Start Something That Matters Foundation
This organization is a private foundation dedicated to supporting various charitable causes. Its mission emphasizes mental health, veterans' services, and community initiatives, as evidenced by its funding to organizations focused on these areas. The foundation provides unrestricted donations to a diverse range of recipients, including educational institutions and health charities. It demonstrates a commitment to social justice through grants to organizations advocating for change. While it primarily supports initiatives across multiple states, its funding is notably concentrated in California.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
Organizations working in mental health, psychedelic-research or veteran/health-related programs with a California presence (or strong California partnerships) and capacity to manage unrestricted, mid-to-large unrestricted grants.
Good Fit
- • Programmatic focus on mental health, psychedelics research, veterans’ treatment, or related health initiatives.
- • Established presence or partnership in California.
- • Capacity to accept and steward large unrestricted gifts.
- • Introductions or relationships with university foundations, donor-advised funds, or known grantee networks.
Geography
Latest-year giving is heavily concentrated in California (about 88% of dollars) but grants were made to organizations in six states, indicating a primarily state-regional footprint rather than a national program.
Recipient Variety
The foundation funded 13 distinct recipients in 2024 (15 in 2022) with a high rate of new recipients in 2024, showing a broad set of independent grantees even though dollars were concentrated among the top five recipients.
New Applicants
Direct evidence of open applications is absent—the foundation states it only funds preselected grantees—but the observed grant list shows many new recipients in the latest year, so newcomers have been added by invitation rather than through a public application process.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
