Haas, Jr. Fund President Cathy Cha Announces Departure

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 

After seven years of leading the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund as its President and CEO, and another fifteen years calling the Fund my professional home, I have made the difficult decision to leave and start the next chapter of my career.

It has been a privilege and an honor to work alongside you in our mission to advance equality and justice in the Bay Area and beyond. And I am humbled by what we have been able to achieve with our partners in a time when the values and beliefs we share—about democracy, about human rights, about respect, and about taking care of one another—are under such serious threat.

My best memories are of the things we were able to accomplish together. Our efforts to uphold the law and defend California’s policies, values, and progress. Building the movement to make California the most pro-immigrant state in the country. The launch of the California Black Freedom Fund. Forming civic engagement tables to connect more people to our democracy. Working on innovative democracy policy at UC Berkeley. Our efforts to help boost voting in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in California and nationally. The creation of the New Americans Campaign to expand citizenship. That’s just a slice of the work we have done in deep partnership with many of you these last several years.

In my new role as a Senior Fellow at Freedom Together Foundation, I will join their Strategic Partnerships Team, which is working to expand the circle of bold and generous donors giving to communities and causes that matter. It’s a wonderful opportunity to build on my experiences and learnings at Haas Jr. to help reimagine giving for this moment. There is a growing community of donors who are eager to have real community impact and are looking for fresh ideas and on-ramps for innovative, courageous giving. My goal is to experiment with new approaches to unlock exponentially more resources for the nonprofits and communities working for lasting change.

But for right now, my focus is on gratitude. Gratitude for working with partners like you. Gratitude for the support and trust over many years of a truly committed board of directors at the Haas, Jr. Fund. Gratitude for the amazing Haas Jr. staff team and for the hard work they do every day. And gratitude for the opportunity to make a difference for communities that have been the focus of my work since I started my career.

The Haas, Jr. Fund remains committed to its mission, values, and to our grantee partners. You will be hearing from our board chair, Wally Haas, in the coming weeks with details on a transition plan and the search process for a new leader. I will transition out from my position at the end of May, and I will remain with my family in the Bay Area in my new role with Freedom Together Foundation.

I look forward to watching the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund write the next chapter in its powerful story of change. I hope that we will keep in touch as we continue the work of shaping a society that cares for people and delivers more fully and equitably on our nation’s core democratic ideals.

Thank you, 
Cathy