Posted on November 10, 2011

Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund Announces Last Set of Grants

The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund has announced its final round of grants, including $25 million in legacy grants to five organizations that have had long-standing relationships with the fund and nearly $4.5 million to nonprofit organizations in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Legacy grants were awarded to organizations working in areas of personal importance to the Goldman family, including the environment, Jewish affairs, arts and culture, and social justice. Recipients include Congregation Emanu-El, the Lands End project at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, and the Stern Grove Festival.

The fund also awarded $400,000 to the National Abortion Federation to help ensure safe access to reproductive health clinics; $300,000 to Corporate Accountability International for its efforts to reduce the use of bottled water and strengthen municipal tap water systems; and $175,000 to UpStart Bay Area in support of its efforts to assist Jewish social entrepreneurs. In addition, five Israeli nonprofits will receive a total of $160,000 for their work to encourage pluralism and freedom from religious coercion in Jerusalem, while twenty-five San Francisco-based nonprofits will receive a total of $125,000 in support of their efforts to assist the homeless, immigrants, domestic abuse victims, at-risk youth, and other vulnerable populations during the upcoming holiday season.

Since its inception in 1951, the fund has awarded more than $700 million to 2,600 nonprofit organizations around the world. The fund, which earlier this year announced it would close its doors at the end of 2012, will use the next twelve months or so to tie up loose ends.

"The board is committed to making the transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved," said Goldman Fund executive director Amy Lyons. "Our efforts so far, including the latest set of grants, give every indication that we're well on track to do so. This is in no small part because of the board and staff's hard work. We are all proud of what the fund has accomplished over the years."