Spaht Family Foundation

The Spaht Family Foundation is a fast-growing, founder-led private foundation operating almost entirely through invitation and relationship rather than open solicitation. Founded in 2019 by Holden and Claire Spaht — a Thoma Bravo managing partner and a professional artist/arts board member, respectively — the foundation backs visionary leaders and enduring initiatives across three areas: climate, mental health, and the arts. Its giving philosophy is explicitly trust-based: the foundation's own website states it offers grantees 'autonomy and resources to drive change,' which means proposals that demonstrate strong organizational leadership and a defined, multi-year strategy will dramatically outperform those framed around discrete deliverables.

The foundation's grantee list tells a story of deep, repeat relationships rather than broad distribution. Save The Redwoods League received $1,333,500 across 6 separate grants. Schools of the Sacred Heart received $1,172,000 across 7 grants. Southern Methodist University has received $545,000 across 5 grants. This pattern is unmistakable: the Spahts become genuine partners with organizations they trust, not one-time donors. First-time applicants should not expect a large grant at entry — the typical entry point in the grantee list is $5,000–$25,000, with organizations scaling to six- and seven-figure relationships over multiple years.

Access to the foundation almost certainly begins through personal network connection to Holden or Claire Spaht. Holden's professional network spans Harvard MBA alumni, Dartmouth athletics, and Silicon Valley private equity. Claire's connections run through San Francisco arts institutions (SFFILM, Headlands Center for the Arts), SMU's Meadows School, the Smithsonian, and conservation boards (Northern Sierra Partnership). Identifying a credible mutual connection and requesting a brief, informal introduction — not a formal proposal — is the appropriate first move.

The foundation's IRS filing specifies that applications are accepted in letter form, and it explicitly states it does not make grants directly to individuals. There is no online portal, no published deadline cycle, and no RFP process. Organizations should treat the first communication as an introduction letter (2–3 pages maximum) that articulates mission alignment, leadership credibility, and a clear theory of change — not a budget narrative.

The Spaht Family Foundation has grown rapidly since its 2019 founding, and its financial trajectory reveals a funder moving from modest philanthropic activity to major institutional grantmaking. Total assets reached $122M in FY2024 (up from $37.4M in FY2022 and $49.7M in FY2023), driven by $69.5M in FY2024 revenue — almost certainly a large capital contribution from the founders. Annual giving has ranged widely: $429K (FY2019), $4.47M (FY2020), $2.12M (FY2021), $523K (FY2022), and $4.67M (FY2023). The $48,500 in grants paid in FY2022 versus $4.12M in FY2023 illustrates how lumpy this foundation's deployment can be — grant seekers should not interpret a quiet year as disengagement.

Among the 50 documented grants totaling $5.54M, the median grant is approximately $20,000, but the average is $110,780, driven by a small number of transformational gifts. The range spans from $500 (CHP 11-99 Foundation) to $1,333,500 (Save The Redwoods League, cumulative). Single-grant amounts have reached $500,000 (Tiger Athletic Foundation, Dartmouth College Fund) and the recent Dartmouth DP2 endowment was $5,000,000 — the largest publicly confirmed single gift.

By geography, California dominates: 30 of 50 documented grants (60%) went to CA-based organizations. Louisiana receives 7 grants (14%), reflecting the founders' family roots in Baton Rouge. Texas received 7 grants (14%), driven primarily by the SMU Meadows relationship. New Hampshire received 1 grant (Dartmouth), as did Nevada (Food Bank of Northern Nevada), Washington (Street Soccer USA), Virginia (Washington and Lee University), New York (St. Bernard Project), and North Carolina (unnamed recipient).

By focus area, conservation/climate accounts for approximately 29% of total documented giving ($1,573,500: Save The Redwoods + Northern Sierra Partnership + Tahoe Fund + Lake Tahoe Conservation Fund + El Dorado Community Foundation). Education and arts combined represent roughly 42% ($2,334,000: Schools of Sacred Heart + SMU + Dartmouth + Washington and Lee + Episcopal High + For-Site + Headlands). Human services and crisis response account for about 11% ($604,000: Tipping Point Community + Children of Shelters + St. Bernard Project + Red Cross + Uvalde). Athletics and alumni giving make up the remaining ~18% ($1,000,000 Tiger Athletic funds).

The foundation's asset-matched peers (by database proximity at the ~$122M asset tier) are primarily generalist private foundations. The table below compares Spaht to its closest size peers and two thematically relevant funders for context.

Spaht stands out from its asset-tier peers in several important ways. Most foundations in this size range are multigenerational family foundations or community foundations with formal staff and published grant cycles. Spaht remains an actively founder-led vehicle — Holden and Claire Spaht serve as President and Secretary/Treasurer respectively, with $0 officer compensation, meaning grantmaking decisions sit entirely with the founders. This makes relationship with the principals far more decisive than at peer foundations with professional program staff. The Connecticut Health Foundation, by contrast, maintains an open application process for Connecticut health-focused nonprofits — making it more accessible but also more competitive. Spaht's rapid asset growth (from $20.5M in FY2019 to $122M in FY2024) puts it on an unusual upward trajectory compared to the relative stability typical of same-size peers.

The foundation's most significant recent action is the $5 million endowment gift to Dartmouth College, announced February 18, 2026, to fund a permanent leadership role within Dartmouth Peak Performance (DP2) — the college's student-athlete mental health and wellness program. Holden Spaht '96 and Claire Spaht P'29 made the gift in connection with their child's enrollment at Dartmouth (Class of 2029). This grant reflects both a personal milestone and the foundation's escalating commitment to endowed, catalytic giving rather than annual program support.

In Fall 2025, the Lindley Center for Student Wellness opened at Washington and Lee University — a 14,000 sq ft facility focused on anxiety and depression among college students, supported by the Spaht Family Foundation. The center is named in honor of Lindley Spaht Dodson '99, a family member who was a pediatrician, whose death directly shaped the foundation's mental health priority.

In December 2025, the foundation posted a paid Social Impact Intern position — a notable signal that the organization is building internal capacity as it approaches $122M in assets. Combined with a recently posted Executive Director search (per DSG Connect), the foundation is professionalizing at meaningful speed.

On the climate side, the foundation's partnership with Northern Sierra Partnership has evolved to target the California Wildfire Solutions Coalition, with an ambitious goal of securing $2–3 billion per year in state wildfire resilience funding by 2030 — a policy-advocacy scale of ambition distinct from its earlier direct conservation grants to Save The Redwoods.

Do not submit a cold application. The Spaht Family Foundation has no open application portal, no published deadline, and no RFP process. The IRS filing notes 'letter form' as the application method, but this refers to the format of a grant request once a relationship exists — not a pathway for unsolicited inquiries. Organizations that approach without a warm introduction are unlikely to receive a response.

Map the network first. Claire Spaht's board seats are the most productive entry points for arts and conservation organizations: Northern Sierra Partnership, Headlands Center for the Arts, The Meadows Center for the Arts (SMU), SFFILM, and the Smithsonian National Board. If your organization intersects with any of these institutions, a board member referral to Claire is far more valuable than any proposal document. For mental health and education organizations, Holden's Dartmouth, Harvard Business School, and Thoma Bravo networks are the relevant channels.

Lead with the leader, not the program. The foundation's stated values emphasize trusting leaders and offering them autonomy. When the time comes to communicate, center the executive director's or founder's vision, track record, and defined long-term strategy. Avoid jargon-heavy logic models. The Spahts are private equity investors by background — they want to back a person with a clear thesis and execution capability.

Align explicitly with the three pillars. Climate, mental health, and arts are non-negotiable filters. Organizations with cross-pillar work (e.g., arts addressing mental health, or climate conservation with community wellness components) should surface that intersection clearly — but only if it is authentic to the mission. Do not force-fit.

Signal long-term partnership appetite. The foundation's grantee list is dominated by multi-year, multi-grant relationships. In any initial letter or conversation, express interest in a multi-year partnership. Request a modest first grant ($10,000–$25,000) to establish the relationship rather than leading with a large ask.

Timing note: With the foundation now hiring an Executive Director and interns, a formal application process may emerge in 2026–2027 as operations professionalize. Monitor the foundation website and LinkedIn for any future announcements of an open grant cycle.