Sand Hill Foundation

Sand Hill Foundation operates as a deeply embedded, relationship-first funder serving San Mateo County, California. Founded in 1995 by developer Tom Ford and his daughter Susan Ford Dorsey — who remains President at a compensation of $262,000 — the foundation has invested more than $154M in 458 nonprofits over its 30-year lifespan, with 79% of giving concentrated locally in Silicon Valley.

The giving philosophy rests on three pillars: Opportunity (family economic stability through education, job training, and housing security), Wellness (mental health and well-being, particularly for youth ages 11–25 and their families), and Environment (climate advocacy, open space preservation, and sustainable agriculture in San Mateo County). Crosscutting all three is a commitment to organizations serving lower-income families in the county's highest-need communities: Daly City, South San Francisco, Redwood City/North Fair Oaks, and the Coastside.

A landmark policy change effective 2026 defines the new terrain: the foundation is no longer accepting applications from new organizations. Only nonprofits that received a Sand Hill grant within the last five years are eligible. This is not a temporary freeze — it reflects a strategic board decision to accelerate payout and distribute the majority of the foundation's ~$93M in assets by 2029. President Dorsey's public message, 'It's Time to Accelerate,' frames this explicitly as solidarity with a community facing food insecurity, immigration concerns, and housing shortages.

For existing grantees, this spend-down creates a material opportunity. The foundation is deepening — not broadening — its portfolio with 100+ current nonprofit partners, and typical multi-year awards of $25,000–$100,000/year are positioned to grow substantially in total volume as annual distributions accelerate through 2029.

The typical relationship progression: proposal submitted via the Pacific Foundation Services SmartSimple portal, initial review by a program officer (who may conduct a site visit), then a monthly board meeting that acts on recommendations within approximately two months of submission. Year-end grants require submission by October 31; the board does not meet in December. Upon approval, grantees work with program officers to co-create goals and reporting schedules, with verbal interim reports and an online final report.

Based on 106 grants in the foundation's disclosed database, the median grant is $35,000 (average: $45,824; range: $1,000–$400,000). Typical annual grants run $25,000–$100,000, and multi-year commitments are common among the foundation's deepest relationships.

The top-50 grantee data reveals $27.1M distributed across 530 transactions, averaging $51,188 per transaction. The largest portfolio relationship is Environmental Defense Fund at $2.6M over 5 grants — suggesting Sand Hill funds regionally impactful work from nationally-scoped environmental organizations when the San Mateo connection is strong. Stanford University (Haas Center Sand Hill Fellowship endowment) received $2.28M across 4 grants. Children's Health Council received $2.03M across 21 grants over many years — the deepest sustained partnership and a signal of how multi-year relationships compound at this foundation.

Annual giving trends show meaningful variability: - FY2023: $6.17M total giving ($4.47M grants paid) - FY2022: $11.56M total giving ($9.87M grants paid) — spike tied to strong investment returns - FY2021: $5.68M total giving ($4.20M grants paid) - FY2020: $17.33M total giving ($7.10M grants paid) — extraordinary $73.6M revenue year - FY2019: $4.59M total giving ($3.13M grants paid) - Pre-2015 baseline: $3.5–4M/year

With assets of $92.86M as of FY2024 and a declared intent to spend down the majority by 2029, annual giving could realistically reach $15–25M per year — a 3–4x increase over the FY2023 baseline. This represents significant potential for existing grantees willing to pursue larger, multi-year asks.

Geographically, 92.5% of transactions involve California organizations (490 of 530). New York accounts for 16 transactions (primarily EDF's national HQ); smaller clusters appear in Massachusetts (6), Minnesota (6), Oregon (5), and DC (3).

By program area, Wellness/mental health receives the most transactions: Children's Health Council, Lucile Packard Foundation, Lifemoves, Friends for Youth, StarVista, One Life Counseling Center, Adolescent Counseling Services, and many more. Environment captures the largest per-grantee dollars: EDF ($2.6M), Pie Ranch ($1.475M), Peninsula Open Space Trust ($650K). Opportunity grantees receive steady, smaller investments: Peninsula Bridge ($362K), Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center ($302K), JobTrain ($202K), Upward Scholars ($200K).

The database pairs Sand Hill with five foundations sharing similar asset levels (~$92–93M), all classified under NTEE category T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). The comparison reveals Sand Hill's unusual combination of local concentration, programmatic depth, and transparency around a declared spend-down strategy.

Among this asset-class cohort, Sand Hill stands out as the only foundation with a publicly documented spend-down timeline, a named and accessible leadership team, a fully operational grants portal managed by Pacific Foundation Services, and a 30-year track record of $154M in cumulative giving. None of the peer foundations operate comparably transparent public-facing grantmaking programs. Sand Hill's hyper-local focus (92.5% of transactions in California), multi-strand programmatic strategy, and explicit mission alignment with lower-income families in Silicon Valley mark it as among the most institutionally mature independent foundations of its asset class in the state.

The single most important practical reality for 2026: Sand Hill Foundation is closed to new applicants. If your organization has not received a grant from Sand Hill in the last five years, you are not currently eligible. Monitor sandhillfoundation.org for policy updates as the spend-down evolves — the timeline to 2029 may create openings.

For existing grantees, here is the most actionable guidance drawn directly from the foundation's documentation:

• Draft offline before entering the portal. The Pacific Foundation Services SmartSimple portal at pfs.smartsimple.us/welcome/Sandhill/ has no autosave. Write every narrative response in a separate document, copy-paste into the portal when ready, and download a PDF confirmation immediately after clicking Submit.

• October 31 is the year-end deadline. The board does not meet in December. Any grant needed before December 31 must reach the foundation by October 31. For other requests, rolling submission is accepted year-round.

• Contact staff before submitting. Email grants@sandhillfoundation.org or reach Jessi Misslin directly at jessi@sandhillfoundation.org / (415) 561-6540 ext. 215. Staff can help locate or reconcile existing portal profiles before you start a new proposal — a step that prevents duplication errors.

• Use the foundation's exact language. Proposals that describe beneficiaries as 'youth and families navigating daily life with limited financial means' and invoke 'equitable opportunity,' 'community thriving,' and 'cultural competence' are reflecting Sand Hill's own theory of change. This language signals alignment, not flattery.

• Name the priority geographies explicitly. Daly City, South San Francisco, Redwood City/North Fair Oaks, and the Coastside carry special weight. Quantify the 50%+ San Mateo County service threshold with data.

• Frame multi-year potential. Given the spend-down context and the board's intent to deepen existing relationships before 2029, proposals that demonstrate long-term organizational sustainability, systems-level impact, or the foundation's investment as leverage for other funding will resonate. The foundation's grant range is $25,000–$100,000/year, with exceptional multi-year relationships reaching $400,000+.