OVERVIEW: The Schultz Family Foundation supports job preparation, hiring, and mentoring programs through its Opportunity Youth grantmaking, while its Responsive Giving supports homelessness initiatives, other basic needs services, natural disaster response and relief efforts taking place in the United States and U.S. territories, but does not support refugee or asylum relief. It also supports programs that help veterans prepare for and excel at their transition back to civilian life.
IP TAKE: This funder tends to prioritize larger national organizations rather than local and grassroots organizations. The Schultz Family Foundation is not accessible and is somewhat responsive. It’s a difficult nut to crack unless you have a personal in.
PROFILE: Howard and Shari Schultz co-founded the Schultz Family Foundation in 1996. Howard Schultz is the former CEO of Starbucks, holding the position twice, from 1986 to 2000, and from 2008 to 2017. He also co-owned the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm in the past. His foundation is “committed to lifting the human spirit and bringing possibility to everyone, regardless of skin color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or station in life.” Schultz’s grantmaking portfolios include Opportunity Youth, Post 9/11 Veterans and Responsive Giving.
Grants for Economic Opportunity and Youth Development
The Schultz Foundation’s Opportunity Youth program supports “both traditional and innovative programs such as mentorship, access to housing, job readiness and community connections” through several focus areas. Prepare grants support programs that “meet young people wherever they are and help them take their first steps towards success.” Hire grants support “hiring fairs,” “ongoing local programs,” and “digital hiring platforms.” Support grants promote “mentoring programs and other initiatives” to help youth advance in their careers. 100,000 Opportunities is a featured initiative that connects employers with opportunity youth through a “mix of demonstration city hiring programs, Opportunity Fairs, and joblaunch.org, a new digital hiring platform.” Past grantees include City Year, Generation, and National Youth Mentoring Program.
The foundation also announced in June 2022 that it intends to invest $100 million into a fund to support “diverse businesses as vehicles for fostering a more inclusive economy.”
Grants for Housing and Community Development
The Schultz Foundation’s Responsive Giving program is designed to “respond to crises that occur in our communities,” whether they be “natural disasters and other emergencies,” or “a lack of basic needs.” Homelessness is the largest focus of this program area, receiving 38% of responsive giving grants in a recent year. It prioritizes organizations in Washington State that are “committed to providing safe and stable housing for either youth, young adults, or families with children.” It also funds programs in the fields of health and education, disaster relief, basic needs, and animal welfare. Recent grants related to homelessness include Mary’s Place, The Mockingbird Society, and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Grants for Military and Veterans
The Schultz Foundation’s Post 9/11 Veterans focus area aims to “ensure veterans can connect their skills, experience and community commitment to a new organization and a new mission.” It supports active duty military, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses through both Readiness and Reintegration grants. Readiness grants help active duty personnel prepare for their transition to civilian life with skills assessments, training and certification, and job placement. One program in this focus area is Onward to Opportunity, a special partnership with the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families that offers free job training, certification, and job placement services on select military installations. Reintegration grants help veterans “navigate services for themselves and their families.” They support organizations that increase access to services, civic engagement opportunities, and even service dogs. Grantees include America’s Warrior Partnership, Blue Star Families, Arts in the Armed Forces, and National Veterans Intermediary.
Grants for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
The foundation conducts disaster relief through its Response Giving program, but does not name specific grant strategies for disaster relief grantmaking preferring to make grants more broadly and reviewing organizations’ work on a case by case basis. Past disaster grantees include Team Rubicon, which received funding for its natural disaster response programs; and Unidos Disaster Relief and Recovery, which received a grant for its disaster relief and humanitarian aid work in Puerto Rico.
Important Grant Details:
The majority of Schultz Family Foundation grants fall in the $3,000 to $30,000. Grantseekers may explore Schultz’s Grant Portfolio to learn more about the types of programs it supports. The Schultz Family does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding.
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