Rosenberg Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Rosenberg Foundation awards grants to organizations working to improve social and environmental conditions for Californians related to justice and public safety, immigrant and workers’ rights, and civic rights and engagement.
IP TAKE: This funder is laser-focused on California. The Rosenberg Foundation is accessible and approachable, providing a contact submission form, as well as physical address and phone number, so eligible grantseekers can reach out with questions. While Rosenberg accepts letters of inquiry, its grants are highly competitive.
PROFILE: Established in 1935, the Rosenberg Foundation was founded by Max L. Rosenberg, a San Francisco businessman who died in 1931. His Foundation began under the direction of his relatives and business associates who were named trustees in his will. Rosenberg was the president and major shareholder of Rosenberg Brothers & Co., a successful company he and his brothers formed to pack and ship out dried fruit from California. Grantmaking interests support Justice & Public Safety, Immigrant Rights & Workers’ Rights, Civil Rights & Civic Engagement and the Leading Edge Fund, which invests in “bold ideas from the next generation of progressive movement leaders in California.”
The Rosenberg Foundation collaborates with other California grantmakers to expand impact. Rosenberg has worked with the Ford Foundation, the California Endowment, and others on criminal justice campaigns and the Haas Jr. Fund to support comprehensive immigration reform. The funder also has a Leading Edge Fund to seed and incubate bold new ideas.
Grants for Criminal Justice Reform
Rosenberg’s Justice & Public Safety grantmaking focuses on criminal justice reform and specifies sentencing reform, alternatives to incarceration and anti-recidivism interventions as areas of interest. Recent grantees include Californians for Safety, the Essie Justice Group and Justice and the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance.
Grants for Refugees and Immigrants
Immigrant Rights & Workers’ Rights grantmaking focuses on immigration reform, advocacy, protecting immigrants’ rights and “strengthening the communications capacity of immigrant rights advocates.” Some of the Foundation’s early work included support to Japanese-American families returning from internment camps and reproductive rights for farm workers in the Central Valley. Today, the Foundation’s priorities have evolved to include justice for farm workers, immigrant rights and integration and justice and public safety.
Recent grantees include the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative, the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, which works to “transform the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in California by guaranteeing them full rights and protections.”
Grants for Democracy and Civil Engagement
The foundation’s Civil Rights & Civic Engagement program aims to improve the lives of all Californians and “strengthen civil rights and advocacy” in underserved and underrepresented groups. Past grantees include the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Media Justice and the Golden State Opportunity Foundation, which aims to improve the financial stability of California’s poorest citizens.
Grants for Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights
Rosenberg’s Leading Edge Fund is run in conjunction with the Hellman Foundation and awards $250,000 fellowships to individuals “tackling deep barriers to opportunity for communities of color around the state.” For additional information on recent recipients, see the program’s fellows page.
Grants for LGBTQ
While it does not have a focus area dedicated to it, Rosenberg broadly supports LGBTQ causes across each of its grantmaking programs. Previous grantees in this area include Equal Justice Society, Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues, and Gender Health Center.
Important Grant Details:
The Rosenberg Foundation has made between $2 million and $4 million in recent years. Its grants are generally awarded in amounts of up to $500,000, with an average grant size of $20,000.
This funder mainly funds organizations in the state of California, but national organizations and organizations in other states have received funding on occasion.
For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s grantees page.
The Rosenberg Foundation accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry from California organizations working in its areas of interest. Letters should include detailed information about the organization, project, budget and requested amount. Letters should be emailed to the foundation’s grants manager, Linda Moll. From the letter of inquiry process, selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals.
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