Mimi And Peter Haas Fund

The Mimi and Peter Haas Fund operates as a deeply relationship-driven, invitation-only private family foundation anchored in the Haas/Levi Strauss philanthropic tradition. Founded in 1982 by Miriam (Mimi) and Peter Haas, the fund concentrates its grantmaking almost exclusively on two channels: the flagship Model Centers Initiative supporting six San Francisco early childhood agencies in long-term partnerships, and trustee-initiated grants covering arts, civic life, and international causes. Neither channel accepts unsolicited proposals.

The fund's $175-178M asset base and $15-17M annual giving reflect a patient endowment model, not a rapid-response funder. Relationships with grantees like Felton Institute (24 grants), Cross Cultural Family Center (27 grants), and South of Market Child Care (18 grants) span multiple decades — a clear signal that the fund invests in organizations it trusts deeply over the long term rather than cycling through new grantees.

For organizations seeking access, the only legitimate open-application entry point is the Program Materials and Equipment (PM&E) grant: $3,000-$5,000 awards for licensed San Francisco child care centers serving at least 50% low-income children. This small-dollar program is administered by Eva Luo (415-296-9249) and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. It represents a real relationship-building opportunity — submit a clean application, execute well, and use the contact to introduce your broader work.

For substantive ECE grants ($50,000-$500,000+), the pathway is peer-to-peer relationship building within the SF early childhood ecosystem. Executive Director Karina Moreno and Program Director Jenn Curran are the decision-making staff; they are reachable through SF ECE sector convenings, the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, and via the six Model Center agency networks. Organizations with endorsements from existing grantees — especially the six Model Center agencies — hold a significant advantage.

First-time applicants should frame their work around the fund's core thesis: quality early care and education for San Francisco's low-income children ages 0-5 produces documented long-term societal returns, with published research suggesting $7 or more saved for every dollar invested. Workforce quality, culturally responsive programming, family engagement, and connection to the SF childcare planning system (CCPAC) are the specific language the fund uses internally.

Annual giving has trended steadily upward over the past decade: from $10.5M in 2012 to $12.7M in 2015, $15.5M in 2019, $19.3M in 2020 (a COVID-era high), and stabilizing at $15-17.5M in 2021-2023. The FY2024 total is not yet publicly available but total assets held at $177.6M, suggesting continued distributions in the $15-18M range.

Grants paid (the narrower measure excluding administrative transfers) were $13.7M in 2023, $11.7M in 2022, $11.0M in 2021, and $15.5M in 2020. The difference between "total giving" and "grants paid" (roughly $3-4M annually in recent years) reflects a $26.6M batch of PDF-format grants in the grantee database, suggesting some pass-through or consolidated grant recording.

At the top end, Tipping Point Community received $6.82M across 7 grants (averaging ~$974K each, all general operating) — the fund's largest single relationship in the dataset. The Shed received $3M for a capital campaign. These outlier amounts reflect trustee-level relationships rather than standard ECE grantmaking.

For ECE organizations, the typical grant range is $25,000-$150,000 per year, with multi-year commitments being the norm. The six Model Center agencies collectively received $6M+ in tracked grants: Felton Institute ($1.65M, 24 grants = ~$69K average), Cross Cultural Family Center ($1.42M, 27 grants = ~$53K average), Compass Family Services ($1.35M, 18 grants = ~$75K average), and South of Market Child Care ($1.23M, 18 grants = ~$69K average).

Professional development and workforce partners receive larger single grants: Edvance ($800K across 3 grants), San Francisco Unified School District ($1.2M across 9 grants for Pre-K to 3rd grade initiatives), Children's Council of SF ($274K, 5 grants). Early literacy organizations like Jumpstart ($330K, 10 grants = $33K average) receive smaller but sustained commitments.

Geographically, California dominates at 548 of 730 grants. The 106 New York grants reflect trustee relationships with cultural institutions (Lincoln Center, Robin Hood Foundation, Memorial Sloan Kettering). Israel-based ECE work flows through New Israel Fund ($760K) and Jewish Community Federation ($1.1M-$1.65M across combined records).

The Mimi and Peter Haas Fund occupies a distinctive niche within the Haas family philanthropy ecosystem: it is the most narrowly scoped of the family foundations, concentrating almost exclusively on early childhood (ages 0-5) in San Francisco while sibling foundations take broader civic and national stances. Compared to the San Francisco Foundation — the region's community foundation with open competitive grantmaking — MPHF offers significantly larger and longer-term grants to a smaller, deeper pool of partners.

For organizations focused on ECE, MPHF is one of very few SF-based funders offering sustained multi-year operational support at the $50K-$500K level without requiring competitive re-application. The Stuart Foundation offers the closest parallel in ECE focus, but operates more broadly across California and Washington and tends toward policy and systems change rather than direct service provider support.

The most significant recent development is the January 2025 inauguration of trustee Daniel L. Lurie as Mayor of San Francisco. Lurie, grandson of Mimi Haas and an uncompensated trustee of the fund, brings a direct connection between the foundation's priorities and municipal leadership at a moment when SF's childcare infrastructure faces significant challenges including high costs, workforce shortages, and state transitional kindergarten expansion.

In October 2025, Executive Director Karina Moreno and Program Director Jenn Curran attended the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative annual conference in Montgomery, Alabama. The conference theme — exploring how the history of slavery and civil rights shapes contemporary child care systems — indicates the fund is actively deepening its equity and racial justice framework. This should inform how grantees frame proposals and reports.

In November 2025, the fund highlighted South of Market Child Care's monthly Community Café as a model of culturally responsive family engagement — a regular feature that appears on the fund's website and serves as a quality benchmark for what the fund values in its Model Center partners.

The fund's FY2024 Form 990 was filed on November 14, 2025. Total assets were $177.6M with revenues of $18.9M, continuing the stable endowment trajectory of recent years. Detailed grant recipients from FY2024 are not yet publicly indexed.

Karina Moreno has been executive director since at least 2022, succeeding Lynn Merz. At $337,818 in FY2023 compensation, Moreno's tenure appears stable. No new program launches or strategic pivots were publicly announced in 2025.

The single most important thing to know: the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund does not accept unsolicited proposals for its major ECE or trustee-initiated programs. Attempting to submit a cold proposal will not result in a grant. The pathway is relationship-first.

The PM&E entry point: If you operate a licensed San Francisco child care center serving 50%+ low-income children with 501(c)(3) status and a valid Community Care Licensing operating license, apply for the Program Materials and Equipment grant. Call Eva Luo at (415) 296-9249 before submitting — confirm funds remain available (first-come, first-served) and ask a substantive question about the guidelines. This creates a legitimate, memorable first contact with staff.

Language alignment: Use the fund's own evidence base in any communications. Reference the research showing $7+ societal return per $1 invested in quality early care. Frame your work around school readiness outcomes, workforce development (credential attainment, compensation, retention), culturally responsive practice, and family empowerment — not just service delivery numbers.

Quality signals that matter: CLASS observation scores, QRIS star ratings (California's Quality Counts system), accreditation status (NAEYC), and teacher credential levels (AA vs. BA vs. MA) are all quality signals the fund tracks. Having current, strong quality data is essential before approaching staff.

Relationship cultivation timeline: Budget 12-24 months of ecosystem visibility before expecting a substantive grant conversation. Attend SF ECE sector meetings, CCPAC convenings, and any events where Karina Moreno or Jenn Curran are presenting or attending.

Avoid these common mistakes: Positioning your organization as addressing a problem the Model Center agencies already solve; emphasizing breadth of geographic reach rather than depth of SF impact; framing asks as one-time project funding rather than multi-year partnerships; and making first contact via formal written inquiry rather than in-person introduction.

For trustee-directed areas (arts, civic, international): There is no application pathway. These grants reflect personal relationships of Miriam Haas, Ari Lurie, and Daniel Lurie — attempting to solicit them directly is inadvisable.