How the Grove Foundation Gives Away Money in the Bay Area

Editor's note: This article was revised and updated on 5/5/2021.

In the past, I wrote about a large, $9 million gift to Hunter College of the City University of New York by the Grove family. Andrew Grove is the former chairman of Intel, and his wife Eva is a graduate of Hunter College. Big philanthropy has also involved Grove's alma mater, CUNY, which received a large $26 million gift in 2005.

While some of the family's largest gifts have involved the East Coast, the Grove Foundation's overall grantmaking has been heavily focused out west, particularly the Bay Area. In a recent tax year, the foundation held over $116 million in assets and gave away more than $17 million. Unfortunately, the foundation doesn't have much of a web presence, or a clear way to get in touch, but here are a few must-knows:

1. The Grove Foundation Has Supported Education in the Bay Area

The foundation supports UCSF Foundation, UC Hastings College of Law, Stanford University Board of Trustees, and Cabrillo College Foundation. Cabrillo College is a community college located in Aptos, California and Grove has a particular interest in supporting vocational education. Grove has funded scholarships for students at community colleges and in other vocational programs, with scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 per year. Regarding his interest in vocational education, Grove has said that "most people don’t even realize the need for more highly trained workers... people are required to be suitably trained for their work requirements, and yet the classes that are required for this are cut to the bone."

The foundation funds outfits such as Los Altos High School, Palo Alto Partners in Education, Ravenswood Education Foundation, San Mateo Community College District, and Sequoia Adult School Scholars, a "a nonprofit foundation which gives financial help to low-income adult students in the San Francisco Bay Area."

2. Another Interest of the Foundation is Human Services

Grove supports Cardea Services, with offices in Oakland, which "provides training, organizational development, and research and evaluation services to health and human service agencies throughout the U.S." The foundation awarded a recent grant of $160,000 to Cardea Services. It also funds Day Worker Center of Mountain View, which "connects workers and employers in a safe and supportive environment," HIP Housing Development Corporation, CORA - Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, among others.

3. Grove's Health Philanthropy is Personal

Andrew Grove was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and also suffers from Parkinson's disease. While a lot of this work involves outfits outside of the Bay Area, including heavy support of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the foundation also supports Exhale, an organization "addressing the emotional health and well-being of women and men after abortion," Pacific Business Group on Health, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (which received a $325,000 grant), and American Lung Association in California.

4. Personal Issues Also Drive This Funder's Support of Immigrants and Refugees

Andrew Grove survived both the Nazi occupation of Hungary, and later, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, before arriving in the United States. Similarly, Grove's wife Eva fled the Nazis with her family when she was just three. the International Rescue Committee sponsored Grove's visa and arranged his transportation to the United States. After he arrived, the organization supported him. Given this background, should it be any surprise that IRC has received millions from Grove over the years?

In the Bay Area, as well, Grove supports International Rescue Committee of Northern California. Some Bay Area grantmaking involves supporting immigrants through legal services, such as the Centro de Ayuda Legal para Inmigrantes, a "nonprofit legal organization that strives to help immigrants navigate this country’s legal system," Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (which received a $150,000 grant), and Immigrant Legal Resource Center (which received a $460,000 grant).

Apart from the areas already discussed, Grove has given modest support to environmental causes as well as the arts. Grove supports outfits such as Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Community Initiatives, which funds local causes in San Francisco.

Related: Grove Foundation: Bay Area Grants