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Tomorrow for us all
This planet can only prosper when we all prosper. We need to disrupt the status quo that has created a world that works for some, but not all. But we can’t do…
Rhea Suh
Rhea Suh is a senior executive with more than 25 years of philanthropic, environmental and public policy experience. Prior to joining MCF in 2021, Rhea served as the third president of the Natural…
Robert J Reynolds
Bob joined the Board in 2008. A retired investment banker, he is active on several nonprofit and corporate boards, including Counterpart International and The Mountain Institute. He previously…
Marilee Eckert
Marilee joined the Board in 2014. She was the Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Corps North Bay for 27 years and is currently the Executive Director of San Francisco Conservation Corps. She…
Miguel Gavaldón
Miguel joined the Board in 2014. He is a nonprofit leadership coach, trainer and consultant. He has been a volunteer for the Marin County Juvenile Probation Department's Disproportionate Minority…
Andrew Giacomini
Andrew joined the Board in 2015. He is a lifelong, third generation resident of Marin County. He and his wife Susi have raised their three children in San Geronimo Valley, where he grew up. By day…
Noah Griffin
Noah joined the BFF Board of Trustees in 2017. A native San Franciscan and longtime resident of Marin, he is a public affairs consultant, writer, speaker and musical performer. His career in…
Peter Hamilton
Peter Hamilton was appointed to the Board in 2013. He is a director of software engineering at Fair Isaac and Company (FICO), the highly regarded decision and analytics company with offices in San…
Steven Schroeder, MD
Steven Schroeder was appointed to the Board in 2013. He is a distinguished professor and physician at University of California, San Francisco, and is the director of its Smoking Cessation…
Sherna Deamer
Sherna was appointed to the Board in 2021. She is active in interfaith dialogue, writing and speaking, and served as Board Secretary for the Marin Interfaith Council. She has retired from the…
Vikki Garrod
Vikki joined MCF in 2013 with a career in marketing, advertising, and branding agencies in the U.S. and internationally. Earlier in her career she worked at global advertising agencies such as J.…
Saul Macias
Saul joined MCF in 2017 with more than 20 years of HR experience in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining MCF, Saul was a Partner and HR Consultant at ABD SharedHR.…
Lauren McClelland
Lauren joined MCF in 2019, bringing over ten years of experience from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP within their Assurance practice. In this role, she advised clients on all aspects of technical…
Dr. Ralph Gonzales
Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH is Chief Innovation Officer for UCSF Health, and Associate Dean for Clinical Innovation in the UCSF School of Medicine. He attended Washington University in St Louis…
Michelle DePass
Michelle DePass leads MCF’s newest team, Marin 24x7, which represents the organization’s commitment to be more proximate to the communities it serves.
Michelle is a lawyer by training and a…
Launched The Lens
A program which allows donors to add an increased level of intention to their philanthropy by using a racial or gender equity framework.
Launched the . . .
Venture Impact Program: An initiative that enables impact investing via grantmaking.
Established The Family Office of Philanthropy: A multi-disciplinary…
Commissioned A Portrait of Marin
The first comprehensive analysis of the county’s characteristics and disparities.
Instituted a nondiscrimination policy
Led the community foundation field by instituting a nondiscrimination policy for all grants, discretionary and advised.
Published "Making a Difference in Marin"
The first comprehensive report on giving and volunteering in the county.
Established MCF's Legacy Giving Program
To enable donors to incorporate philanthropy into their estate planning.
Launched the MCF Loan Fund
(Now called CommunityFirst) to enable nonprofits critical access to financing options which they may not be able to access or afford through traditional commercial avenues.
So several years ago, MCF established its Professional Advisor Committee. This small group, comprising experts in their respective fields, meets with our Philanthropic Planning team quarterly with…
Strategic consulting
“Consulting” is a word that comes with a lot of baggage and a ton of preconceptions. Let’s cast them aside and start fresh, because what folks really want from consulting goes beyond slide decks,…
Jason Blau
Jason Blau leads MCF’s Strategy team, which seeks to align all MCF’s work to the greatest impact.
Jason brings more than 15 years of experience in philanthropic strategy. His commitment to…
philanthropic objectives
To meet the philanthropic objectives of donor funds, investments can be made in one or more of six professionally managed investment pools. Within each pool, MCF hires managers who specialize in…
Marin Community Foundation Equity Pool Managers
- 747 Capital, LLC
- Accolade Capital Management, LLC
- Actis LLP
- Adage Management, LLC
- Ampfield Management, LP
- Artisan Partners Asset Management…
Marin Community Foundation Fixed Income Investment Managers
- Colchester Global Investors Limited
- Dodge & Cox
- Garcia Hamilton & Associates, LP
- iShares
Guy Lampard & Suzanne Badenhoop - 10,000 Degrees
Donors Guy Lampard & Suzanne Badenhoop leverage VIP to provide working capital to 10,000 Degrees.
Mitch Cohen and Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures
Mitch Cohen and Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures use VIP to invest in Marin's future.
What's at stake
Marin County is geographically stunning but climatically fragile. In our county, record breaking weather, wildfire, rising seas, more intense…
Financial Education
One of the goals of the CommunityFirst Loan Fund is to provide free technical assistance on financing and act as a resource for current borrowers and the broader nonprofit community in Marin…
How to apply.
If you are a nonprofit organization whose proposed project or program is conducted in Marin County, you will first need to discuss your needs with MCF's Director of Community Lending. If it is…
four priority communities
While our work stretches across the County and sometimes beyond, four communities in Marin are most impacted by social and economic inequity. Here, the needs…
Strategic Initiatives Grants
Every year, Wells Fargo, acting in its capacity as Investment Trustee of the Buck Trust, provides MCF with a distribution from the Trust. It uses a…
Organization funds
For many small and medium sized organizations, having an Organization fund at MCF is a better alternative to a traditional banking relationship. It allows your…
BOOK A CONFERENCE SPACE
If you are a nonprofit organization based in Marin, or a current Buck Family Fund grantee, we’re happy to be able to offer you meeting rooms at no cost. MCF…
Frank H Levinson
Three generations of our family work with MCF, including ourselves, our five children and their spouses, and our six grandchildren. Family members have an array…
The Advantages of MCF
Global reach
We may be based in Marin, but our reach extends far beyond the county. We make thousands of grants annually on behalf of our donors to…
Investment fees
MCF does not charge any investment fees, but third-party fees charged by investment managers are passed through to each fund. These typically range between 5…
Expense of the sale of gifts
When brokers, agents, or others charge fees for liquidating stocks or other assets - such as real estate - made as gifts to a fund, these fees are passed…
International grantmaking
Funds in The Family Office of Philanthropy enjoy complimentary international grantmaking three times annually; all other funds can access international…
Funds to choose from
Whether you're considering opening a donor-advised fund (DAF) to start your charitable giving now, or you're planning for the future, we have the options that…
Our vision
To address housing issues effectively will require billions of dollars. So we can't do this alone. We will collaborate with community leaders and experts to identify critical intervention points…
Housing and homelessness resources
Interested in learning more? Selected reports and research papers are below.
2024 Marin County PIT Count
Marin County’s complete count of every person experiencing homelessness in Marin.
Our approach
Through an open RFP process, we sought to support organizations and collaboratives that work with and support Marin’s most marginalized communities. While the…
The outcome
73 individual organizations and 9 collaboratives will form the Community Power Initiative portfolio for the next three years. See the list of organizations by…
Our work in Novato
We are partnering with a number of nonprofits in Novato to ensure basic needs continue to be met. We are supporting the largest affordable home ownership project to be launched in Marin…
DIVERSITY INEQUITY & EXCLUSION
Marin City is a small, unincorporated community north of the San Francisco Bay, nestled between the cities of Sausalito to the south and Mill Valley to the north, Highway 101 to the east and the…
downloadable resources
Having a meeting with a client who is interested in discussing philanthropy? Here are some resources that you can have on hand that can facilitate an informed…
Compare your charitable options
Weighing the option of a DAF versus a private foundation? Here’s a quick overview.
Voluntary termination of a private foundation
Converting a private foundation to a DAF makes a ton of sense, financially and administratively.
Anonymous Donor
The majority of our firm’s clients work with MCF on their philanthropy. The team at MCF is knowledgeable, talented, efficient, and has made our clients’ lives easier while also helping them…
Frank H Levinson
One of my clients was inspired to rehabilitate an abandoned theater and make it available to Bay Area arts organizations struggling to find affordable venues.…
Mitch Cohen
As a family who has lived in Marin County for 20 years, we deeply care about this community. We are fortunate to have MCF as a truly impactful partner in…
Grantmaking services:
- Assigned Senior Philanthropic Advisor to provide advisory, strategy + implementation services
A partnership with MCF gets you this and more. Thought partnership. Strategic counsel. Access to our local and national network of resources.…
How much does it cost to open a donor-advised fund at MCF?
There are no start-up costs associated with opening a fund at MCF
Is there a minimum contribution size?
There is no minimum contribution to open a fund. However, to ensure you feel as though you’re getting value from your annual fee, we recommend you establish a…
How much do I legally need to distribute from my fund every year?
Unlike private foundations, that legally have to distribute a minimum of 5% of their fund’s balance annually, there is no distribution requirement for a…
Can I make grants internationally?
Yes! Unlike DAFs at commercial companies, like Schwab and Fidelity, MCF donors can recommend grants to nongovernmental organizations outside of the U.S. that…
Is there a minimum grant amount required?
Grants given to all 501(c)(3) public charities within the U.S. must be for a minimum of $500. Grants given outside the U.S. must be for a minimum of $2,500.…
overview
The Marin Community Foundation (MCF) first opened its doors in January 1987 with an initial responsibility of assuming the role of Distribution Trustee for the…
background
The shift for the Buck Trust came as a result of a decision arising from a request that the San Francisco Foundation had filed in 1984 asking the Court to…
distribution trustee of the buck trust
At the time of the transfer of assets to MCF in 1987, the Buck Trust market valuation was approximately $450 million.
a new foundation evolves
The creation of MCF as the vehicle for administering the Buck Trust also brought the concurrent status and responsibility, as a community foundation operating…
leadership transition
In June 2020, Dr. Thomas Peters, announced his retirement after 22 years at the helm of the Foundation.
He…
A Leader For Our Times
The opening line of the job description that was posted in late 2020 for a new President and CEO of MCF read: “The MCF Board seeks a bold and strategic leader…
Competitive fees
We offer some of the most competitive fees in the country. And there is never a fee for opening any type of fund at the foundation.
Our donors have a broad range of philanthropic interests and support efforts both locally and around the world. When appropriate, staff may share the information you provide with donors and reach…
Virtuoso
You will enjoy the personal service of a senior philanthropic advisor, who forms the nucleus of your…
Bespoke
Our newest offering provides the ultimate a la carte approach: you brief us on your service needs and we’ll design the…
Mission
Mobilizing the power of community and the resources of philanthropy to advance equity for people, places, and the planet.
Values
Our values seek to capture the ways in which we work toward our mission and vision. We aspire to live out these values in our relationships with members of the…
Growing Together: Advancing Housing Solutions for Workers in West Marin
A study that sheds light on the web of issues impacting housing for West Marin’s agricultural and service workers.
John Schneider
The majority of our firm’s clients work with MCF on their philanthropy. The team at MCF is knowledgeable, talented, efficient, and has made our clients’ lives easier while also helping them…
Patrick McCabe
One of my clients was inspired to rehabilitate an abandoned theater and make it available to Bay Area arts organizations struggling to find affordable venues.…
How it works.
MCF has a partnership with ImpactAssets, a market leader in impact investing.
Leveraging
Design your own portfolio.
Investments can be in companies, funds, and other enterprises that aim to solve social or environmental challenges while generating a financial return. All…
Leverage Your Capital In New Ways
Most people think of philanthropy as the singular exercise of grantmaking. We believe philanthropy should be an immersive experience, where you can choose…
Working Capital
Donors Guy Lampard and Suzanne Badenhoop leverage VIP to provide working capital to 10,000 Degrees.
Vision
A world where every choice begins with we; where every action sustains all; where every person acts now.
We envision communities built on common cause and empathy – where people of all…
An Experience Like No Other
When you open a fund at MCF, you’re officially a philanthropist. And no two philanthropists are alike.
You…
The Family Office of Philanthropy
When fund sizes exceed $5 million in assets, complexity tends to increase. There might be a need for greater strategic heft, via deep issue area expertise and…
The Buck Family Fund
For decades, the Buck Family Fund of the Marin Community Foundation has funded community-led initiatives that support the most marginalized Marin County…
Goals of the Fund.
Expand access to debt financing
We provide loans to nonprofits in Marin County when other financial possibilities have been exhausted. Loans will be considered for nonprofits that…
Affordable Housing & Homelessness
Every person deserves to live in a safe and secure home. However, the high cost of housing and limited supply of affordable homes in Marin forces many of our neighbors into unjust housing…
Research & Perspectives That Matter
Our Impact in Marin
With our donors, we have built hundreds of affordable housing units so more people can live in one of the healthiest counties in California. We piloted Marin’s first…
A Poncho for Climate Action
Jane Fonda Partners With Margaret O’Leary and Marin Community Foundation
West Marin Agriculture Worker Housing Report Released
The report, commissioned by MCF, the County of Marin and West Marin Fund is covered in the Marin IJ
Buck family history
Dr. and Mrs. Buck are not only responsible for the establishment of the Marin Community Foundation, but their generosity and care for the County has resulted in more than $1 billion being directed…
Nondiscrimination policy
In 2005, MCF led the community foundation field by instituting a nondiscrimination policy for all grants, discretionary and advised.
The fundamental values of equity and inclusiveness…
Terms of Service
Last Updated: August 1, 2018
Please read these Terms of Service (the “Agreement”) carefully. Your use of the Site (as defined below) constitutes your consent to this…
Applying a Gender Equity Lens to Your Giving
The gender equity lens acknowledges that historical and cultural gender norms – pervasive attitudes, conceptions and behaviors about gender – have fueled inequitable outcomes for women and…
Equity in Focus
The Lens is a new offering that allows MCF donors to add an increased level of intention to their philanthropy by using an equity framework. This framework can be focused on race, on gender, and…
Applying a Race Equity Lens to Your Giving
The race equity lens acknowledges that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations and that fairness and equity are needed to guide the provision of opportunities for all…
The Gender Snapshot
Produced by UN Women, Women Count & United Nations Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs
Progress | Regress: Women's Health Amidst a Pandemic
The report on the status of women and girls in California. Produced by the Center For the Advancement of Women, 2022
Taking Count 2021 - A Study on Poverty in the Bay Area
Published by Tipping Point Community, UC Berkeley and Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley
Mismatched: Philanthropy's Response to the Call for Racial Justice
Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity, by Malika Devich Cyril, Lyle Matthew Kan, Ben Francisco Maulbeck and Lori Villarosa
The Impact of COVID-19: Amplifying the Inequities, published by Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles, 2021
The Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California
On The Margins
Economic Security for Women of Color Through the Coronavirus and Beyond, a report published by Closing the Women's Wealth Gap in April 2020
(For accredited investors only)
MCF has partnered with ImpactAssets, a market leader in impact investing, to provide a variety of High Impact…
Prioritizing equity
Our work in Marin will address the two crises that the entire community has identified as most acute: Affordable Housing & Homelessness and Community Resilience. We also seek to bolster…
ImpactAssets Gender Equality Impact Fund invests in areas that have an outsized impact in reducing systemic gender inequities.
Investment minimum: $25,000
Regardless of the impact of our past efforts, many challenges persist, and some have worsened. The pandemic, racial reckonings, political upheavals, and climate…
ImpactAssets Racial Equity Impact Fund channels dollars to where they can have outsized impact in communities of color.
Investment minimum: $25,000
ImpactAssets Climate Solutions Impact Fund invests in areas where the biggest gaps in climate funding exist.
Investment minimum: $25,000
LEGAL AND PROGRAM DISCLAIMER: This is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, nor a private placement offering pursuant to any private placement memorandum that must be…
Imprint (Legacy Funds)
These are established by donors as part of their estate planning. Typically, all or part of the donor’s estate is left as a bequest to a charitable fund at MCF. The fund becomes a vehicle to…
Supporting organizations
These are separate nonprofit corporations that operate under MCF’s status as a public charity. Through its own board, on which the donor(s) may choose to sit, a…
Scholarship funds
These funds allow you to give the gift of education. MCF can help you establish an objective set of criteria to select individuals who receive scholarships. Scholarship funds may be established by…
Designated beneficiary funds
These funds support one or more organizations specified at the fund's inception. This is a way to ensure a specific organization will…
Committee-advised funds
These are funds established by one or more donors whose grants are recommended by a committee. The members of the committee do not have to be donors to the fund. However, all members of the…
Field of interest funds
These funds allow you to identify an area of your philanthropic interest to support, without requiring you to specify any particular organizations. MCF’s philanthropic advisors can provide you…
Organization funds
These are designed for nonprofit groups, schools, or religious organizations as part of their overall fundraising strategy. Often this type of fund provides organizations with a way to establish…
Charitable remainder trusts
Giving through a charitable remainder trust enables you to receive income for the life of the trust, with the residual going to the charities of your choice.
Charitable lead trusts
A charitable lead trust enables you to make significant charitable gifts now while transferring substantial assets to beneficiaries later.
Retained life estates
Turn your property’s value into community good through a charitable gift of real estate.
Gift of life insurance
For those whose need for life insurance has decreased, making a gift of an unneeded policy can be a convenient and effective way of meeting your charitable goals.
TODAY’S MOST UNTAXING WAY TO GIVE
When you’re ready to start giving, MCF is ready to make it easy. Open a donor-advised fund in just one day with virtually any asset that you’d like to use —…
Enabling world class philanthropy.
We are developing new offerings and engaging with donors in new ways to stimulate more giving.
One MCF
More than any time in our history, we are acting as a single, unified organization, where collaboration is built into every action.
initiatives that champion equity
Research among nonprofit partners, donors, and Marin residents identified two escalating crises in our community as the most urgent — and where MCF will focus…
Research & Perspectives
In four decades of partnering with community and donors, we've collectively achieved a lot. And learned a lot along the way. Sharing those learnings, along with…
Investment Strategies
MCF's investment strategy is designed to achieve superior returns while moderating risk to enable donors to maximize their philanthropic impact.
* Equity Pool Benchmark with HFRI: 28.5% S&P 500, 9% Russell 2000, 25% HFRI FOF, 21.5% MSCI EAFE, 11% MSCI EM, 5% NCREIF.
By The Numbers
Since its founding, MCF has granted more than $3 billion (and counting!) to worthy causes all over the world, including over $1 billion to Marin nonprofit organizations and…
BTG Pactual Open Ended Core U.S. Timberland Fund L.P.
Support on-the-ground conservation, biodiversity, and carbon benefits at scale, while stimulating local economies and producing sustainable forest products.
Minimum investment: $25,000
Iroquois Valley Farmland Notes
U.S. organic farmland investments protecting farmers, food supply and planet.
Investment minimum: $25,000
Advance Global Capital's SME Growth Fund
Support gender equality and economic growth through SME financing.
Investment minimum: $25,000
HOPE Enterprise Corporation
Fighting inequity in the deep South through financial inclusion and small business lending.
Investment minimum: $25,000
CIM Emerging Markets
Scaling responsible innovation in lending for underserved communities in emerging markets.
Investment minimum: $25,000
LISC Impact Notes
Forging vibrant, resilient, and inclusive communities of opportunity across America
Investment minimum: $25,000
CIM US Private Credit Strategy
U.S. small business loans building healthy and sustainable local living economies.
Investment minimum: $25,000
responsAbility Micro & SME Debt Fund
Empowering the developing world through financial inclusion, climate finance, and sustainable food and agriculture.
Investment minimum: $25,000
Enterprise Community Loan Fund
Investments in affordable housing and community revitalization for low-income communities across the U.S.
Investment minimum: $25,000
Rethink Education Fund IV
Unlocking human potential through education technology
Investment minimum: $50,000
Grameen America
Micro-business loans that help entrepreneurial women living in poverty build businesses and enable financial mobility.
Investment minimum: $25,000
STRATEGIC VISION
In 2022 we embarked on a strategic planning process — the first in MCF’s history. The process left no stone unturned in its quest to design an organization optimized for impact.
A unique history & bright future.
As the only community foundation in the country established by court order, we have a unique history. Read about our past – and our current state –…
Careers with impact.
A career at MCF means working every day towards impact on some of the toughest community challenges. It also means enjoying the company of amazing and thoughtful folks united in their ambition to…
Marin IJ Editorial: MCF’s New Strategy Fits Our Times
The three-year cycle will involve $30 million that will be devoted to the works of more than 80 Marin organizations.
MCF Launches $30 Million, Three-Year Funding Initiative
MCF is granting $10 million annually for the next 3 years to over 80 Marin County organizations through its Community Power Initiative (CPI).
The loan application is reviewed by the MCF Finance Committee and upon recommendation is sent to the MCF President and MCF Board of Directors for consideration.
A nonprofit contacts MCF to apply for a loan as it is unable to go through traditional financial institutions due to tight restrictions or perceived…
Donors can invest a portion of their assets into the CommunityFirst Pool.
In so doing, they are supporting local community efforts in Marin County.
Upon approval, the nonprofit receives either a short or long-term loan.
They will also be earning a modest rate of return in a low-risk environment.
They also have the opportunity to access hands-on financial training and technical assistance, should they be interested.
When the loan is repaid, assets are returned to the Pool and they are reinvested for future lending.
Trust-Based Philanthropy
We're transitioning our grantmaking model to embrace trust, taking some of the burden off the nonprofits in the community who do the hard work, day in and day…
The Family Office of Philanthropy
When fund sizes exceed $5 million, the type of service that's needed often changes. That’s why we established The Family Office of Philanthropy. We think of it…
Maximize Your Impact
That’s our singular goal. And to achieve it, we have to look at philanthropy as a team sport. None of us can solve today’s most pressing issues alone. But when…
An experience like no other.
We're one of the largest community foundations in the world, entrusted with nearly $4 billion in assets. We have industry-renowned service and super smart staff.
For nearly four…
Investment strategies that deliver results.
Our investment strategy is designed to achieve superior returns while moderating risk, so our donors can maximize their philanthropic impact.
Board of Directors
Local knowledge combined with a global perspective makes the MCF Board of Directors uniquely qualified to oversee one of the largest community foundations in the world.
Investment Committee
MCF's Investment Committee, made up of seasoned volunteer professionals in the investment industry, guides the investment strategies of the Foundation.
The Lens
The Lens allows MCF donors to intentionally add an equity framework to their philanthropy, which can be focused on race, on gender, and more.
Pooled Funds
A pooled fund allows multiple donors to give to a single fund, increasing the potential for impact. A well-designed pooled fund, like a mutual fund, delivers a…
