The Peter E. Haas, Jr. Family Fund is a left-of-center family foundation founded by Peter E. Haas, the former chairman and CEO of Levi Strauss and Co. and a descendant of the company’s founder, Levi Strauss. The fund is operated by the Marin Community Foundation but incorporated as a standalone family foundation. The fund manages over $800 million in assets and funds initiatives in conjunction with other foundations affiliated with the Haas family and the Levi Strauss Foundation.
In 2024, the fund announced a focus on left-of-center “democracy” related activism in partnership with the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. 1 2 3
Background
The Peter E. Haas, Jr Family Fund was formed in 2006 by Peter Haas, Jr. who was president and CEO of Levi Strauss and Company. Haas was born in 1947 and is the son of Peter E. Haas, Sr., an American billionaire who also ran Levi Strauss. Members of the Haas family have owned significant stock in the Levi Strauss company and formed multiple grantmaking institutions with the wealth acquired through their affiliation with the company. Peter Haas, Jr. is the great-great-grandnephew of the company’s founder Levi Strauss. The company has been based in San Francisco since its founding, and its foundation and other foundations affiliated with the Haas family fund left-of-center advocacy groups and community organizations in the greater San Francisco Bay area. 4 3 5
The Peter E. Haas, Jr. Family Fund owns a significant amount of Levi Strauss stock and was formed when Peter Haas, Jr. transferred stock to the fund. The fund held over $800 million in assets at the end of 2022. 4 6
Affiliated Organizations
The Peter E. Haas Jr Family Fund’s tax records indicate that the fund is operated by the Marin Community Foundation, a left-of-center community foundation in Marin County, California, in the San Francisco area. Staff of the fund are listed as full-time employees of the Marin Community Foundation. The fund provides the Marin Community Foundation with over $11 million annually in exchange for providing administrative support to the fund. 6
There are thirteen affiliates of the Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund, including the Marin Community Foundation, MCF property Holdings, the MCF Gift Fund, and the Margaret E. Haas Fund. 6
Funding
The Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund funds left-of-center advocacy groups with grants mostly ranging from $100,000 to $500,000. Groups funded include the New Venture Fund, the Protect Democracy Project, State Voices, and Voto Latino. 6
Safeguarding Democracy Fund
In 2023 the Marin Community Foundation created the Safeguarding Democracy Fund in conjunction with the Peter E Haas Jr Family Fund, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. The Haas funds announced plans to invest in more left-of-center “democracy” focused work starting in 2020 and looking ahead to the 2024 election. The Safeguarding Democracy Fund, along with the Levi Strauss Foundation and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, became founding supporters of the Democracy Policy Initiative at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. 7
A joint op-ed alleged that “Latino, Black, Native American or Asian voters are being denied fair representation because of voter suppression, racial and political gerrymandering, and other problems,” and warned of “how the nation’s core democratic systems and principles are under threat from creeping authoritarianism, voter suppression, disinformation and other forces.” 7
References
- Cha, Cathy and Lewin, Ralph. “Why All Funders Should be Democracy Funders.” Inside Philanthropy. June 11, 2024. Accessed June 24, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2024/6/11/why-all-funders-should-be-democracy-funders
- “Peter E Haas Jr Family Fund.” ProPublica. Accessed June 24, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/141962681
- “Haas Family.” Forbes. Accessed June 24, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/profile/haas/
- “Levi Strauss sees $6.66 million in stock sold by Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund.” Investing.com. May 17, 2024. Accessed June 24, 2024. https://www.investing.com/news/company-news/levi-strauss-sees-666-million-in-stock-sold-by-peter-e-haas-jr-family-fund-93CH-3447002
- “About.” Marin Community Foundation. Accessed June 24, 2024. https://www.marincf.org/about
- Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990). Peter E Haas Jr Family Fund. 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/141962681/202321299349304527/full
- Cha, Cathy and Lewin, Ralph. “Why All Funders Should be Democracy Funders.”
Inside Philanthropy. June 11, 2024. Accessed June 24, 2024. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2024/6/11/why-all-funders-should-be-democracy-funders