Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation works broadly in the fields of social and environmental justice. It also runs an annual awards program for California-based artists and organizations working in the performing arts. Funding is mainly limited to California and Hawaii.
IP TAKE: This is an accessible funder for social justice initiatives and innovative performing arts organizations in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in California and the State of Hawaii. The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation accepts letters of inquiry from eligible organizations on an ongoing basis. They tend to be open minded and approachable; however, this funder is razor-focused on its geographic areas, so if your work doesn’t service its locations, then this becomes a tough nut to crack.
PROFILE: Based in Berkeley, California, the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation was established in 1971 by Martha Alexander Gerbode, who named the organization for her son, Wallace, who died in an accident. Martha is a descendant of William Patterson Alexander, a missionary whose family was very influential in Hawaii throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Martha was an active environmentalist in both Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area, and the foundation’s early work reflected her interests. In 2016, the foundation restructured to allow a third generation of Gerbodes to pursue their own philanthropic interests; one half of the foundation’s assets were spun off into three new independent foundations, while the other half remained with Gerbode.
Currently run by Martha Gerbode’s son Frank and his children, the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation supports a broad array of justice-themed causes including women and girls, LGBTQ causes, criminal justice reform, immigrant rights, journalism, environmental conservation and sustainable food systems. Its named funding initiatives are Advancing Truth, Justice, Environment and Arts, through which it supports music, dance and theater. The foundation also maintains a special initiatives fund for flexible grantmaking. Funding prioritizes but is not strictly limited to Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in California and the State of Hawaii.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
Gerbode supports civic engagement and democracy via its Justice and Advancing Truth initiatives, which share related goals. The foundation’s advancing truth funding aims to “inform and engage the public on critical issues, as well as influence change in current policies and practices that cause harm to individuals.” Specific goals include leadership and policy development. The justice initiative, meanwhile, prioritizes “populations that are currently experiencing trauma and persecution” and aims to effect change through cross-sector collaborations. One past grantee of the advancing truth program, the Center for Cultural Power, supports artist-activists and digital organizers involved in social justice causes. A grantee of the justice program, the San Francisco-based Coleman Advocates, runs leadership development, policy development and voter education programs. Other grantees involved in civic engagement include the East Bay Community Foundation, One East Palo Alto and La Luz Center of Sonoma, which used funding to support its Census 2020 outreach program.
Grants for Journalism
The Gerbode Foundation invests in journalism and media through its Advancing Truth initiative, which seeks to “elevate voices of truth to counter misinformation” and “embrace authentic and diverse viewpoints, narratives and solutions that have the potential to later culture, policy and behavior.” One past grantee is the Center for Media Justice, which used funding to support work toward “a more just and participatory media” in the Bay Area. Gerbode also supported the production of a podcast featuring an account of the Japanese American internment by American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio. Other past media grantees include Renaissance Journalism and Maplight, which used funding for its Digital Deceptions Solutions project.
Grants for Criminal Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform and anti-recidivism are main focal points of the foundation’s Justice funding, with grantees receiving funding for advocacy, policy reform, education and case management programs. The foundation has provided multi-year grants to Root and Rebound, which serves “the families and communities most harmed by mass incarceration,” and the Safe Return Project, which organizes Californians around issues of systematic poverty, incarceration and protecting the formerly incarcerated from discrimination. Another grantee, the Insight Prison Project, developed a Victim/Offender Education Group program, which has significantly reduced rates of recidivism among its participants.
Grants for Women and Girls
The Gerbode Foundation does not name women’s and girls’ causes as a specific area of interest; however, it appears that the foundation invests in this area of funding across its programs, having supported organizations working in this area in the past. Past grantees include the Alliance for Girls, a national coalition and resource hub for girls’ organizations, and the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, which supports reproductive health services for underserved communities. The foundation has also given to Hawaii Women in Filmmaking, which provides “resources, education, leadership and support” to women and girls working in film and media.
Grants for LGBTQ Causes
LGBTQ populations are one of several groups “currently experiencing trauma and persecution” toward which the Gerbode Foundation has demonstrated a broad commitment. The foundation funds this space across its programs. Past grantees include the Transgender Law Center, a national organization that advocates for self-determination for all, and Not in Our Town, an anti-hate and anti-bullying organization that works in communities and schools across the U.S.
Grants for Immigrants and Refugees
Since 2016, the rights of immigrants and refugees in the U.S. have become an area of increasing concern for the Gerbode Foundation. While the foundation does not have a dedicated initiative for immigrant and refugee causes, it has recently supported several organizations working with immigrants through its special initiatives program. These grantees include the Arab Resource Organizing Center, Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance, Lao Family Community Development and the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
Gerbode’s environmental funding aims to “heal the relationship between people and the earth” by investing in “conservation, preservation and quality of life concerns.” In Hawaii, the foundation has provided ongoing support to the Trust for Public Land, and in California, the Sonoma Ecology Center, the Greenbelt Alliance and the San Francisco Bay Keeper have received multi-year grants for their general operations.
Grants for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
Gerbode’s environmental program has recently begun to fund programs involved in sustainable agriculture and food systems, naming “access to healthy food” as an area of interest. Recent grantees in this area include Food Corps, which brings healthy food and nutritional education programs to K-12 schools, and Fresh Approach, a community gardening and farmers’ marketing program operating in California.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation supports the performing arts through its Special Awards in the Arts Program. While the specific focus of awards changes from year to year, awards generally aim to support new works by artists from diverse backgrounds with grants of $50,000. Funding is limited to artists and organizations in California. The Gerbode foundation partners with the Hewlett Foundation in its arts awards program.
Grants for Music
The Gerbode Foundation names music composition and music commissioning as areas of focus for its Special Awards in the Arts Program. Music composition was the focus of the awards program in 2016, and grantees included the San Francisco Girls Chorus, the Women’s Audio Mission, the American-Filipino cultural organization Kularts and Cultural Odyssey, a multicultural musical ensemble based in San Francisco. The foundation named music commissioning the focus of the 2013 awards. Awardees included the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Kronos Quartet and Door-Dog Music Productions, among others.
Grants for Dance
Dance composition and choreographer commissioning were the subjects of Gerbode’s Special Arts Awards in 2018 and 2014, respectively. The dance composition awards prioritized multi-cultural and ethnic expression. Grantees included Dancing Earth, which works in indigenous styles and rhythms, and CubaCaribe’s production of She Who Is Queen, an original work in Afro-Cuban folkloric style. Choreographer commissioning awards went to the Axis Dance Company, Destiny Arts Center and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Grants for Theater
Theater production was the subject of the Special Arts Awards in 2019. Awards were directed at California theater companies developing original new plays with themes of social justice and diversity. Grantees included the Aurora Theater Company, the Crowded Fire Theater Company, the Cutting Ball Theater and the Living Word Project, among others.
Important Grant Details:
The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation gives away about $2 million in grants and awards each year. Grants generally range from $2,500 to $100,000, with many organizations receiving multi-year commitments. Funding is mainly limited to Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties in California and the state of Hawaii, but national organizations have also received funding, particularly if they have chapters or operations in Gerbode’s geographic areas of interest. The foundation provides detailed information about its past grantmaking on its past grantees page.
This funder asks potential grantees to complete an eligibility quiz and accepts one- to two-page letters of inquiry from eligible organizations at any time via email. The arts awards program, which changes its focus each year, runs a separate application process. General inquiries may be directed to foundation staff via email or telephone at 510-915-8048.
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