About the fund
Gaia Fund is a San Francisco-based family foundation that began awarding charitable grants in 1995. It was established by Christine Russell and Mark Schlesinger, who serve as its sole trustees and, additionally, set grantmaking priorities for many years.
2018 Grants
ALL
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
EFFECTIVE DEMOCRACY
JEWISH LIFE
OTHER
Sustainable Agriculture
$75,000
Bionutrient Food Association, Barre, MA, for general support for work to improve food quality through regenerative/biological agricultural methods that prioritize building soil vitality and management of biological systems for better crop nutritional quality, vigor, flavor, and yields.
$12,000
California Foodshed Funders, Oakland, CA, for general support of this fellowship of funders dedicated to accelerating the transformation toward regenerative organic farming practices; protection and renewal of natural systems; and healthful, locally-sourced, and just food systems.
$5,000
CCOF Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA, for general support of educational programs about organic growing practices.
$50,000
Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, Delano, CA, to the Community Alliance for Agroecology (CAFA)/Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, Delano, CA, for general support of this coalition of six organizations in the San Joaquin Valley working together to address the injustices perpetuated by the industrial food and farming system and to create agricultural solutions that foster ecological balance, public health, and economic vitality for all.
$100,000
Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Davis, CA, for the Climate Smart Agriculture program, which works with California farmers to pioneer climate-smart crop production practices. (Two-year grant).
$2,500
Ecological Farming Association, Soquel, CA, for the Scholarship Program for farmers to attend the annual EcoFarm Conference.
$12,500
Felix Gillet Institute, North San Juan, CA, for general support for their work to discover, appreciate, preserve, and propagate edible and ornamental heirloom perennial plants from the Sierra Nevada Gold Rush era when Felix Gillet introduced a vast variety of edible and ornamental plants from all over the world and helped establish many of the agricultural industries of the West Coast.
$2,500
Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Pt Reyes Station, CA, for general support of farmland conservation.
$25,000
National Young Farmers Coalition, Hudson, NY, for the California program and farmer organizer, Mai Nguyen, to build the California Young Farmer movement to advocate for policies and regulations that support the transition of farms to new young farmers.
$2,000
Organic Consumers Association, Finland, MN, for general support of programs to protect consumers’ right to safe, healthful food and other consumer products, a just food and farming system and an environment rich in biodiversity and free of pollutants.
$10,000
Organic Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA, for general support to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF cultivates organic research, education, and federal policies that bring more farmers and acreage into organic production.
$5,000
The Perenial Farming Initiative, San Francisco, CA, for a public event regarding climate and agriculture.
$5,500
Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders, Santa Barbara, CA, for general support of their work to amplify the impact of philanthropic and investment communities in support of just and sustainable food and agriculture systems.
$100,000
UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems, Santa Cruz, CA, to hire and house a UC Cooperative Extension Organic Farm Advisor on the UCSC campus to provide a direct resource to organic farmers and other farmers seeking information on ecological growing practices. (Two-year grant).
$2,500
Wild Farm Alliance, Watsonville, CA, for general support to empower farmers, connect consumers, and protect wild nature.
Effective Democracy
$75,000
ACLU Foundation of Northern California, San Francisco, CA, for the Political Equality Project to advance local campaign finance reform in Bay Area communities in a process informed by research that focuses on grassroots organizations and their constituents, who are most egregiously harmed by the influence of big money in politics.
$35,000
Common Cause Education Fund, Los Angeles, CA, for the Every Voice Matters project to get money out of politics, reduce barriers to voting, hold lawmakers accountable, simplify and modernize the state’s voting systems and improve the integrity of our media and democracy.
$35,000
Every Voice Center, Washington, DC, for general support of programs to hold politicians accountable about the need to listen to every voice on the most important issues affecting our nation.
$150,000
Free Speech for People, Amherst, MA, for general support for legal advocacy, policy development, and citizen organizing and education to overturn Citizens United, with the goal to strengthen democracy to assure all people an equal voice and an equal vote. (Two-year grant).
$3,000
Funders Committee for Civic Participation, New York, NY, for general support of a network of grantmakers who are passionate about realizing a collective vision to engage voters, eliminate structural barriers to voting, advance reforms to improve government and electoral systems, and inspire public involvement in civic life.
$100,000
MapLight, Berkeley, CA, for work to assist community organizations, and state and local campaigns to promote policies that reduce the influence of money in politics, improve disclosure of campaign contributions, reasonable limits on campaign contributions, public funding of elections, and other reforms that make government more representative and responsive. (Two-year grant).
$100,000
Piper Fund, Amherst, MA, for educational programs and regranting to state and local community groups working for democratic reforms to increase participation of historically disenfranchised communities and build community power to diminish the influence of corporate and special interest money on the political and judicial systems. (Two-year grant).
Jewish Life
$30,000
Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, New York, NY, to sustain and grow the Bay Area regional organizing and advocacy for equity and justice for all Californians and training of young Jewish leaders in the connections between Jewish values and social justice. (Two-year grant).
$20,000
Camp Tawonga, San Francisco, CA, for the Young Adult Year-Round Engagement Initiative. (Two-year grant).
$10,000
Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA, for general support of a vibrant, sacred Jewish community dedicated to connecting members with their Judaism and history at the highest level and bringing Jewish values to life in meaningful and inspiring ways.
$48,000
Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA, to sponsor the CJM’s Illuminate Gala, celebrating 10 years in its building on Jessie Square.
$50,000
J., the Jewish Weekly of Northern California, San Francisco, CA, for General Operating Support for J. The Jewish News of Northern California. (Two-year grant).
$10,000
Jewish Community Center, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$50,000
Jewish Community Federation, San Francisco, CA, for general support of a vibrant, caring, and enduring Jewish community that is a force for good locally, in Israel, and around the world.
$20,000
Jewish Film Institute, San Francisco, CA, to the Jewish Film Institute, San Francisco, for continued support of the Jewish Film Festival. (Two-year grant).
$2,500
Jewish Funders Network, New York, NY, for general support.
$25,000
New Israel Fund, San Francisco, CA, for general support of programs to help Israelis live up to its founders’ vision of a society that ensures complete equality to all its inhabitants.
$10,000
The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, Berkeley, CA, for general support of collections about the Jews in the Global Diaspora and the American West.
$50,000
Urban Adamah, Berkeley, CA, for general support of the educational farm in Berkeley that integrates the practices of Jewish tradition, mindfulness, sustainable agriculture, and social justice.
Other
$5,000
ACLU Foundation of Northern California, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Classical KDFC, Los Angeles, CA, for Classical KDFC radio station.
$5,000
Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$6,000
Environmental Grantmakers Association, New York, NY, for general support.
$2,500
Food Runners, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$1,500
Foundation Center – San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, for general support for Foundation Center West.
$2,500
Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$5,000
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$1,000
Jack London Park Partners, Glen Ellen, CA, for general support.
$5,000
KQED, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$1,000
KSVY, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$50,000
North Valley Community Foundation, Chico, CA, for Camp Fire relief.
$5,000
Northern California Grantmakers, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$250,000
San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco, CA, for San Francisco Ballet’s New Works Festival Orchestral Music.
$2,000
Schell Vista Fire Protection District, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$1,000
Sebastiani Theatre Foundation, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$5,000
Sierra Club Foundation, Oakland, CA, for general support for the Sierra Club Foundation and the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter.
$2,500
Sonoma Community Center, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, Santa Rosa, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Sonoma Ecology Center, Eldridge, CA, for Sonoma Garden Park.
$2,000
Sonoma Land Trust, Santa Rosa, CA, for general support.
$2,000
Sonoma League for Historic Preservation, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$1,000
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$5,000
SPUR, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, MA, for general support.
$50,000
United Way of Northern California, Redding, CA, for Camp Fire relief.
$2,500
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, for general support.