joe.givesCauses
joe.gives

Joe Rezendes Philanthropy · San Francisco

Local philanthropy. Funding youth opportunity,education, and the arts.

Explore the causesHow I give →
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§ Philosophy

How I give.

I keep my giving simple. I believe local impact is real and achievable in a way that global-scale philanthropy often isn't, and I think we have a responsibility to invest in the communities we actually live in. These are the organizations I put time and money behind.

  1. 01

    Local first

    I believe impact is most visible, and most achievable, close to home. I give to my city and to organizations operating in it. That isn't a judgment on global work, it's a question of where I think I can actually make a difference.

  2. 02

    Invest in young people early

    The highest-leverage giving I've found is to organizations that open doors for kids. BUILD, LEAD, QuestBridge, The Hidden Genius Project, they change what a young person thinks is possible, and the outcomes compound for decades.

  3. 03

    Support the arts, show up for them

    I believe that helping people cultivate an appreciation for the arts leads to them living more fulfilled lives, so I back local art organizations, especially relating to music and community theater.

  4. 04

    Operators, long term

    I look for the specific people doing the specific work, and I stay with them for years. Consistency matters more than any single-year number, and it's a form of respect for the people on the ground.

§ The Causes

A living index of the
organizations I stand behind.

Some are household names. Some are a handful of people working out of a garage. All of them get something unmistakably right.

BUILD
Youth

Redwood City, CA

BUILD

Providing real-world entrepreneurial experience that empowers youth from under-served communities — turning a high-school classroom into a founder's playground.

SF Community Music Center
Arts

San Francisco, CA

SF Community Music Center

Music for all ages, at every income level. Classes, lessons, and ensembles out of the Mission and Richmond districts, backed by a deep tuition-assistance program so no kid has to turn away.

QuestBridge
Youth

QuestBridge

Connects talented, low-income students to full scholarships at the country's best colleges. One of the highest-leverage bets on a young person's future I know of.

The Hidden Genius Project
Youth

Oakland, CA

The Hidden Genius Project

Trains youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills. Turning Bay Area teenagers into the engineers, founders, and mentors the next decade needs.

826 Valencia
Youth

San Francisco, CA

826 Valencia

A San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills — and helping teachers inspire kids to write. Also home to the Pirate Supply Store.

St. Francis Sailing Foundation
Youth

San Francisco, CA

St. Francis Sailing Foundation

Putting Bay Area kids on the water — providing scholarships, adaptive sailing programs, and pathways for youth sailors who wouldn't otherwise have access to the sport.

San Francisco Symphony
Arts

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Symphony

Founded in 1911, an American orchestra resident at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in Hayes Valley — one of the great artistic institutions of the city I live in.

San Francisco Opera
Arts

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Opera

One of the largest opera companies in North America, performing at the War Memorial Opera House since 1923. A cornerstone of San Francisco's cultural life.

LEAD
Youth

Houston, TX

LEAD

Letting Everyone Achieve Dreams. Prepares youth for success by providing life skills and exposure to new opportunities — inspiring vision, empathy, and tenacity in Houston's kids.

San Francisco Heritage
Arts

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Heritage

Preserves and enhances San Francisco's architectural and cultural identity — from the Haas-Lilienthal House to the Doolan-Larson Building at Haight and Ashbury. The city's memory, actively maintained.

The Secret Alley
Arts

San Francisco, CA

The Secret Alley

Sustains artists and arts-driven businesses with affordable immersive studio environments that inspire imagination, foster collaboration, and strengthen bonds with audiences.

Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble
Arts

Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble

Entertains, educates, and enriches local communities through diverse and quality theatrical experiences.

Let's Write the Future
Education

Let's Write the Future

Part of the Masons for Public Education program — putting books, supplies, and support into classrooms that need them most.

Black Girls CODE
Equity

Black Girls CODE

Empowering young women of color, ages 7–17, to embrace the current tech marketplace as builders and creators.

Dress for Success San Francisco
Equity

San Francisco, CA

Dress for Success San Francisco

Helps women achieve economic independence through professional attire, career development, and a network of support — the SF chapter of a worldwide organization doing extremely tangible work.

GLIDE
Community

San Francisco, CA

GLIDE

At the corner of Ellis and Taylor in the Tenderloin, GLIDE serves thousands of meals a day and provides housing, recovery, and crisis support grounded in unconditional love and radical inclusion.

SFMade
Community

San Francisco, CA

SFMade

Keeps manufacturing alive in San Francisco — supporting the small makers, craftspeople, and local businesses who still build things in the city. Local economy as local identity.

Union Square Foundation
Community

San Francisco, CA

Union Square Foundation

Advances the vitality of the Union Square area through arts, culture, and culinary programs — Union Square in Bloom, Winter Walk, the holiday lighting. Making the neighborhood feel like a neighborhood again.

Internet Archive
Knowledge

San Francisco, CA

Internet Archive

Universal access to all knowledge. A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more — headquartered a few miles from my front door.

Shriners Children's
Youth

Shriners Children's

A network of pediatric specialty hospitals — including one in Northern California — providing life-changing medical care to kids regardless of the family's ability to pay.