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
School Board Partners BELE Network: General Operating Support 05/12/21 $150,000.00 Education
Surge Institute BELE Network: General Operating Support 05/10/21 $300,000.00 Education
Kingmakers of Oakland BELE Network: Organizational Development and Operating Support (2021-2022) 08/18/21 $350,000.00 Education
Tides Center BELE Network: PERTS Building & Scaling the Student Experience Knowledge Base 08/01/23 $500,000.00 Education
Education Resource Strategies Inc. BELE Network: Student Experience-centered, Equity-embedded, Data-driven (SEED) District Strategic Planning Project 10/01/23 $150,000.00 Education
National Equity Project BELE Network: Student Experience-centered, Equity-embedded, Data-driven (SEED) District Strategic Planning Project 10/01/23 $150,000.00 Education
Digital Promise Global BELE Network: Toronto Anti-Racist Collaboration (District Network) (2021-2023) 07/22/21 $250,000.00 Education
The University of Chicago BELE Network: UC Consortium Large Scale, Multi-District Validation of the Cultivate Survey Instrument 08/01/23 $350,000.00 Education
The Seattle Foundation Belonging Gathering with Civic Commons (2022) 04/28/22 $2,500.00 Community Giving
Bone Creek Art Museum Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art Restoration Campaign 01/11/22 $2,500.00 Trustee Directed Gifts (Historical)
Colorado State University Boyer Commission 2040: Blueprint for Excellence & Equity in Undergraduate Education 10/08/21 $50,000.00 Education
Prospect Schools Inc. Brooklyn Prospect High School General Operating Support 10/18/22 $1,500.00 Community Giving
University Of Washington Foundation Brotman Baty Institute Core Operating Support 07/14/22 $50,000.00 Trustee Directed Gifts (Historical)
Southern Education Foundation Brown's Promise: General Operating Support 07/05/23 $5,000.00 Community Giving
Southern Education Foundation Brown’s Promise General Operating Support 01/01/24 $150,000.00 Education
Southern Education Foundation Brown’s Promise: Communications Research Project 09/27/23 $55,000.00 Education
Bowie State University Foundation, Inc. BSU Philanthropy Initiative-Managing Philanthropy and Non-Profit Programs 04/27/23 $25,000.00 Executive Director Discretionary
Building Changes Building Changes Education Program 10/21/22 $775,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Foundation for California Community Colleges California Learning Lab: First Inaugural Annual Conference 07/19/22 $10,000.00 Education
New Venture Fund Campaign for Our Shared Future: General Operating Support 08/14/23 $250,000.00 RED 1 - National Strategy
American Council on Education Carnegie Classifications Project​ 10/01/23 $250,000.00 Education
Seattle University Center for Community Engagement Endowed Fund 06/16/21 $20,000.00 Community Giving
American College (dba American College of Financial Professionals) Center for Philanthropy & Social Impact "Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) Alumni Research Project" 12/01/21 $125,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Thousand Currents Center for Transforming Philanthropy 11/14/22 $250,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Partnership for America's Children Chafee Redesign Policy Reform Initiative 08/31/21 $50,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy Change Philanthropy 2021 UNITY Summit Destination Impact Community Sponsorship Partner Participation 12/08/21 $380.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Hispanics in Philanthropy Change Philanthropy: UNITY Summit Sponsorship (2023) 06/02/23 $10,000.00 Community Giving
Trustee of Tufts College CIRCLE General Operating Support 12/12/22 $1,500.00 Community Giving
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU): Scaling SEP Practices and Supporting Systemic Change 09/27/23 $840,000.00 Education
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU): Increasing Adoption of SEP Approach to Equitable College Classrooms 02/21/23 $280,000.00 Education
Coalition For Juvenile Justice Collaborating for Change 01/24/22 $45,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Coalition For Juvenile Justice Collaborating for Change 03/06/23 $45,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Panorama Global Collaborative Learning from Impact Philanthropy 09/29/22 $15,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
New Venture Fund Communities for Just Schools Fund: General Operating Support 07/07/22 $2,100.00 Community Giving
New Venture Fund Communities for Just Schools: General Operating Support 12/06/23 $500,000.00 Education 1 - Field Building
NW Children's Foundation Community Annual Forum - Healing-Centered Practices & Childhood Trauma Sponsorship (2023) 02/15/23 $5,000.00 Community Giving
Possibility Labs Community Centric Fundraising: General Operating Support 12/08/22 $150,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Seattle Parks Foundation Community-Centric Fundraising General Operating Support 10/13/21 $75,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Tides Foundation Core Operating Support - Center for Working Families Fund 11/03/22 $100,000.00 RED Base
Council of Chief State School Officers Council of Chief State School Officers Community of Practice for Improving School Climate ​ 11/01/23 $262,700.00 Education
RVC Seattle Creative Justice: General Operating Support 11/18/22 $10,000.00 Youth Homelessness
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Democracy Alliance Pooled Fund General Operating Support 03/06/23 $300,000.00 RED - IDPI Cross Cut
Washington Low Income Housing Alliance Digital Ads - Rental Assistance and Eviction Protection 08/26/21 $7,500.00 Youth Homelessness
Ashland Greenwood Public Schools Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award 02/24/23 $3,000.00 Trustee Directed (Recurring)
Ashland Greenwood Public Schools Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award 02/01/24 $3,000.00 Trustee Directed (Recurring)
Ashland Greenwood Public Schools Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award 02/17/22 $3,000.00 Trustee Directed Gifts (Historical)
U-Power Dodge for a Cause Event Team Sponsorship 01/26/24 $1,250.00 Trustee Directed (One Time)
U-Power Dodge for a Cause Event Team Sponsorship 11/14/22 $1,250.00 Trustee Directed Gifts (Historical)
JustFund US Donor Engagement Experimentation 02/14/22 $200,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy
Giving Compass Network Donor Survey and AI Analysis Prototype 09/29/23 $10,000.00 Impact Driven Philanthropy