Every Voice Shines New Light

The value of an idea increases exponentially when it’s shared. From our staff, partners and grantees to the people impacted by their efforts, each perspective offers new insight into the critical issues at the heart of our work.

Our Contributors

Sepi Aghdaee

Sepi served as a Program Officer at the Haas, Jr. Fund
Rachel Baker

Rachel works to strengthen the field of leadership development for social change.
Cathy Cha

Cathy leads the Fund’s work to advance rights and create opportunities for all people.
Denis Chicola

Denis works to ensure that communications are at the core of the Fund’s efforts to advance rights and create opportunities.
Holly Delany Cole

Holly directs the Fund’s flagship leadership investment program, which helps grantees to build the leadership they need to reach their goals.
Matt Foreman

Matt oversees the Fund’s extensive support for the drive for equal rights and opportunities for LGBT people.
Victor Garcia
Walter J. Haas

In his leadership of the Haas, Jr. Fund, Walter J. Haas is guided by a commitment to serving the community and to creating opportunities for all people to succeed.
Ira Hirschfield

Ira oversees the Fund’s investments and leads its work on selected community partnerships.
Jennifer Kirschenbaum
Tomás D. Morales
Paula Morris

Paula has worked with the Fund’s Flexible Leadership Awards program since its inception in 2005, and was its program director until January 2015.
Beth Rayfield

Beth Rayfield is the director of institutional advancement at the Center for Community Change (CCC) and former development director at CHIRLA.
Robert Ross
Jennie Lehua Watson

Jennie leads the Fund’s work to advance rights and create opportunities for all people.
Evan Wolfson

Evan is the founder and President of Freedom to Marry, a longtime Fund partner and key player in the campaign to win marriage equality nationwide.
Linda Wood

Linda leads the Fund’s work to strengthen leaders, organizations and movements that are advancing social change.
Sylvia Yee

Sylvia served as the Fund’s Vice President of Programs

Showing Up When Needed Most

December 8, 2017 | by

Season of Sharing Provides a Helping Hand After Devastating Fires

The Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund steps up its aid to families in fire-ravaged Bay Area counties.

It’s often said that many American families are one medical emergency away from a serious financial crisis. Well, the same goes for natural disasters. Imagine for a moment ... your family survives a horrib…

Maricela Gutiérrez

“This Moment Calls for Us to Step Up.”

SIREN Executive Director Maricela Gutiérrez talks about the stress and uncertainty facing immigrant communities, and the support people need to stay safe and successful.

With anti-immigrant sentiment on the rise following the 2016 elections, Bay Area immigrants began to look for safe havens where they could find solidarity and support. Many ended up contacting SIREN (Services, Immig…

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Investing in Nonprofit Talent

October 30, 2017 | by

A Toolkit by Fund the People

A toolkit by Fund the People provides information that helps funders, nonprofits, and others maximize their investments in talent and leadership.

Just the other day, I sat down with a group of foundation leaders visiting from Australia. They said they want to do more to support the people working in the nonprofit sector in their country, and they were looking…

Inside Out Fundraising

October 11, 2017 | by

How to Create a Culture of Philanthropy by Treating Systems Instead of Symptoms

Five primary points of intervention for identifying problems and moving toward change.

In Inside Out Fundraising, Mark Rovner and Alia McKee are calling for nothing short of a transformation in how fundraising is valued and held in organizations. Transformation is change that is profound, radical and…

Cristina Jiménez

Advancing the Dream of Dignity for All Immigrants

The co-founder and executive director of United We Dream talks about how to move from fear to power in immigrant communities.

Cristina Jiménez, a 2017 MacArthur Genius Fellow and one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most influential People, grew up undocumented as the child of U.S. immigrants from Ecuador. In this video, she reflects on her imm…

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California Funders Stand Up for DREAMers

September 7, 2017 | by

Joint statement highlights “devastating impact” of ending DACA for California and the nation

Haas, Jr. Fund and other funders denounce White House DACA decision, call on philanthropy to speak out and do more for DREAMers.

This statement was originally published by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR). Statement The Trump Administration announced the termination of Deferred Action for Childho…

Voices from the Field

Hear insights, challenges and breakthroughs from our grantees’ inspiring work.

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Cal State University San Bernardino students

Dreaming Higher

Investing in California’s Future by Investing in Undocumented Students

Interview with Cal State University San Bernardino President, Tomás D. Morales, on helping undocumented students and their families navigate public higher education.

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First Person Stories

See the issues at the heart of our work through the eyes of those most closely affected.

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Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn

Future (undocumented) doctor

New once kept his undocumented status a secret from everyone outside his family. Today, he is proudly the first undocumented medical student at UCSF.

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Dreaming Higher

Investing in California’s Future by Investing in Undocumented Students

Cynthia Buiza

Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center

Cristina Jiménez

Advancing the Dream of Dignity for All Immigrants

Supporting Nonprofit Fundraising Professionals

Lifting Up the Leadership and Vision of “Resource Leaders”

A Park For All

An Immigrant’s Perspective on Crissy Field

Every Voice Shines New Light