 $81,000.00 Regional Homelessness
SchoolHouse Connection American Rescue Plan - Homeless Children and Youth Sprint​ 12/01/23 $85,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Mockingbird Society King County Youth Voice Project 12/01/21 $95,000.00 Youth Homelessness
YMCA of Greater Seattle Facilitation of the Young Grantmakers Facilitator Funds 09/01/23 $95,922.00 Youth Homelessness
New Venture Fund Seek Common Ground’s Student Action Network for Equity General Operating Support 02/14/24 $100,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Community Solutions International, Inc Youth Homelessness Proof of Concept 10/28/22 $100,000.00 Youth Homelessness
National Center for Family Philanthropy General Operating Support 09/06/23 $100,000.00 RED - IDPI Cross Cut
Way To Rise General Operating Support 10/18/23 $100,000.00 RED - IDPI Cross Cut
New Venture Fund Seek Common Ground: Student Action Network for Equity 08/03/23 $100,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
Think of Us Envisioning and Co-Creating an Anti-Racist Legal System for Children 11/16/22 $100,000.00 RED Base
True Colors United Expansion of the National Youth Forum on Homelessness 08/10/22 $100,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Policy Innovators in Education Network Inc. General Operating Support 09/01/23 $100,000.00 Education
Tides Foundation Core Operating Support - Center for Working Families Fund 11/03/22 $100,000.00 RED Base
Covenant House International Youth Homelessness Prevention Research ​ 08/07/23 $100,000.00 Youth Homelessness
American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty "Runaway and Homeless Youth and the Law: Model State Statutes" 09/02/21 $100,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing General Operating Support 12/22/21 $100,000.00 Youth Serving Systems - Cross Cutting
True Colors United Expansion of the National Youth Forum on Homelessness 07/16/21 $100,000.00 Youth Homelessness