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.
2020 Grants
For the year 2020, Gaia Fund awarded grants totaling $1,729,200 to 80 organizations.
ALL
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
EFFECTIVE DEMOCRACY
JEWISH LIFE
OTHER
Sustainable Agriculture
$12,000
California Foodshed Funders, Oakland, CA, for general support.
$80,000
CCOF Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA, for general support.
$50,000
Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Davis, CA, for the Climate Smart Agriculture program.
$2,500
Ecological Farming Association, Soquel, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Pt Reyes Station, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Organic Consumers Association, Finland, MN, for general support.
$5,000
Organic Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA, for general support.
$80,000
Regents of University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, for the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CAFSF) for the UC Organic Extension Agent.
$50,000
Santa Rosa Jr. College Foundation, Santa Rosa, CA, for the Sustainable Agriculture Program for the Compost Program.
$5,500
Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders, Santa Barbara, CA, for general support.
$100,000
The University Foundation, California State University, Chico, CA for general support of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems.
$2,500
Wild Farm Alliance, Watsonville, CA, for general support.
Effective Democracy
$100,000
California Common Cause, Oakland, CA for the Bay Area Political Equality Coalition (BAPEC) and general support.
$50,000
Free Speech for People, Amherst, MA, for general support.
$50,000
Issue One, Washington, DC for The Fulcrum.
$50,000
MapLight, Berkeley, CA, for general support.
$3,000
NEO Philanthropy, New York, NY, for the Funders Committee for Civic Participation.
$80,000
NEO Philanthropy, New York, NY, for the State Infrastructure Fund.
$160,000
New Venture Fund, Washington, DC, for the Safe Voting Fund.
$80,000
New Venture Fund, Washington, DC, for the Trusted Elections Fund.
$50,000
Proteus Fund, Amherst, MA, for the Piper Fund.
$180,000
Tides Foundation, San Francisco, CA, for the Voter Action Fund.
$50,000
Voto Latino Foundation, Washington, DC, for non-partisan voter registration and get-out-the vote.
$180,000
Tides Foundation, San Francisco, CA, for the Voter Action Fund.
Jewish Life
$10,000
Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$10,000
J., the Jewish Weekly of Northern California, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$25,000
Jewish Community Center, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$50,000
Jewish Community Federation, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$10,000
Jewish Film Institute, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$1,200
Jewish Funders Network, New York, NY, for general support.
$2,500
The Kitchen, San Francisco for general support.
$25,000
New Israel Fund, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
Other
$6,000
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, New York, NY for general support.
$2,500
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$5,000
American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina Foundation, Charleston, SC for general support.
$1,500
Candid, New York, NY, for general support for Candid West.
$75,000
City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA for the Give2SF Covid‐19 Fund.
$1,000
Classical KDFC, San Francisco, CA, for the Classical KDFC radio station.
$75,000
Community Foundation of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA for the Sonoma County Resilience Fund.
$7,000
Coastal Conservation League, Charleston, SC, for the GrowFood Carolina and Charleston Region Projects.
$5,000
Earth Island Institute, Berkeley, CA for general support.
$5,000
Earthjustice, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$5,000
East Cooper Land Trust, Mount Pleasant, SC, for general support.
$4,000
East Cooper Meals on Wheels, Mount Pleasant, SC, for general support.
$5,000
Edisto Island Open Land Trust, Edisto Island, SC for general support.
$6,500
Environmental Grantmakers Association, New York, NY, for general support.
$5,000
Fields to Families, Charleston, SC, for general support.
$2,500
Food Runners, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$5,000
Fresh Future Farm, Charleston, SC, for general support.
$2,500
Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$5,000
Green Heart Project, Charleston, SC, for general support.
$5,000
GreenBelt Alliance, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$5,000
Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Washington, DC, general support.
$2,500
Jack London Park Partners, Glen Ellen, CA, for general support.
$5,000
KQED, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$2,500
KSVY, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$50,000
Latino Community Foundation, San Francisco, CA, for the Norcal Wildfire Relief Fund’s efforts in the North Bay.
$6,000
Natural Resources Defense Council, Merrifield, VA, for Clean Energy Work.
$6,000
Nature Conservancy, Arlington, CA for work in California.
$50,000
North Bay Organizing Project, Graton, CA, for UndocuFund’s Sonoma County work.
$2,500
Northern California Grantmakers, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$6,000
Planned Parenthood, New York, NY, for general support.
$5,000
Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, for general support.
$1,000
San Francisco Marin Food Bank, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$6,000
Save the Bay, Oakland, CA, for general support.
$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 the Sonoma Garden Park.
$2,500
Sonoma Volunteer Firefighters Association, Sonoma, CA for general support.
$2,500
Sonoma Land Trust, Santa Rosa, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Sonoma League for Historic Preservation, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA, for general support.
$4,000
South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC, for general support.
$5,000
SPUR, San Francisco, CA, for general support.
$2,500
Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, MA, for general support.
$5,000
We the Protesters, New York, NY, for Campaign Zero.