Weingart Foundation

## How to Approach the Weingart Foundation

The Weingart Foundation operates on an invitation-only model, meaning unsolicited proposals are not accepted. This fundamentally shapes the approach strategy: rather than crafting a cold proposal, organizations must focus on building visibility and relationships with program officers.

Key alignment signals the foundation prioritizes: - Racial equity lens: Since 2016, all grantmaking flows through a racial equity and immigration justice framework. Organizations must demonstrate authentic commitment to advancing racial, social, and economic justice — not just include diversity language. - Community power-building: The foundation favors organizations that place clients, constituents, and those most impacted by inequities in meaningful leadership and decision-making roles. Top-down service models are less appealing than grassroots power-building approaches. - Systems-change orientation: Weingart looks for groups pursuing systemic remedies rather than Band-Aid solutions. Coalition work, policy advocacy, and movement-building are highly valued. - BIPOC-led organizations: Strong preference for organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian communities. - Trust-based partnerships: The foundation seeks deep, multi-year relationships rather than transactional one-time grants. Demonstrating organizational stability and long-term vision is essential.

Theory of change: Weingart believes that unrestricted, multi-year operating support — paired with capacity-building investments — creates more durable impact than project-specific grants. They also practice 100% mission-aligned investing, using their $866M endowment as an additional tool for economic inclusion.

Practical first step: Contact a program officer directly (phone: 213-688-7799, email: info@weingartfnd.org) and sign up for the foundation newsletter. Attend Southern California philanthropic convenings where Weingart staff participate. Build relationships through coalition work with existing Weingart grantees like CHIRLA, Liberty Hill Foundation, or LA Family Housing.

## Funding Patterns

Annual giving: Approximately $33.9 million distributed in 2024, with 501 individual awards. This represents a consolidation trend — down from 570 awards in 2023 and 768 in 2022 — suggesting the foundation is making fewer but more strategic investments.

Grant size distribution: - Minimum: $15,000 (small capacity-building grants) - Typical range: $25,000–$400,000 - Most common: $50,000–$200,000 over two years (unrestricted operating support) - Maximum: Up to $3,000,000 (rare, for major strategic investments) - Calculated average per award: ~$67,700

Grant type: Primarily multi-year unrestricted operating support (U.O.S.), which is distinctive in the foundation world. This means grantees have flexibility to use funds where most needed rather than being restricted to specific project budgets.

Geographic distribution: Concentrated in five Southern California counties — Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura — with particular emphasis on South and Southeast Los Angeles communities. Some strategic grants extend to statewide initiatives (e.g., California C.E.O. Immigration Table Pooled Fund).

Sector focus: - Housing justice and affordable housing - Immigrant and refugee rights and integration - Nonprofit capacity building and leadership development - Education equity - Economic security - Health and safety outcomes

Program-Related Investments (PRIs): The foundation also makes PRIs alongside traditional grants, using low-interest loans and other financial instruments to support mission-aligned work, particularly in affordable housing development.

Funding cycle: Rolling — the foundation reviews opportunities on an ongoing basis rather than through fixed application windows, consistent with its invitation-only model.

## Peer Comparison

The Weingart Foundation occupies a distinctive position among Southern California's major private foundations. With $866M in assets, it is one of the region's largest grantmakers focused exclusively on racial and social justice.

Key differentiators for Weingart: - Unrestricted operating support model: Unlike most peers who fund specific projects, Weingart's trust-based approach of providing multi-year unrestricted support is relatively rare among foundations of this size. Liberty Hill shares this philosophy but at a much smaller scale. - Racial equity lens since 2016: Weingart was an early adopter of centering racial equity across all grantmaking, predating many peers' racial justice commitments that emerged after 2020. - 100% mission-aligned investing: The foundation has committed its entire endowment to mission-aligned investments, a bold move that few foundations of comparable size have undertaken. - Consolidation strategy: While CCF and Annenberg distribute hundreds or thousands of grants, Weingart has been deliberately reducing the number of awards while maintaining total giving — deepening relationships rather than broadening reach. - Invitation-only with accessibility: Despite not accepting unsolicited proposals, Weingart actively encourages organizations to reach out to program officers, making it more approachable than many invitation-only funders.

## Recent Activity

May 2025 — $7.7M Grant Docket: The Weingart Foundation announced a major March 2025 grant docket investing more than $7.7 million in organizations on the frontlines of movement-building, systems change, and community resilience across Southern California. This docket emphasized coalition building and alignment in response to ongoing social and political challenges.

2025 — Statewide Immigration Response: The foundation invested $1 million in the California C.E.O. Immigration Table Pooled Fund, a cross-sector initiative to bolster rapid response, advocacy, and narrative change for immigrant inclusion statewide. This represents a scaling-up of their immigration justice work beyond their traditional five-county focus.

2024-2025 — Coalition Support: Key investments include support for We Are California and the Black Vision and Defense Fund — coalitions strengthening the resilience and alignment of social justice movements across California, engaging many Weingart grantees to advance strategies that promote and protect civic engagement.

2024 — $8.5M Racial Justice Investment: The foundation invested more than $8.5 million in organizations advancing racial justice in Southern California, with grants to 34 nonprofit organizations addressing economic security, immigrant rights, housing access and affordability, education equity, and safety and health outcomes.

Leadership: Joanna Jackson serves as President and CEO (previously VP of Programs/Interim President). She has led the foundation's deepening commitment to trust-based philanthropy and racial equity. Former CEO Miguel Santana's tenure ended in September 2023.

Strategic shift — Fewer, deeper investments: The foundation has been steadily reducing grant volume (768 in 2022 to 501 in 2024) while maintaining approximately $34M in annual giving, indicating a deliberate move toward larger, more strategic partnerships.

100% Mission-Aligned Investing: The foundation has fully committed its $866M endowment to mission-aligned investments, ensuring that even its investment portfolio advances economic inclusion — a significant and relatively rare commitment among major foundations.

## Application Tips

1. Build relationships before seeking funding. Since Weingart operates on an invitation-only basis, the most critical step is establishing visibility with program staff. Contact program officers directly at (213) 688-7799 or info@weingartfnd.org. Introduce your organization, share your work, and ask about alignment with their current priorities. Subscribe to the Weingart newsletter for updates on strategic direction and funding themes.

2. Demonstrate authentic racial equity commitment. Surface-level DEI statements will not suffice. Weingart looks for organizations where racial equity is embedded in governance (board composition), staffing, organizational practices, and collaborative relationships. Highlight how communities most impacted by inequity are in meaningful leadership and decision-making roles within your organization.

3. Emphasize power-building over service delivery. While direct services matter, Weingart particularly values organizations that build community power, engage in systems change, and pursue policy advocacy. Frame your work in terms of shifting structural conditions — not just addressing symptoms.

4. Show coalition and collaborative strength. The foundation heavily invests in coalitions and networks (e.g., We Are California, California C.E.O. Immigration Table). Highlight your participation in collaborative efforts, partnerships with peer organizations, and contributions to broader movement-building in Southern California.

5. Align with one of three priority areas. Your work should clearly connect to Housing Justice, Immigrant/Refugee Rights and Integration, or Strengthening Nonprofit Effectiveness. The more precisely you can articulate alignment with one of these three pillars, the stronger your case.

6. Operate in their geographic footprint. Weingart focuses on Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties, with particular emphasis on South and Southeast Los Angeles. Organizations outside these areas are unlikely to receive funding unless working on statewide policy initiatives that benefit Southern California communities.

7. Be prepared for unrestricted support conversations. Weingart primarily provides multi-year unrestricted operating support. Be ready to discuss your organization's overall health, sustainability, and strategic direction — not just a single project budget. They want to invest in strong organizations, not just good ideas.

8. Leverage existing Weingart grantees as connectors. Organizations like CHIRLA, LA Family Housing, Liberty Hill Foundation, and Housing Trust Fund Ventura County are current grantees. Collaborative work with these partners can increase your visibility with the foundation.