The Fund provides $16 million to launch the UC Berkeley Initiative for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, which expands research on diversity; funds scholarships for low-income transfer students; and makes equity a priority across the Cal campus.
Fund leadership officially shifts from the founders to the second generation of the family. Now, Walter J. Haas serves as chair, Robert D. Haas as treasurer and Elizabeth Haas Eisenhardt as secretary.
Evelyn D. Haas passes away on Feb. 3rd. Her friend, F. Warren Hellman, says, “There will never be another Evie Haas. She possessed such diverse talents that gave her the courage to accomplish new and sometimes daunting challenges with grace and dignity. San Francisco has lost one of its finest citizens.”
The Fund completes a strategic planning process, sharpening its focus in Gay and Lesbian Rights, Immigrant Rights and Integration and Nonprofit Leadership. It also adds a new program: Education Equity.
The San Francisco Chronicle interviews the Haas family about their approach to philanthropy and their commitment to transforming lives in the Bay Area.
The Fund becomes a founding partner in the Civil Marriage Collaborative, which aligns the grantmaking of leading funders who support marriage equality.
The Fund invests in direct services for immigrants, litigation, organizing and advocacy at the state and national levels.
The Fund launches its Immigrant Rights program, part of the Haas family’s longtime tradition of helping immigrants—highlighted by Walter A. Haas, Jr.’s efforts to assist San Francisco Latinos employed at Levi’s.
The Fund officially launches the Gay and Lesbian Rights program, issuing 29 grants in areas such as housing, anti-violence, school safety and HIV.
The Fund moves beyond local issues and supports state and national causes that reflect Bay Area concerns. The first step: establishing Freedom to Marry to catalyze the national marriage equality movement.