Getting to Know the Gamble Foundation’s Bay Area Giving

There are many environmentalists and nature lovers in the San Francisco Bay Area, but only a few philanthropic foundations prioritize local lands. The Gamble Foundation is one such grantmaker, whose low-key presence has kept it off many grantseekers’ radar. Here are a few things to know before approaching the Gamble Foundation for a grant.

A Bit of Background

Over the years, major donors to this foundation have been Launce Gamble, Mary Gamble and George Gamble. Other family members serve as foundation directors and officers. Launce Gamble is the principal and real estate manager at Gamble Partners, and a former trustee of the Bay Area Discovery Museum. His mother, Mary Gamble, passed away in 1999 and was known as an outdoor enthusiast, gardener and the widow of a Napa and Sacramento Valley rancher. George Gamble of Lake Berryessa is Launce’s brother and Mary’s other son.

An Environmental and Agricultural Focus

With its very specific interests and goals, the Gamble Foundation is a good niche funder to know for nonprofits that work in the outdoors. This funder seeks to promote collaboration between conservation and preservation management, and it focuses mostly on land stewardship on public and private conserved and managed lands.

Specific interests of the Gamble family include sustainable agriculture, working landscapes that make a profit and also provide environmental benefits, and a taking a holistic approach to the intersection of people, profit and the planet. Recent grants have gone to a land-to-market initiative, an agriculture initiative, a media relations and outreach campaign, and a sustainable farm business development program.

Local Causes Are Top Priority

While many Bay Area funders that care about the environment have a broad approach to giving and support national and international causes, the Gamble Foundation is all about funding close to home. For example, past grantees are based in San Francisco, Sacramento, Napa, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Aptos. In 2019, the foundation awarded 42 grants totaling $676,000 to places like California FarmLink, Audubon California, Marin County Soil Conservation and the Sonoma Land Trust.

Funding By Invitation Only

In 2020, the Gamble Foundation is accepting proposals by invitation only. This has been the case for the last several years and is not a new policy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For invited nonprofits, the funder is open to providing general operating support and nonprofit sustainability support. Most recent grants have been between $5,000 and $50,000. The foundation is managed by Pacific Foundation Services and has a three-member team available to answer questions.

Find out more about the Gamble Foundation and how to get in touch with the staff in IP’s full profile in our Bay Area guide.

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