Stupski Foundation

Stupski Foundation operates from a distinctly community-centered philosophy best summarized in its own mission language: "returning dollars and decisions to communities." This is not rhetorical — it reflects a decade-long institutional commitment that has distributed over $374 million since 2014 across Hawai'i and the San Francisco Bay Area.

CRITICAL STATUS NOTE: As of July 2025, Stupski Foundation is NOT accepting new applications and does not anticipate issuing new grants after 2027. The foundation awarded 76% of remaining allocated funds in 2025 and has committed to existing partners through the spend-down. Organizations should not submit unsolicited proposals.

For organizations already within the Stupski network — or those studying this funder to understand the broader trust-based philanthropy ecosystem — the giving philosophy is deeply instructive. The foundation systematically prioritized organizations led by people closest to the challenges: community-based organizations led by people of color, indigenous-led land trusts, community health centers, and food justice coalitions. Intermediaries, policy organizations, and systems-reform entities received support, but only in direct service of community benefit.

The typical grant relationship at Stupski was long-term and profoundly relational. The top grantees illustrate this clearly: University of Hawai'i Foundation received 26 separate grants totaling $10.9 million; The Food Basket received 10 grants totaling $3.4 million; Kokua Kalihi Valley received 7 grants totaling $4.8 million. These were not transactional gifts but multi-year partnerships deepened over time. The foundation strongly favored unrestricted general operating support — flexible dollars that allowed grantees to allocate funding as needed without program-specific reporting burdens.

The historical grant process used "invitations for funding" rather than open RFPs, with CEO Glen Galaich ($545,423 compensation in FY2023) and Chief Program Officer Parag Gupta ($365,357) serving as primary relationship holders. Organizations with budgets under $1 million could historically access 20-minute office hours calls with staff. The foundation described its approach as trust-based philanthropy: multiyear or unlimited-term grants, larger and more flexible, focused on conversation and learning over compliance.

Any organization wishing to engage the Stupski ecosystem should review the grantee directory at stupski.org/grant-directory/ and build collaborative relationships with current grantees rather than pursuing direct Stupski funding.

Stupski Foundation's grantmaking has been highly variable across its spend-down period, reflecting strategic acceleration decisions and evolving program priorities. From audited financial data:

• FY2022 (historical peak): $75.5M grants paid, $85.3M total giving against $288.8M assets
• FY2023: $57.7M grants paid, $70.2M total giving against $223.7M assets
• FY2020: $33M grants paid, $43M total giving
• FY2019: $31.5M grants paid, $38.5M total giving
• FY2021: $19.5M grants paid — lower year reflecting COVID disruptions and strategic pauses
• FY2015: $4M grants paid — early spend-down ramp-up period
• 2025 (projected): $57M+ (accelerated from $34M planned following July 2025 announcement)

Across 1,059 documented grants totaling $234 million, the foundation's grant size data from 215 tracked grants shows: median $50,000, average $128,027 (database weighted), range $5,000 to approximately $1.69 million. However, cumulative multi-year commitments to top grantees far exceed individual grant amounts: University of Hawai'i Foundation ($10.9M across 26 grants, averaging $421K each); SF Jazz ($9.8M across 6 grants); West Hawai'i Community Health Center ($6.4M across 2 grants averaging $3.2M each).

By geography: California dominates grant count (669 grants vs. 256 for Hawai'i), but Hawai'i grantees received some of the largest lump-sum commitments — West Hawai'i Community Health Center ($6.4M, 2 grants), Waimanalo Health Center ($4M, 2 grants). Hawai'i health investments surged post-2020, particularly for rural and remote care.

By focus area: Health (serious illness care, early brain development, community health centers) captures the largest cumulative share. Food justice represents a significant second tier — The Food Basket ($3.4M), Hawai'i Good Food Alliance ($3.3M), Unity Council ($2.4M), Mandela Partners ($1.3M), Share Our Strength ($1.2M). Postsecondary success grantees — CSU East Bay ($4M), SF State ($2.6M), UASPire ($1.5M) — cluster in the $500K–$4M range. Arts funding (SF Jazz $9.8M, Honolulu Museum of Art $2.4M) reflects the founders' personal philanthropic interests alongside mission areas.

Total lifetime giving since 2014: approximately $374 million, per the foundation's published financials at stupski.org/about/financials/.

The five peer foundations share similar asset sizes (~$167–170M) but differ sharply in giving volume, philosophy, and public accessibility. Stupski's accelerated spend-down distinguishes it from all peers, which operate as perpetual endowments.

The most striking distinction is giving intensity. Stupski distributed $57.7M in FY2023 against $223.7M in assets — a payout ratio exceeding 25% — while typical private foundations distribute the legally mandated minimum of 5%. The four peer foundations at similar asset sizes typically distribute $5–15M annually against perpetual endowment mandates, meaning Stupski's annual giving in its final years exceeds peer foundations' total annual giving by a factor of 4–10x.

The peer foundations are all classified as "Philanthropy & Grantmaking" but operate as traditional, opaque private family foundations with no public application processes. None maintain grantee directories or the level of public transparency Stupski employs. For organizations in California or Hawai'i seeking alternatives to Stupski's now-closed pipeline, the Hawai'i Community Foundation and Northern California Grantmakers — both Stupski grantees — serve as critical intermediary funders with accessible application processes.

July 21, 2025 — Major Acceleration Announcement: Stupski Foundation announced an additional $23 million to existing grantees, bringing projected 2025 grantmaking from $34 million to over $57 million — the second-largest annual giving year in the foundation's history. CEO Glen Galaich cited "alarming attacks on our democracy, health, education, and food systems" as the catalyst, noting parallel acceleration decisions by Marguerite Casey Foundation, California Endowment, and the Gates Foundation.

2025 Hawai'i grantmaking included $4.6 million to rural communities: Hokulani Children's Theater of Moloka'i ($200K), Iwikua ($400K), Kahilu Theatre Foundation ($40K), Kūkulu Kumuhana O Anahola ($300K), Kumano I Ke Ala ($1.05M), and Ma Ka Hana Ka 'Ike ($1M). The foundation also committed $6.4 million in flexible operating support to 24 community-based organizations across Kaua'i, Moloka'i, Maui, Lāna'i, and Hawai'i Island, and over $22 million to Hawaiian community health centers with an emphasis on rural and remote care.

Legacy positioning: The foundation published "Society of Solidarity: A New Vision Beyond Our Spend Down," reporting over $300 million distributed (approximately 60% of total endowment) and reframing the spend-down as a solidarity and power-shifting act rather than philanthropic charity.

Board composition: Joyce L. Stupski (founder/Board Chair in early filings) is deceased. Jim Wiggett serves as current Board Chair. Active directors include Kelvin Taketa, Pia Infante, Marisa Hayase, Sam Cobbs, Keoni Lee, and Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez — a board designed to reflect community leadership. The foundation maintains its 2029 closure date despite the accelerated 2025-2026 distribution schedule.

Current Reality: Stupski Foundation is closed to new applicants as of mid-2025. The foundation explicitly states it has no plans to fund new rounds of open applications and does not anticipate new grants after 2027. Any organization that has not yet established a relationship should not submit an unsolicited proposal.

That said, the following intelligence is actionable for existing grantee partners and organizations building strategic positioning in the Stupski-influenced ecosystem:

For existing Stupski grantee partners: - Expect accelerated grant decisions in 2025–2026, with terms potentially compressed toward lump-sum final distributions rather than multi-year installments - Proactively communicate post-Stupski sustainability plans to your program officer — the team deeply values organizational resilience and will be tracking grantee stability post-spend-down - Frame communications using the foundation's "society of solidarity" language: center community leadership, power-building, and systems transformation — not service delivery metrics - Contact CEO Glen Galaich or CPO Parag Gupta directly via their staff pages at stupski.org/about/our-team/ to discuss final-cycle opportunities or referrals to peer funders

What historically distinguished successful applicants: - Community-rooted leadership was the primary filter — organizations with staff, boards, and decision-making power held by people from communities served received preference over professionally-managed nonprofits - General operating support requests significantly outperformed project-specific asks — Stupski explicitly resisted foundation rules that burdened partners with restricted reporting - Long-term organizational capacity mattered more than single-program outcomes — proposals showing multi-year trajectory and community trust outperformed project proposals - Geographic specificity was non-negotiable — organizations serving San Francisco/Alameda counties or Hawai'i (particularly rural and indigenous communities) were the entire focus - Alignment with all five focus areas (Food Justice, Health, Postsecondary Success, Early Brain Development, Serious Illness Care) was prerequisite, not just one area

Ecosystem strategy for successor funding: - Target Stupski's intermediary grantees: Hawai'i Community Foundation ($3.85M recipient), Northern California Grantmakers ($2.2M), Tides Center ($1.55M), San Francisco Foundation ($2.4M), Movement Strategy Center ($1.6M) — these organizations hold Stupski-influenced resources with accessible application processes