Raikes Foundation

The Raikes Foundation operates as an invitation-only, relationship-driven funder with a decidedly systems-change orientation. Founded in 2002 by Jeff Raikes (former Microsoft executive and CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and Tricia Raikes, the Seattle-based foundation distributes roughly $28–30M annually across four core portfolios: Education, Housing Stability for Youth, Resourcing Equity & Democracy, and Impact-Driven Philanthropy. Critically, the foundation has disclosed its spend-down posture — meaning it is deliberately drawing down its endowment over time and will not exist in perpetuity — which explains its exceptionally high annual payout rate (30%+ of assets in recent years) and its emphasis on field-building investments that outlast the foundation itself.

There is no public grant application. Organizations are identified proactively by program staff, and the path to funding runs through network positioning, not application cycles. The top 50 grantees reveal a clear preference for four organizational types: (1) national intermediaries and collaborative fund vehicles (The Seattle Foundation at $8.5M total, Amalgamated Charitable Foundation at $3.7M, New Venture Fund at $3.1M, Tides Center at $3.9M); (2) research, policy, and advocacy institutions (National Equity Project, Learning Policy Institute, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, University of Chicago, Stanford University); (3) direct-service organizations with systems-change mandates (Building Changes, Schoolhouse Connection, Mockingbird Society); and (4) national organizing networks (in the newly established RED portfolio).

Multi-grant, multi-year relationships are the clear norm. The top 20 grantees each received between 4 and 25 separate grants, with cumulative totals ranging from $1.1M to $8.5M. Once inside the portfolio, organizations typically remain long-term partners. The engagement arc runs: field presence → identification by program staff → exploratory conversations → invited LOI or proposal → due diligence → grant award.

First-time applicants should know that cold inquiries to info@raikesfoundation.org are acknowledged but rarely lead to grants without relational groundwork. The most productive entry strategies are: (a) participating in Raikes-funded collaborative structures (especially through The Seattle Foundation), (b) targeting the new RED portfolio while it is still building its grantee network, and (c) securing introductions through established grantees. The leadership transition to Dr. Zoë Stemm-Calderon (effective January 2026) opens a meaningful window for relationship-building, as new executive directors typically spend the first year in active listening mode with the broader field.

The Raikes Foundation's financial trajectory shows a grantmaker that dramatically scaled its giving between 2013 and 2020, then maintained elevated levels through the mid-2020s. Total giving moved from $9.1M in FY2013 to $18.6M in FY2015, $28.1M in FY2019, and $33.7M in FY2020 — a near-quadrupling over seven years. Most recently, FY2023 reported $30.3M in total giving with $22.4M in grants paid (the gap between total giving and grants paid reflects multi-year pledge commitments). FY2022 was $26.2M total giving with $18.5M paid, and FY2021 was $28.5M total giving. The five-year average giving from FY2019–FY2023 is approximately $29.3M — substantial for a foundation with ~$97.7M in total assets, implying a payout rate of roughly 30%, far above the legal 5% minimum and consistent with the foundation's publicly stated spend-down philosophy.

From the grantee database (1,100 grants, $85.0M total), the average grant is $77,277. However, this average is skewed by volume: the foundation's typical grant size data shows a median of just $7,500 against the $76,000+ average. This gap is explained by the inclusion of small employee charitable match contributions, donor-advised fund pass-throughs, and event sponsorships alongside large programmatic grants. The true programmatic grant range for established partners is $50,000 to $1,150,000 per award, with multi-year operating support grants to core partners commonly running $200,000–$750,000 per year.

Geographically, Washington state dominates with 494 of 1,100 grant records (45%), followed by California (162, 15%) and Washington D.C. (146, 13%). The DC concentration reflects the foundation's investment in national policy and advocacy organizations rather than DC-based delivery. The remaining 27% is distributed across New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Nebraska, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

By program area, the grantee list reflects approximately: 40% education (K-12 resource equity, student experience research, postsecondary access), 25% youth homelessness and housing stability, 20% Resourcing Equity & Democracy (including organizing and civic power), and 15% impact-driven philanthropy (Giving Compass Network alone received $6.8M). The foundation's investment in The Seattle Foundation ($8.5M across 25 grants) reflects its heavy use of collaborative funds and donor-advised vehicles to pool and redeploy capital with other funders — a hallmark of its co-investment strategy.

The following table compares the Raikes Foundation to its asset-matched peer set from IRS data, all classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking) with assets near $97–98M:

Note: Giving estimates for asset-matched peers are approximations based on typical 3–9% private foundation payout rates. Raikes's actual payout (30%+) is confirmed from IRS filings.

Among foundations of comparable asset size, the Raikes Foundation is a dramatic outlier in annual giving — distributing three to eight times more than most peers of similar asset size. This spend-down posture makes Raikes a uniquely high-volume funder. Thematically, its focus on systems-level youth development, education equity, and democracy infrastructure is also far more specialized than typical Philanthropy & Grantmaking peers at this asset tier. Organizations evaluating fit should note that Raikes's combination of high payout, narrow strategic focus, and invitation-only process makes it simultaneously more impactful and harder to access than its asset-matched peers.

The Raikes Foundation's most significant 2025–2026 development is a historic leadership transition: on December 16, 2025, the foundation announced that Dr. Zoë Stemm-Calderon would succeed Dennis Quirin as Executive Director, effective January 1, 2026. Quirin led the foundation for approximately a decade during its major scaling phase. Stemm-Calderon brings deep institutional knowledge — she spent 10 years at Raikes leading the Youth Serving Systems portfolio, previously served as a fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, served as Assistant Superintendent at Houston ISD, and holds a doctorate in education leadership from Harvard University. Founders Jeff and Tricia Raikes cited her ability to 'lead from day one' given the foundation's spend-down urgency.

In October 2025, the Resourcing Equity & Democracy (RED) portfolio made its inaugural grant round — the first awards since the portfolio was formally established in 2023 under Senior Director Maria De La Cruz. Grantees include state-level alignment tables in Washington (Power Building Table), Michigan (Alignment Table), and North Carolina (Carolina Federation Fund, Somos Siembra, We Are Down Home), plus 18 national partners including Alliance for Youth Organizing, Black Voters Matter, Center for Popular Democracy, Equality Federation, Faith in Action, Grassroots Power Project, Mijente, Native Organizers Alliance, People's Action, ReFrame, re:power, and Working Families Party.

In mid-2024, Gini Pupo-Walker joined as Director of National Education Strategy, bringing 20+ years in education to oversee K-12 and postsecondary grantmaking. Together, these three leadership additions (De La Cruz in 2023, Pupo-Walker in 2024, Stemm-Calderon in 2026) signal a deliberate organizational rebuilding ahead of the foundation's spend-down acceleration.

Because the Raikes Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, effective grant-seeking requires a fundamentally different approach than with open-application funders. The following tips are specific to Raikes's process and culture:

Prioritize the RED portfolio as your entry point. The Resourcing Equity & Democracy portfolio made its first grants only in October 2025 and is actively building its grantee network. Organizations doing sustained civic organizing, multiracial coalition building, youth democratic participation, or immigrant advocacy — particularly in Washington state, Michigan, or North Carolina — have a meaningful window to introduce themselves while this portfolio is new.

Use collaborative funds as your on-ramp. The foundation channels a substantial share of its grantmaking through collaborative fund vehicles managed by The Seattle Foundation, New Venture Fund, Tides Center, and Amalgamated Charitable Foundation. Organizations that participate in these collaborative structures — such as the BELE Network, Resource Equity Funders Collaborative, or Grantmakers for Thriving Youth — gain natural visibility with Raikes program staff without requiring direct outreach.

Speak the foundation's systems-change language explicitly. Do not describe your work in terms of individuals served or programs delivered. Frame it around how your organization shifts the policies, practices, resource flows, and power dynamics within a system (K-12 education, youth housing, democracy). Terms like 'field catalysis,' 'co-investment,' 'learning community,' and 'sector infrastructure' align with how Raikes thinks about its portfolio.

Lead with evidence and research alignment. Core grantees include University of Chicago's Consortium on School Research, Stanford University, PERTS, and Learning Policy Institute. If your organization generates, translates, or implements research evidence, make this central to your pitch. Raikes values grantees that help the field learn, not just deliver.

Leverage the 2026 leadership transition window. New Executive Director Zoë Stemm-Calderon took office January 1, 2026, and is in an active listening and relationship-building phase. The first half of 2026 is an unusually open window for introductory conversations — particularly for organizations working in K-12 equity, postsecondary access, or youth homelessness, which are her core areas of expertise.

Send a focused inquiry, not a full proposal. If seeking initial contact via info@raikesfoundation.org, send no more than three paragraphs: (1) your mission and theory of change in systems-change terms, (2) the specific Raikes portfolio you align with and why, and (3) a request for a 20-minute introductory call. Do not attach budgets or program reports to a cold inquiry.