Crankstart Foundation
Crankstart is a San Francisco family foundation whose filing lists its location as San Jose, California. It is a private foundation that supports work related to education, economic mobility, housing security, social welfare and civil rights, as well as the arts, basic science and climate change mitigation.
Crankstart Foundation at a glance
In short: Crankstart Foundation gave $201.3M across 435 grants in 2024 (avg $463K), mostly in California. 30% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $201,283,740
- -1.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 435
- +2.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $462,721
- -3.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $250,000
- Total assets
- $4,389,949,189
- +12.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (103 of 345, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (66% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Crankstart Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
Crankstart does not accept unsolicited requests. It makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Letters of inquiry are not accepted as unsolicited funding requests; additional inquiries may be submitted. Full proposals are by invitation only.
- Contact
Mailing address: Co 1952 Camden Ave Ste 202, San Jose, CA 95124
Phone: (415) 561-6540
Website: https://crankstart.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Crankstart Foundation
Who Crankstart Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was San Francisco Foundation ($12.3M across 5 grants). Together the top 10 received $63.9M.
Organizations only. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($950,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
2,068 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $250–500K range: 428 grants of 2,068 (21%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Crankstart says about 60% of its grants go to the an individual recipient In 2024, recipient-state shares of grant dollars were California 66%, Washington, DC 13%, New York 11%, Illinois 3% and Massachusetts 3%. The foundation also says it has occasionally made commitments elsewhere, particularly in Chicago and the United Kingdom.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 435 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Crankstart Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 103 of 345 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $565K; repeat grants $591K. How we count
Medians: $250K first-time, $253K repeat.
- 64% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 21% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 105% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $119.9M (2020) to $255.5M (2021). In 2024 it made 435 grants totaling $201.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Merit America Washington, DC | To support workforce opportunities in the bay area for workers who will benefit from tech training | $10,500,000 |
| Arc Research Institute Palo Alto, CA | To Advance Research to Understand Complex Human Diseases | $10,000,000 |
| UCSF Foundation San Francisco, CA | To Support the UCSF Health Workforce Initiative | $9,100,000 |
| Pro Publica Inc New York, NY | For the Capital Campaign | $5,000,000 |
| San Francisco Foundation San Francisco, CA | For the India Basin Waterfront Park Project Fund | $5,000,000 |
| Neo Philanthropy Inc New York, NY | To support more equitable democracy to support and expand the electoral justice initiative | $3,000,000 |
| San Francisco Foundation San Francisco, CA | For the Crankstart Giving Fund DAF | $3,000,000 |
| The Affordability Project Inc San Francisco, CA | To create affordable homes at 5250 third street in san francisco | $3,000,000 |
| Uaspire Inc Boston, MA | To Support the San Francisco Crankstart Scholarship Initiative | $3,000,000 |
| Voter Registration Project Washington, DC | To Support the Everybody Votes Campaign (EVC) | $3,000,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Crankstart Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
In 2024, the foundation reported 435 grants; it reported 424 in 2023 and 429 in 2022.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,389,949,189 | $348,978,834 | $268,031,579 | $201,283,740 | 435 | $205,766,680 | $530,715,611 | $196,113,127 |
| 2023 | $3,909,004,192 | $213,498,538 | $195,352,340 | $203,617,328 | 424 | $206,431,448 | $239,067,311 | $185,242,813 |
| 2022 | $3,853,358,712 | $55,104,252 | $157,993,707 | $200,468,762 | 429 | $201,271,069 | $71,963,910 | $218,147,560 |
| 2021 | $5,105,990,197 | $480,695,638 | $382,095,745 | $255,536,963 | 482 | $255,894,139 | $746,218,961 | $224,499,122 |
| 2020 | $4,272,580,832 | $383,495,344 | $145,289,679 | $119,917,268 | 298 | — | $408,816,563 | $132,884,563 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Crankstart Foundation reported a distributable amount of $196.1M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Crankstart describes its mission as bolstering the foundations of a just society. Its program areas include economic mobility, education, democracy, housing, the environment and basic science. The foundation says it focuses on root causes of economic disenfranchisement, particularly in low-income communities affected by generational poverty; supports access to education for children and adults; and backs work for secure and fair elections, housing security, clean energy and ecosystem protection.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of its grantmaking. Merit America describes its mission as providing a path to skilled careers for Americans without college degrees. Arc Research Institute says it works to accelerate scientific progress, understand disease causes and bring discoveries to patients. ProPublica describes itself as an independent nonprofit newsroom producing investigative journalism in the public interest. Other 2024 grantees include organizations whose stated missions concern economic mobility for underrepresented students (uAspire), affordable housing for local public-service workers (The Affordability Project), nonpartisan voter registration (Voter Registration Project) and protecting children’s rights (National Center for Youth Law).
Grantmaking
In 2024, Crankstart made 435 grants totaling $201,283,740. The median grant was $250,000; grants ranged from $550 to $10.5 million. The foundation says the bulk of its grants fall between $100,000 and $1 million and that, after developing confidence in an organization, it leans toward multi-year general-support commitments.
Among the largest 2024 grants were $10.5 million to Merit America for an individual recipient workforce opportunities and tech training; $10 million to Arc Research Institute for research into complex human diseases; and $9.1 million to UCSF Foundation for the UCSF Health Workforce Initiative. Other large grants included $5 million each to ProPublica for its capital campaign and San Francisco Foundation for the India Basin Waterfront Park project fund; and $3 million each to NEO Philanthropy for equitable democracy work, The Affordability Project for affordable homes in San Francisco, uAspire for the San Francisco Crankstart Scholarship Initiative, and Voter Registration Project for the Everybody Votes Campaign.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Michael Moritz and Melissa Narula as chief executives; Harriet Heyman as chief financial officer and secretary; William Moritz and Jake Moritz as directors; and Gretchen Selfridge as audit chair.
Crankstart Foundation is led by Michael Moritz, Chief Executive Officer since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Michael Moritz
Chief Executive Officer
President & CFO → Chief Executive Officer, 2024
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Narula
CEO
On filings since 2022
25 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gretchen Selfridge
Audit Chair
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Jake Moritz
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
William Moritz
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Harriet Heyman
Chief Financial Officer & Secretary
Director → Chief Financial Officer & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Wendy Yu Einhorn (2022) — Audit Chair
- Former: Judi Powell (2020–2021) — Audit Chair
- Former: Missy Narula (2021) — CEO
- Former: Jackie Downing (2020) — Assistant Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Crankstart Foundation
How much does Crankstart Foundation give each year?
Crankstart Foundation gave $201.3M across 435 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $203.6M across 424 grants.
What is Crankstart Foundation's typical grant size?
Crankstart Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $250,000, and its average grant was $462,721, across 435 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Crankstart Foundation that year got $565K on average.
Where does Crankstart Foundation give grants?
Crankstart Foundation gives mostly in California: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (13%) and New York (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (187 grants), Oakland, CA (63 grants), Washington, DC (28 grants) and New York, NY (28 grants).
Does Crankstart Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 21% of Crankstart Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (91 of 435) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Event Sponsorship" (35 grants), "For the Healing Justice Initiative" (6 grants) and "To Participate in the SF Youth Justice Initiative" (6 grants).
Who are Crankstart Foundation's largest grantees?
Crankstart Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include San Francisco Foundation ($12,350,000 across 5 grants), Merit America ($10,500,000) and Arc Research Institute ($10,000,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 3 grants to individuals ($950,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 16% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Crankstart Foundation?
Crankstart Foundation reported $4.4B in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $205.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $196.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Crankstart Foundation fund?
Crankstart describes its mission as bolstering the foundations of a just society. Its program areas include economic mobility, education, democracy, housing, the environment and basic science. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Crankstart Foundation?
Crankstart does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Crankstart Foundation's EIN?
Crankstart Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3377099. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Crankstart Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Crankstart Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/crankstart-foundation-morg_70d08191478d4280b7e5362dc5d619ff
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943377099_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Crankstart Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/crankstart-foundation-morg_70d08191478d4280b7e5362dc5d619ff},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Crankstart Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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