Maverick Capital Foundation

Maverick Capital Foundation (MCF) is a private corporate foundation established in 2008 by the principals of Maverick Capital, the Dallas-based long/short equity hedge fund led by Lee S. Ainslie III. The foundation's core mission is to break the cycle of poverty by identifying, funding, and building long-term partnerships with the most effective nonprofits in the communities where Maverick Capital employees work and live — currently New York City (primary focus), Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Florida.

MCF operates on four published principles that define its giving philosophy. People First means investment in talented organizational leaders and genuine partnership rather than transactional grantmaking. Evidence Based means rigorous focus on measurable outcomes and relevant impact metrics — anecdote alone does not move this foundation. Sustained Commitment means multi-year capacity building with annual reapplication for all current grantees. Mission Driven means single-minded alignment with poverty alleviation — programs must connect explicitly to economic mobility.

The foundation currently supports approximately 50 nonprofit organizations. Organizations like North Texas Food Bank, KIPP Texas, and Part of the Solution have each received 7–11 separate grants, confirming the long-term partnership model. This is not a foundation that funds a pilot and exits; successful grantees are typically re-invited annually for years or even decades.

Critical first-time applicant note: MCF explicitly does not accept unsolicited proposals. Applications are by request only, and the foundation's own database records confirm `preselected_only: true`. The path to funding runs entirely through relationships — with Maverick Capital employees (who participate in a structured firm-wide philanthropy program), with current grantee organizations, or through introduction by sector peers.

Organizations best positioned for MCF consideration are nonprofits with measurable, evidence-based programs in education, social services, hunger relief, criminal justice reform, or workforce development, operating in one of the five target geographies, with leadership willing to invest in a genuine long-term partnership and capable of rigorous annual impact reporting. The front-loaded investment in relationship development is substantial, but the reward — sustained multi-year unrestricted or general operating support — is unusually reliable relative to peer foundations of similar size.

MCF's annual grantmaking has been remarkably consistent, running in the $2.46M–$3.04M range in grants paid from FY2019 through FY2023. Specific annual figures: FY2023 $3.04M total giving ($2.46M grants paid), FY2022 $2.80M total giving ($2.46M grants paid), FY2021 $2.59M ($2.54M paid), FY2020 $2.85M ($2.82M paid), FY2019 $2.71M ($2.66M paid). The long-term arc is upward: FY2012 giving was $1.87M, growing to a peak of $3.04M in FY2023. Foundation assets grew from $9.8M (FY2012) to $29.3M (FY2024), a nearly 3x increase over 12 years fueled by consistent principal contributions of $1.1M–$5.4M annually.

Grant size varies considerably across the portfolio. The foundation's own records document grants ranging from $150 to $100,000, with a median of $2,500 and an average of $12,397 across 199 tracked individual grants. This low median reflects the many smaller employee-directed gifts in the portfolio. Among the ~50 core organizational partners, annualized commitments typically run $25,000–$100,000. The Marshall Project received $100,000 per grant across 3 awards ($300,000 total); Part of the Solution received an average of $46,823 per grant across 7 awards ($327,760 total); KIPP Texas received $215,750 across 11 grants.

By program area (top 50 grantees): Education dominates at approximately 40% of tracked funding — charter networks (KIPP NYC, KIPP Texas, Classical Charter Schools, Cristo Rey), college access (Bottom Line, OneGoal, Posse Foundation), and alternative settings (Bard Prison Initiative, Marcy Lab School). Social services follows at roughly 30% (Marshall Project, Safe Horizon, Family Gateway, Dallas Children's Advocacy Center). Hunger relief accounts for approximately 15% (North Texas Food Bank, Hot Bread Kitchen, Part of the Solution). Medical services and community outreach make up the balance.

By geography (547 total tracked grants): Texas leads with 194 grants (35%), followed by New York at 131 (24%), California at 55 (10%), Pennsylvania at 40 (7%), and Georgia at 13 (2%). FY2023 revenue of $6.29M — including $2.51M in net investment income — suggests the foundation has meaningful financial capacity to grow annual grantmaking as assets continue to compound.

The five closest asset-size peers identified in the foundation database are all classified under Philanthropy & Grantmaking (NTEE T), each with assets near $29.3M.

Among similarly-sized foundations, Maverick Capital Foundation stands out for its distinctive corporate philanthropy model, published programmatic principles, and unusually transparent focus areas. The Tyson Foundation (connected to Tyson Foods and the Tyson family) is the most analogous comparison — a corporate-connected private foundation with geographic specificity tied to business operations and a community development focus — though Tyson maintains a more accessible application process.

The remaining peer foundations (Thomas H Lowder, Foundation 214, Storm Castle, Witness To Win) have no public websites and limited available data, making direct comparison difficult. What distinguishes MCF most clearly is the combination of size ($29.3M assets), defined programmatic priorities, active geographic presence across five major metros, professional staff (Executive Director Travis Baird, Program Officer Angela Bonato), and the invitation-only model that prioritizes depth over breadth in its grantee relationships.

No specific press releases, grant announcements, or program news from Maverick Capital Foundation were identified for 2025 or early 2026. The foundation maintains minimal public communications, consistent with its invitation-only operating model and the low-profile culture of its parent firm.

The most recent financial data available confirms FY2024 total assets of $29.3M (up 13% from $26.0M in FY2023), reflecting continued strong contributions from Maverick Capital fund principals. FY2023 was a particularly active year: the foundation received $5.37M in contributions and generated $2.51M in net investment income — both multi-year highs — while distributing $3.04M in total giving. This represents the largest single-year giving figure in the foundation's publicly available history.

The parent firm, Maverick Capital, received press coverage in 2025–2026 for expanding its semiconductor investment strategies and pursuing additional capital raises, according to Hedgeweek. Strong fund performance years historically drive increased foundation contributions in the year immediately following.

Known staff as of the most recent available information: Travis Baird (Executive Director) and Angela Bonato (Program Officer) are the primary foundation contacts. The trustee board — Lee S. Ainslie III, Evan A. Wyly, Andrew Warford, Keith Hennington, Tony Hairston, and Trevor Wiessmann — serves without compensation. No trustee or staff changes were identified during the research period.

The foundation's cumulative giving milestone of $30M+ since 2008 is now documented on the foundation's own website, suggesting it was recently reached and represents a meaningful organizational milestone in communications.

Given MCF's by-invitation-only policy, every strategy below is oriented around earning access before submitting anything.

Build the relationship first — a proposal is never the first contact. MCF does not review unsolicited submissions under any circumstances. Your first goal is to appear on the foundation's radar through warm channels: a referral from a current grantee in your sector (KIPP, Bottom Line, OneGoal, Safe Horizon, Marshall Project, North Texas Food Bank), an introduction through a Maverick Capital employee, or a connection with Travis Baird or Angela Bonato at sector convenings such as Philanthropy New York events or nonprofit leadership conferences in NYC or Dallas.

Lead with geography. MCF funds only in New York City, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Florida. Make your geographic footprint prominent in any introductory materials. Organizations without programmatic presence in one of these five markets should not invest time pursuing MCF.

Frame everything around poverty alleviation and economic mobility. The mission is explicit — 'breaking the cycle of poverty.' Position your program's theory of change in terms of economic outcomes: college completion rates, workforce entry rates, reduction in food insecurity, reduced recidivism. Service delivery metrics alone are insufficient.

Come prepared with data. MCF's 'Evidence Based' core principle is non-negotiable. Have cost-per-beneficiary figures, longitudinal outcome data, external evaluations, and relevant benchmark comparisons ready. Organizations that can cite third-party assessments or randomized evaluations are particularly well-positioned.

Avoid common mistakes: cold outreach via website contact forms, submitting a full proposal without an invitation, requesting a very large one-time gift (the portfolio consistently favors multi-year grants in the $25K–$100K annual range), and applying from outside the five target cities.

Timing. No public grant cycle or deadline exists. Introductions made in September–February tend to align with the foundation's annual planning and reapplication cycle. If a relationship is developing, ask directly about timing rather than assuming a calendar deadline.

Plan for the long game. Initial grants are typically modest. Part of the Solution began receiving small amounts and grew to $327,760 across 7 grants. KIPP Texas has received 11 separate grants. Entering the portfolio at a smaller grant level and demonstrating impact annually is the proven path to growing the relationship.