We recognize that philanthropy has long been hampered by the sector’s failure to hire people who reflect the communities that its institutions serve. At the San Francisco Foundation, equity, inclusion, and diversity are core to the success of our internal operations, and to our external impact in the community.
We aim to establish a culture and workplace that is fair, inclusive and just; a culture where staff are recognized for their full selves; a workplace where our personnel policies and benefits are equitable for all staff.
But we are by no means done with this work. This is a journey, and we still have a long way to go. We welcome your feedback to help us along the way. Send your questions or comments to marketingandcommunications[at]sff.org.
We invite you to review our 2023 diversity data, which offers a snapshot of where we are with regard to our staff, our Board of Trustees, consultants, grantee leadership, and investment managers – the people who help bring our best ideas forward. Click on the sections below to learn more.
Race
Since deepening our commitment to equity in 2016, we’ve been able to attract an increasingly diverse team that better reflects the communities that we serve. Our full-time staff members participated in our annual diversity survey, which showed that 72 percent of staff identified as a person of color. By comparison, 24 percent of staff at foundations across the country identified as a racial/ethnic minority, according to the Council on Foundations’ 2016 study, The State of Change: An Analysis of Women and People of Color in the Philanthropic Sector.
Staff
People of color made up 73 percent of our Board of Trustees. Nationwide, people of color made up 15 percent of board positions, according to BoardSource’s 2018 report, Foundation Board Leadership.
Board
As part of our commitment to equity, the San Francisco Foundation contracts with diverse, mission-aligned vendors and consultants. Our 2022 survey of independent consultants showed that 60 percent identified as a person of color.
We make a conscious effort to fund grantees led by diverse leadership. 80% percent of organizations (with available data) that received program grants were led by people of color.
Respondents were invited to select all races/ethnicities that applied. Percentages sum to greater than 100%. Multracial or Mult-ethnic includes individuals who selected Multiracial or Mult-ethnic and individuals who selected two more races/ethnicities.
Gender
In 2023, 72 percent of staff identified as a woman/womxn, 25 as a man, 4 percent as gender variant/non-conforming, and 0 percent as a transgender woman/womxn.
Amongst our Board of Trustees, 45 percent identified as a woman/womxn, 55 percent as a man, and 0 percent as gender variant/non-conforming. Across the sector, the Council on Foundations study reported a staff gender break down of 75 percent women and 25 percent men.
Among consultants, 76 percent of consultants identified as women/womxn and 24 percent as men.
Sexual Orientation
In 2023, 75 percent of SFF staff identified as straight, 6 percent as gay, 4 percent as lesbian, 4 percent as bisexual, 9 percent as queer, 0 percent as asexual, and 4 percent did not answer.
Amongst our Board of Trustees, 82 percent identified as straight, and 18 percent as gay. Of our independent consultants, 62 percent identified as straight, 15 percent as lesbian, 8 percent as bisexual, and 15 percent as queer. The Council on Foundations study did not include information on sexual orientation.
Age
In 2023, 16 percent of staff fell into the 18-29 age category, 28 percent in the 30-39 category, 24 percent in the 40-49 category, 24 percent in the 50-59 category, and 8 percent in the 60+ category. Our Board of Trustees showed the greatest representation in the 40-49 and 60+ age categories. 10 percent of independent consultants fell into the 18-29 age category, 27 percent in the 30-39 category, 23 percent in the 40-49 category, 27 percent in the 50-59 category, and 10 percent in the 60+ category. The Council on Foundations’ report did not include data for comparable age breakdowns.
Ability
In 2023, 14 percent of staff, none of our Board of Trustees, and 7 percent of our independent consultants identified as a person with a disability. The Council on Foundations indicated that only 20 percent of foundations responded to questions about staff with disabilities. Among those, only 1 percent of foundations stated that they had staff with disabilities.
Military Service
In 2023, 2 percent of foundation staff, none of our Board of Trustees, and none of our independent consultants had experience serving in the military. The Council on Foundations study did not include comparable sector-wide data.
Financial Management
Diligent stewardship of the $1.7 billion in assets entrusted to us through endowed and donor advised funds enables us to make a greater impact in the region. To invest our assets in alignment with our values, we seek out investment firms owned by women and people of color—two groups that have historically faced barriers to accessing capital.
In 2023, 38 percent of SFF’s assets are invested with management firms majority owned by women or people of color. Industry-wide, just 2% of assets under management globally are overseen by firms that are majority owned by women or people of color, according to the Knight Foundation’s 2019 report, Diversifying Investments: A Study of Ownership Diversity and Performance in the Asset Management Industry
The asset manager industry’s near-total lack of diversity aggravates wealth disparities that disproportionately prevent people of color from thriving. Not only do diverse-owned firms perform as well as their non-diverse counterparts, but they are also more likely to invest in entrepreneurs of color.
Along with others, we have challenged our investment consultant, Crewcial Partners, to support our efforts to address inequities in the asset management sector. Between 2013-2022, Crewcial Partners’ clients increased their allocation of assets to diverse managers by tenfold. Over the same time period, the firm has seen a sixfold increase in diverse manager hires.
We are proud of the progress we’ve made. We will continue intentionally allocating capital to diverse managers across all asset classes. We welcome the opportunity to share the lessons we’ve learned and to continually improve this critical aspect of our work.
