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Akonadi Foundation
Akonadi Foundation was established in 2000 by Oakland real-estate investor Wayne Jordan and his spouse, Board Chair Quinn Delaney. The foundation is an...
Akonadi Foundation
Akonadi Foundation was established in 2000 by Oakland real-estate investor Wayne Jordan and his spouse, Board Chair Quinn Delaney. The foundation is an expression of their wealth, which originated in real estate through Jordan Real Estate Investments and in investment banking. Its mission is exclusively focused on eliminating structural racism, and it executes this through a place-based model that channels all grantmaking into Oakland, California. Since its founding, it has committed over $43 million in grants to organizations led by Black people and people of color. The foundation's strategy functions like a highly concentrated, multi-asset impact portfolio with a single geographic mandate. Its grantmaking spans early-stage seed funding for nascent organizing groups, expansion-stage support for scaled campaigns, and co-funded initiatives through fund-of-funds-style vehicles like the California Black Freedom Fund. Akonadi also anchors physical infrastructure for the community through its for-profit arm, Jordan Real Estate Investments, which has redeveloped mixed-use Oakland properties such as the Kissel Uptown and The Hive. These projects are executed in partnership with developers like Signature Development Group. With an estimated asset base of $33 million (Altss estimate), Akonadi operates with a lean team and relies on the strategic direction of its founders and a network of peer philanthropic platforms. Quinn Delaney is a member of the Women Donors Network, while Wayne Jordan participates in the Donors of Color Network. Both are members of the Democracy Alliance, a network of progressive donors aligning capital with political and social change. In May 2024, former Akonadi President Lateefah Simon was sworn in as a U.S. Representative, reflecting the foundation's pipeline from Oakland community organizing to national policy. Akonadi's structural differentiator is its hybrid model: a private family foundation that operates with the discipline of a real-estate firm and the risk tolerance of a venture investor. It is not a passive endowment — grantmaking is treated as a direct investment in power-building, underscored by the Jordans' practice of using their own commercial real-estate developments to create affordable spaces for arts, culture, and community organizations in the same neighborhoods where their grants are deployed.
General information
Firm type
Family Foundation
Year founded
2000
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Oakland
Corporate office
Oakland, CA, United States
Principals
Quinn Delaney
Co-founder and Board Chair
Wayne Jordan
Co-founder
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment and grantmaking decisions at Akonadi Foundation?
Co-founders Quinn Delaney and Wayne Jordan serve as Board Chair and director, respectively, guiding the foundation's grantmaking strategy. The foundation previously operated under the leadership of President Lateefah Simon, who held the role before her election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024.
How is Akonadi Foundation's capital base structured, and where does the wealth come from?
The foundation is funded by the personal wealth of Wayne Jordan and Quinn Delaney. Wayne Jordan is the CEO of Jordan Real Estate Investments, a firm with a portfolio spanning commercial and mixed-use properties in Oakland, New York, and Washington, D.C. Quinn Delaney's background is in investment banking. Their combined wealth fuels an estimated $33 million asset base (Altss estimate).
Does Akonadi Foundation only make grants, or does it invest directly in real estate and other assets?
Akonadi's primary vehicle is its grantmaking program, which has deployed over $43 million. However, the founders' for-profit entity, Jordan Real Estate Investments, functions as an adjacent vehicle that directly invests in Oakland real estate. Signature projects include the mixed-use developments Kissel Uptown Oakland and The Hive, which are joint ventures with Signature Development Group and create community and cultural spaces complementary to the foundation's mission.
What investment stages or types of organizations does Akonadi Foundation typically fund?
Akonadi funds across a wide spectrum. It supports early-stage and seed initiatives for new organizing formations, provides expansion-stage grants for scaling proven campaigns, and participates in large collaborative funds such as the California Black Freedom Fund. Its focus is exclusively on organizations and movements led by Black people and communities of color within Oakland.
How does Akonadi Foundation source its grantee pipeline and identify community partners?
Akonadi's deal flow is rooted in deep, place-based relationships within Oakland's racial-justice ecosystem rather than an open application process. The founders' membership in networks such as the Democracy Alliance, along with Quinn Delaney's work with the Women Donors Network and Wayne Jordan's role with the Donors of Color Network, connects the foundation to a broader infrastructure of aligned funders and operating partners.
Is Akonadi Foundation structured as a family office or a traditional charitable foundation?
Akonadi is a private family foundation with a distinct structure. The grantmaking foundation is separate from the family's wealth-generating entity, Jordan Real Estate Investments, but the two operate in tandem. This allows the foundation to focus on pure grantmaking while the real-estate arm executes mission-aligned, for-profit development projects in the same geography.
What is Akonadi Foundation's known posture on co-investments or partnerships with external funders?
Akonadi actively engages in co-funded initiatives. The most prominent example is its participation in the California Black Freedom Fund, a pooled donor collaborative. Its principals also operate within national philanthropic networks — including the Democracy Alliance and Women Donors Network — indicating a posture of collaborative, rather than isolated, impact capital deployment.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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