San Francisco Bay Area

Working at the intersection of innovation and local need

An image of uAspire students sitting at a table laughing while they work at a laptop.

Overview

Roots in innovation, opportunity and diversity

A region with innovation and progress at its core. Yet while the Bay is an international hub for technology, new ideas, and scale, it is also a community of stark economic inequities and significant historic challenges. 

 

That is where GreenLight comes in. We facilitate our community-driven process to address the Bay Area’s most pressing needs with the country’s best social innovations, continuing to build on our diverse portfolio and 10-fold leverage on each dollar we invest.

Portfolio

Investing in proven organizations to bring to the Bay Area to address community-identified needs

With evidence-based organizations that deliver results, we’re addressing our region’s persistent inequities, working towards opportunity for all.

See All Organizations
The Food Connect logo in black text with two hands outstretched holding up a box with vegetables and fruits extending out.
Everyone On Logo.
The ParentChild+ logo with equal possibilities from the start in red below.
The blueprint logo with a blue swirl-like wave in a circular motion.
The Springboard Collaborative logo in blue block letters with the I shaped as a green spring with a green circle bouncing off.
The uAspire logo with the u in green text and aspire in blue text with the I representing an individual throwing their cap above their head.
Red and black Genesys Works logo.
San Francisco Bay Area
The Food Connect logo in black text with two hands outstretched holding up a box with vegetables and fruits extending out.
San Francisco Bay Area
Everyone On Logo.
San Francisco Bay Area
The ParentChild+ logo with equal possibilities from the start in red below.
San Francisco Bay Area
The blueprint logo with a blue swirl-like wave in a circular motion.
San Francisco Bay Area
The Springboard Collaborative logo in blue block letters with the I shaped as a green spring with a green circle bouncing off.
San Francisco Bay Area
The uAspire logo with the u in green text and aspire in blue text with the I representing an individual throwing their cap above their head.
San Francisco Bay Area
Red and black Genesys Works logo.

Making an Impact in the Bay Area

259,533

individuals and families reached in 2023-24

$5.5M

invested by GreenLight in portfolio organizations

$71.1M

additional leveraged dollars
In San Francisco Bay Area
94%

of Everyone On training participants report reaching a basic understanding of and comfort with digital communications and connection. Read about Maria’s experience.

Read the Story

In San Francisco Bay Area
79%

of Genesys Works alumni persisted from year 1 to year 2 in college. Read about Lorena’s story.

Read the Story

An image of a student sitting at their desk as an adult shows them a book with other children sitting behind them, representing Springboard.
In San Francisco Bay Area
92%

of Springboard Collaborative’s San Francisco Unified School District students grew by 1.5 reading levels. Read how the program impacts students like Maria.

Read the Story

Bay Area Team & Partners

GreenLight Bay Area is made up of a diverse group of changemakers from across the community, working together for positive impact.

What Our Community is Saying

“I’m thankful for all the guidance because I wouldn’t be here right now without it. uAspire is important in Oakland communities like mine where a lot of kids don’t know where to start. Advisors give students tools to reach opportunities that they couldn’t imagine reaching.”

An image of a uAspire graduate in her red cap and gown with a nature background.

Michelle

uAspire Alumna and current UC Davis student

“We believe strongly in GreenLight’s model of leveraged philanthropy and building an ecosystem across the country that supports, nurtures, and shares innovative solutions to some of our toughest challenges. It speaks to the power of collaboration, of working across sectors and of being thoughtful, diligent, and focused on driving real change.”

A headshot of Erin Baudo Felter with a red brick background.

Erin Baudo Felter

Vice President, Social Impact & Sustainability, Okta

“GreenLight has shown us the difference it makes to be ‘pulled’ into a community rather than to ‘push’ our way in as we had done with previous expansions. I wish there was a GreenLight in every city in our expansion roadmap!”

A headshot of Rafael Alverez with a blurred background.

Rafael Alvarez

Founder & Former CEO, Genesys Works

Blueprint Schools Network

Blueprint Schools Network

 Everyone On

Everyone On

 Food Connect

Food Connect

 Genesys Works

Genesys Works

 ParentChild+

ParentChild+

 Springboard Collaborative

Springboard Collaborative

 uAspire

uAspire

Delivering measurable results in the Bay Area

We invest multiyear funding along with on-the-ground support to ensure portfolio organizations quickly take root in the local community and are positioned for growth, measurable impact and sustainability. We are proud to highlight the work, results and meaningful stories of our portfolio organizations locally.

Read our latest Impact Report

San Francisco Bay Area
An image of a cashier talking with a customer at the check out as they pick up something, representing Food Connect, Bay Area.

Food Connect delivers over 20,000 meals a month locally with 400+ deliveries a week

 San Francisco Bay Area
An image of three young adults carrying backpacks and laptops with a building in the background, representing EveryoneOn, Bay Area.

More than 25 organizations across the Bay Area provided digital inclusion and skills trainings through partnerships with EveryoneOn last year

 San Francisco Bay Area
An image of a mother with her son sitting on her lap outside with trees and a fence in the background, representing ParentChild+.

In the Bay, ParentChild+ first scaled to San Jose and has since expanded to Gilroy and Morgan Hill and are set to grow to Oakland and San Francisco

Making an Impact in the Bay Area

259,533

individuals and families reached in 2023-24

$5.5M

invested by GreenLight in portfolio organizations

$71.1M

additional leveraged dollars

Team

Marcela Hunter

Marcela Hunter

Director, GreenLight Bay Area

 Caleb Matthews
A headshot of Caleb Matthews with a nature background.

Caleb Matthews

Program Manager, GreenLight Bay Area

 Katie Na
A headshot of Katie Na with a nature background.

Katie Na

Coordinator, GreenLight Bay Area

 Kate Schwass
A headshot of Kate Schwass with a nature background.

Kate Schwass

Vice President, Site Success & Executive Director, GreenLight Bay Area

Advisory Council

Noha Aboelata

Roots Community Health Center

Kelley Abrams

Jigsaw Diagnostics

Madelyn Adams

Kaiser Permanente of Northern California

Mira Ahmad Prioleau

Family Office

Jamie Almanza

Bay Area Community Services

Erin Baudo Felter

Okta for Good

Jorge Blandón

Arrow Impact

Derick Brown

University of San Francisco

Zach Cohen

City of Oakland

Juma Crawford

Oakland Public Innovation Fund

Melissa Devereaux

Purpose Built Communities

Jackie Downing

Vibrant Strategies

Erica Fortescue

Erica Fortescue Coaching & Consulting

Chris Helfrich

Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation

Sarah Hinkfuss

Bain Capital Ventures

Chris Iglesias

The Unity Council

Regina Jackson

RGJackson Management Group

Cristy Johnston Limón

City of Oakland

Mike Mauzé

VMG Ventures

David Merrill

Merrill Family Foundation

Gail Mohr

Bank of America

Melanie Moore

Oakland Thrives

Sofia Navarro

City of Oakland

Trevor Parham

Oakstop

Sahaar Rezaie

Genesys Works

Terrence Riley

San Francisco Literacy Coalition

Evan Schwartz

Warriors Community Foundation

Lindsay Sharma

Industry Ventures

Ron Smith

Salesforce

Ali Sutton

Tipping Point

Richard Vezina

Blue Shield of California Foundation

Fund III Investors

Melissa and Robert Abbe

Anonymous Family Foundation

Anonymous Individual

Anonymous Individual
bain capital logo with a blue box with red and light blue shapes interlocking inside.
The Bank of America Logo with red and blue stripes positioned in a diamond shape over the text.
Borick Foundation logo with a script B inside a green block.

Breyer Family Foundation
Deloitte Logo with a green period.

Margo Doyle and Suni Dhaliwal

Alan Ghelberg and Elizabeth Whitman
Goldman Sachs gives logo with a grey line and gives underneath.

Greenbridge Family Foundation

Brad Hoover and Lillian Zhao
iheartmedia logo with an antenna and audio waves inside a red heart.

Sara and Frederic Kerrest

Marvin Larbi-Yeboa

Susanne and William Losch

Alison and Michael Mauze

Phil and Thayer Meicler

Merrill Family Foundation

Jennifer Min and Steve Harrick
NFL Logo inside a blue block in the shape of a shield with stars at the top and a football in the middle with red NFL in the bottom with a white background.
Okta logo in blue block letters.

Pedrero

Perkins Hunter Foundation
jpff logo with a black circle and sun rays inside in a swirling motion.

Rogers Family Foundation

MacKenzie Scott

LINDSAY AND ANU SHARMA
SVCF Logo with the C representing blue orange and red colors.

John and Sue Simon
Sobrato Family Foundation logo with Sobrato in red block letters.

Tim Wan

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Jeanne and Michael Williams

Fund II Investors

Melissa and Robert Abbe

Anonymous
Bain Capital logo with a blue box with light blue and red triangles interlocked inside.
Borick Foundation logo with a script B inside a green block.

Breyer Family

Caldwell-Fisher Foundation
Cargill logo with green leaf attached to the top of the text.

Dawson Family Fund

Sunil and Margo Dhaliwal

Alison Elliott and Steven Blank

Dana Emery

Gemmer Family Fund

Kathryn Hall and Tom Knutsen

Kelly and Michael Halper

Harrick Family Foundation
Hewlett Foundation Logo with H in green attached to F in grey.

Brad Hoover and Lillian Zhao

Kalonymus Foundation

Sara and Frederic Kerrest

Laura and Scott Kupor

Susanne and Bill Losch

Andrew F. and Ann B. Mathieson Fund

Alison and Michael Mauze

Merrill Family Foundation
Okta logo in blue block letters.

Anne and Robert Pedrero

Perkins Family Foundation

Pritzker Family Foundation

Mindy and Jesse Rogers
San Francisco Foundation Logo with SFF in multicolored block letters.

Jennie Savage

Lindsay and Anurag Sharma

Angela and William Shulman
Silicon Valley community foundation logo with green and black curves extending out of the left side.

John and Susan Simon

Jeanne and Michael Williams

Founding Seed Partners

The Bank of America Logo with red and blue stripes positioned in a diamond shape over the text.
Corporation for National and Community Service logo with three white stars with a blue background attached to white and red stripes.

Harrick Family Foundation

John and Susan Simon

Type

GreenLight Bay Area: Scaling Innovation and Bridging Solutions
Play Video

20 Stories of Change

GreenLight Bay Area: Scaling Innovation and Bridging Solutions

Mar 10, 2025

San Francisco Bay Area

 A Turning Point for GreenLight Fund – the Social Innovation Fund Story

20 Stories of Change

A Turning Point for GreenLight Fund – the Social Innovation Fund Story

Feb 18, 2025

National, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area

 GreenLight Fund Names Ali Knight as Chief Executive Officer
A headshot of Ali Knight with a window in the background.

Announcement, News, Press Release

GreenLight Fund Names Ali Knight as Chief Executive Officer

Apr 16, 2024

Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Greater Newark, Kansas City, National, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Twin Cities

 GreenLight Fund Annual Impact Report July 2022 – June 2023
The cover photo of the annual impact report with a young woman wearing a yellow sweater standing outside with her arms crossed.

Insights

GreenLight Fund Annual Impact Report July 2022 – June 2023

Oct 20, 2023

Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Greater Newark, Kansas City, National, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Twin Cities

 GreenLight Fund San Francisco Bay Area Raises $10M Fund III

Announcement, News, Press Release

GreenLight Fund San Francisco Bay Area Raises $10M Fund III

Apr 12, 2023

San Francisco Bay Area

 Strategic Partnerships: Building Advisory Boards for Success

Insights, News

Strategic Partnerships: Building Advisory Boards for Success

Jun 14, 2022

San Francisco Bay Area

 A Message From Bay Area Portfolio Organizations

News, Video

A Message From Bay Area Portfolio Organizations

Dec 16, 2021

San Francisco Bay Area

 Building Partnerships for a Strong Start

Insights, News

Building Partnerships for a Strong Start

Aug 11, 2021

San Francisco Bay Area

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