Metta Fund

Metta Fund is a San Francisco-based private foundation with $72.3 million in assets (2024) that operates exclusively in the space of aging equity. Its giving philosophy is organized around a core conviction: racial equity is the indispensable foundation of healthy aging. The fund has committed all grantmaking to aging and older adult issues, with an explicit mandate to center BIPOC elders who are disproportionately underserved by both government and philanthropy.

The foundation is invitation-only and does not accept unsolicited proposals. This is not a technicality — it is the architecture of how the fund operates. Every grant Metta Fund makes results from an invitation by program staff, and every invitation emerges from a pre-existing relationship. Organizations that have received multi-year support — Richmond Neighborhood Center ($1,071,500 over 7 grants), YMCA of San Francisco ($703,500 over 13 grants), and Community Living Campaign ($592,500 over 17 grants) — typically built sustained connections with staff over years before their first grant was awarded.

Metta Fund operates through three strategic pillars: grantmaking, advocacy and narrative change, and collaborations. This means the foundation funds more than direct services — it supports advocacy infrastructure, policy work, and public narrative efforts that shift collective understanding of aging. The $900K announced for aging and care advocacy in 2024-2025 signals active portfolio expansion into policy-oriented grantmaking.

For first-time applicants, the most important reality is that Metta Fund funds relationships. Program officers are active in the field — at aging convenings, within the Aging Intersections Funder Network, and in California's Master Plan on Aging collaborative. Organizations visible in these shared spaces, demonstrating clear alignment with the fund's racial equity framework, are substantially more likely to receive an invitation than those who cold-contact the foundation.

The foundation also provides its community room at 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 2200 at no cost to nonprofits, hosting capacity-building events and community conversations. Requesting use of this space for a board meeting, training, or community dialogue is a documented, legitimate entry point that creates a non-transactional first interaction with foundation staff — a meaningful relationship-building step for organizations seeking future funding consideration.

Based on IRS 990 filings spanning 2011-2023 and ProPublica data through 2024, Metta Fund has maintained a stable grantmaking pace with moderate year-over-year variation. Recent annual grants paid: $3,165,000 (2023), $3,365,000 (2022), $2,140,000 (2021), $2,285,500 (2020), and $2,259,000 (2019). The 2021 dip reflects COVID-19 disruptions; the fund simultaneously deployed rapid-response grants to support immediate elder needs during the pandemic. Total charitable disbursements in 2024 reached approximately $4.25 million against total assets of $72.3 million — a payout rate consistent with the 5% minimum required of private foundations. The fund's asset base has ranged from a low of $67.4M (2022) to a high of $84.4M (2021), driven by investment portfolio performance.

Individual grant sizes vary considerably. The foundation's reported typical grant data shows a median single grant of $10,000, an average of $29,105, and a range from $1,500 to $115,000 across 86 tracked individual grants. However, long-term relationships produce cumulative totals well above these figures: Richmond Neighborhood Center received a cumulative $1,071,500 over 7 grants; YMCA of San Francisco $703,500 over 13 grants; Community Living Campaign $592,500 over 17 grants. The ladder from entry-level support (~$10,000-$25,000) to flagship multi-year general operating support ($100,000+ per year) reflects depth of relationship more than program size.

Geographically, Metta Fund is overwhelmingly California-focused: 186 of 198 tracked grants (94%) went to California organizations. The balance supported national advocacy partners with California footprints — SAGE, Justice in Aging, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and The SCAN Foundation — headquartered in New York, DC, or Virginia.

By program area, the portfolio breaks down approximately as follows: - Direct older adult services (neighborhood centers, YMCA branches, Meals on Wheels, senior centers): ~40-45% of total grant value - Workforce development and caregiver training (Homebridge, Self-Help for the Elderly, CARA Education Fund): ~15-20% - Advocacy and policy (Justice in Aging, SF Senior and Disability Action, National Domestic Workers Alliance): ~10-12% - Cultural and community-specific services (Kimochi Inc., Samoan Community Development Center, Mujeres Unidas y Activas): ~10% - Digital equity and technology access (Community Living Campaign tech programs, Community Tech Network): ~8-10% - LGBTQ+ older adult services (Openhouse, Shanti Project, Curry Senior Center): ~5-8%

General operating support is a primary and preferred funding mode. Many of the fund's highest-value grantees — Richmond Neighborhood Center, Homebridge, Meals on Wheels, Mujeres Unidas y Activas — received GOS grants, signaling deep institutional trust and comfort with unrestricted funding.

Metta Fund occupies a specialized niche as one of California's few exclusively aging-focused private foundations. The following table compares it to similar funders operating in California and nationally (peer financials are approximate based on most recent available public 990 filings):

Relative to Archstone Foundation — the most geographically comparable peer focused exclusively on aging in California — Metta Fund is smaller in absolute scale but more geographically concentrated: 94% of its grants remain within California, and the vast majority within San Francisco proper. Archstone's Southern California focus means the two foundations rarely fund the same grantees, making them complementary rather than competing.

The California Wellness Foundation funds aging as one of several health priorities alongside mental health and environmental health. At nearly 14 times Metta Fund's asset base, CalWellness is a larger but less specialized aging funder, and many Metta Fund grantees also hold CalWellness grants simultaneously. The John A. Hartford Foundation operates nationally with a focus on health care workforce and aging policy — a complementary funder for Metta's grantees working on caregiving workforce issues.

Metta Fund's defining differentiator is its explicit racial equity framework centering BIPOC elder populations as the foundational organizing principle of all grantmaking — a stance that distinguishes it from peer foundations that treat equity as one value among several.

The most significant recent milestone at Metta Fund is the June 2025 release of its 2024 Annual Report titled 'Equity at Every Age,' affirming continued commitment to racial equity as the organizing framework for all grantmaking. Alongside this, the fund announced approximately $900,000 in aging and care advocacy funding — framed as 'Building Power When It Matters Most' — reflecting deliberate expansion into policy infrastructure beyond direct service grantmaking. This is the most concrete signal of a strategic shift in the current cycle.

Board governance has evolved with the appointment of Parvin Manuchehri and Roberto Vargas to the Board of Directors, diversifying leadership. The existing board is led by Chair Kimberly Brandon, with Roma Guy serving as Secretary and John Woodward as Treasurer. CEO Janet Y. Spears, a long-tenured executive who has led the organization for over a decade, continues to shape strategic direction; her 2024 compensation reached approximately $369,837 per ProPublica 990 data.

The fund has adopted a more public advocacy stance, joining a coalition of foundations in urging a public health emergency declaration regarding immigration enforcement impacts on older adults — a notable move toward issue-based public positioning. A new website was launched and the 'Metta Fund Pledge' was introduced, inviting philanthropic peers to commit to age inclusion.

The fund remains actively engaged in the Aging Intersections Funder Network — California's first equity-in-elderhood funder collaborative — and continues participation in the state's Master Plan for Aging implementation, for which it funded $270,000 in planning and implementation support to The SCAN Foundation. LGBTQIA+ elder programming has received heightened attention, with dedicated content and existing grant relationships at Openhouse, Shanti Project, and Curry Senior Center.

The single most critical piece of intelligence for any organization targeting Metta Fund is that the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Every grant is the result of a program staff invitation, and every invitation emerges from a genuine, sustained relationship. Organizations that submit cold inquiries or letters of inquiry receive no response. The entire strategy must be relationship-first, built over 12-24 months before any funding request is realistic.

Enter the ecosystem first. Metta Fund participates in the Aging Intersections Funder Network and co-invests in California's Master Plan for Aging. Organizations working on these intersections should show up at convenings, submit public comments, and maintain visible presence in advocacy spaces where Metta Fund staff are active. Grantmakers in Aging (GIA) membership is another shared professional space where relationships begin organically.

Use the community room as a first touchpoint. The foundation offers its conference room at 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 2200 (up to 99 people) to nonprofits at no cost. Requesting this space for a genuine community convening, board meeting, or capacity-building session creates a legitimate, non-transactional first interaction with foundation staff — the kind of relationship-building moment that matters.

Frame your work in their language. Metta Fund's grant descriptions repeatedly use specific terms: racial equity, BIPOC elders, aging while Black, digital equity, social connectedness, and belonging. When invited to propose, use this framing explicitly rather than generic 'serving seniors' language. Reference your equity data — percentage of BIPOC older adults served, language access, and cultural specificity in program design.

Align with active portfolio priorities. The clearest path to an invitation is demonstrating alignment with areas where the portfolio is expanding: LGBTQ+ aging, digital equity for elders, caregiver workforce development for workers of color, and state-level aging advocacy. General elder-serving work without an equity differentiation is insufficient on its own.

General operating support is viable and preferred. Metta Fund has an extensive track record of GOS grants to trusted partners. When invited to propose, organizations with strong governance and documented community trust should not default to project-based requests. The foundation's comfort with GOS signals institutional confidence in the organizations it funds.

Contact approach. There are no published grant cycles or fixed deadlines — relationship-building should begin at least 12 months before funding is needed. For a warm introduction, seek out a current grantee (Richmond Neighborhood Center, YMCA SF, Community Living Campaign, Justice in Aging) willing to connect you. For general inquiries: contact form at mettafund.org or (415) 660-7361. Media or partnership inquiries can go to Senior Director of Communications Anna Karrer Manley at akarrer@mettafund.org.