The John Pritzker Family Fund, based in Redwood City, California, is a private grantmaking foundation focused on Jewish causes, civic projects in the San Francisco Bay area, the arts, and support of left-of-center projects targeting American voters and elections. ¹

John A. Pritzker, the foundation’s co-founder and chairman, is an American hospitality and real estate investment billionaire. ² He is a member of the Pritzker family, a Chicago- and San Francisco-based family of philanthropists and entrepreneurs designated by Forbes as one of the 10 wealthiest families in America. ³ The Pritzker family is active nationwide in left-of-center giving and Democratic Party politics. ⁴

Background

The Northern California Pritzkers are one of eight old-money San Francisco families involved in philanthropy and politics. A former managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle characterized the Pritzkers and the others as weilding substantial power behind the scenes, functioning as a “ruling class” despite their absence from public office. ⁵

The rise of Gavin Newsom to the governorship of California and of Kamala Harris to the Vice Presidency of the United States were facilitated by these families’ donations and political connections. ⁶ Their philanthropy is foundational to San Francisco civic institutions. ^{7 5}

John Pritzker and his former wife, Lisa Pritzker, established the Lisa and John Pritzker Family Fund in 2002. The foundation changed its name to the John Pritzker Family Fund in 2018. Lisa Pritzker is no longer listed as a trustee on that year’s tax return or subsequent returns. ⁸

In addition to his philanthropic interests, John Pritzker is an active donor to Democratic Party political action committees and candidates. According to OpenSecrets, Pritzker has made 81 Federal Election Commission-reportable donations to political committees and federal candidates. ⁹

Grantmaking

In 2021, the foundation awarded, or approved for later payment, $42,185,392 in grants. ⁸ It does not accept unsolicited proposals. ¹

Grantmaking concentrates on projects in the San Francisco Bay Area including Jewish organizations; social services; and civic, arts, recreational, and healthcare institutions. It makes substantial ($500,000 to $1,000,000) gifts for photography collections and modern art in New York City and Israel. The foundation also donated to organizations supporting Israel and international Jewish causes. ⁸

The single largest grant during this period was $20,000,000 to the Child, Teen and Family Center at University of California, San Francisco, a psychiatric treatment and research facility and a continuing recipient of the foundation’s gifts in memory of John Pritzker’s sister who committed suicide during an episode of major depression. ¹⁰

The foundation invests in projects that “defend the core principles and institutions of democracy and the rule of law.” ¹ It does so through awards to two American left-of-center political advocacy and litigation nonprofits focused on voting and elections: the Protect Democracy Project ¹¹ which received $500,000 and the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR) ¹² which received $300,000. ⁸

The foundation participates in left-of-center grant maker networks dedicated to “democracy investments.” These include Policy Impact, a fiscal sponsor for philanthropic donations and coordinator of “education and other policy efforts” ¹³ and the Democracy Funders Network, a nonprofit which convenes and advises donors. ¹⁴

the foundation is listed as one of several left-of-center organizations that has donated roughly $2 million in grants to the One America Movement, a collection of religious organizations that lists the After Party as one of its partners. The After Party is a religious program started by Dukes Divinity School professor Curtis Chang, New York Times columnist David French and Christianity Today editor in chief Russell Moore. The program’s curriculum claims to be a space where pastors and other groups can reframe, “Christian political identity from today’s divisive partisan options.” ¹⁵ Other organizations listed include the Hewlett Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and the Catena Foundation. ¹⁶

People

John A. Pritzker is the chairman of the fund. He is the founding partner and director of Geolo Capital, a vertically integrated real-estate and hospitality-industry developer, investor, lender, and the investment arm of the John Pritzker family office. ¹⁷ He is past president of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation. ¹⁸

He began his career in the Pritzker family’s Hyatt Hotel business, subsequently branching out over a period of four decades into diverse business endeavors from Ticketmaster to a hospitality industry conglomerate. His 2023 net worth was estimated at $2.5 billion. ¹⁹

John Pritzker sits on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; the Bernard Osher Foundation; the executive council of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Health; and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. He is a major collector of modern art. ¹⁸

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5. Mehta, Seema, Ryan Menezes, Maloy Moore. “How Eight Elite San Francisco Families Funded Gavin Newsom’s Political Ascent.” LOS ANGELES TIMES. September 7, 2018. Accessed June 18, 2023. http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-pol-ca-gavin-newsom-san-francisco-money/
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