After 21 years and over $105 million in investments, the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund announced that we will be winding down our LGBT equality program over the next two years.

While letting go of a grantmaking program is always difficult, we couldn’t be prouder of the transformational work of our LGBT movement partners. Over the past two decades, they have delivered tremendous gains for the LGBT community and advanced our nation’s core values. That said, we know that the struggle to secure full equality for LGBT people is not over. Far from it. We are committed to providing two years of transitional support to our current LGBT grantees so they can continue their important work and plan for the future.

At the Haas, Jr. Fund, we know that strong, compassionate and capable leaders are key to fulfilling the promise of these and other movements for change. That’s why we are so excited to see how the Fund’s longstanding work to strengthen nonprofit and movement leadership has blossomed to become an independent entity, The LeadersTrust.

Alongside other funders, we launched The LeadersTrust earlier this year—and now this new organization is welcoming its first executive director, Sidney Hargro. Sidney is a nationally known leader with a career-long commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice through smart and innovative philanthropy. He is the right person to move The LeadersTrust into high gear as it sets out to support more people and organizations to deliver on their goals for their communities and the world.

Walter A. Haas III, Elise Haas, Nancy Pelosi, Jesse Eisenhardt, Betsy Haas Eisenhardt at Crissy Field.

20 years ago, the revitalization of Crissy Field literally reshaped San Francisco’s northern waterfront. No words can capture the subsequent years of joy and connection these precious lands provide to people near and far.

A former concrete and derelict US Army airfield, Crissy Field now serves as a treasured national park site, right in the heart of San Francisco. It is a safe haven for nesting birds and a sanctuary for calm where one can hear the waves and see the beauty of the sea and sky. Crissy Field provides a launch spot for exhilarating fun – whether you are a kite boarder, swimmer, dog lover, avid fisher, cyclist, walker, kid or a kid at heart.

People also meet at Crissy Field to connect, enjoy picnics and walks with friends and family amidst some of our city’s most iconic views — Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands and the San Francisco city skyline. This special place was made possible through the foresight and generosity of the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, park partners, and the mobilization of thousands of community donors and volunteers.

The Fund launches its Democracy program with a focus on increasing civic participation and representation for communities in California that have long been underrepresented in our democratic processes.

Recognizing that undocumented immigrants and their families are at grave risk as a result of COVID-19, a collaborative of funders join together with the State of California in an effort to help.

The University of California, Berkeley, receives a $10 million grant from the Haas, Jr. Fund to create a more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive campus. A cornerstone of the gift is $2 million for scholarships designed to bolster the university’s African American student community and their overall campus experience.

In March, the Haas, Jr. Fund officially welcomed three members of the third generation of the Haas, Jr. family to the Board of Directors: Elise Haas, Jesse Eisenhardt, and Walter A. Haas III.

In the wake of White House actions targeting refugees and immigrants, the Haas, Jr. Fund joins with other funders of immigrant rights to speak up for policies that advance diversity, inclusion and human dignity.