# Robert & Ruth Halperin Foundation

Robert & Ruth Halperin Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in San Francisco, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** One Lombard Street, Suite 305, San Francisco, CA 94111, United States
- **Founded:** 1999
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed; assets exceeding $150M (Altss estimate)

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Robert Halperin, former president of materials-science pioneer Raychem, and his wife Ruth established the foundation in 1999 to structure their philanthropy and family capital. The foundation operates from a single office in San Francisco's Lombard Street corridor under the direction of the Halperins' children — Philip, Mark, and Peggy Halperin Dow — and Philip's wife Maurine. Ruth Halperin was a former trustee of Stanford University, a relationship reflected in the foundation's sustained support for the university. The foundation's investment posture spans the full private-markets stack. Altss research identifies commitments across early-stage venture, expansion and late-stage rounds, buyouts, fund-of-funds positions, and mezzanine debt. The strategy mirrors the playbook of a direct family office more than a standard 5% payout foundation: a blended portfolio seeking capital appreciation alongside grantmaking capacity. The geographic focus centers on North American opportunities, though the underlying fund commitments provide global exposure. The family's Bay Area civic footprint extends beyond the foundation. Philip Halperin chairs the San Francisco School Alliance Foundation, serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, and sits on the national advisory board of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford. The foundation's philanthropic grants fund left-leaning nonprofits, educational programs, and activist organizations year to date. The Halperins also operate the Silver Giving Foundation, an adjacent philanthropic vehicle. The foundation's structural distinction lies in its trustee composition — an all-family board operating a grantmaking endowment with the investment appetite of an active family office. There is no non-family investment committee disclosed, and no external CIO.

## Sectors

- Venture Capital
- Education
- Buyout
- Fund of Funds
- Early Stage
- Expansion / Late Stage

## People

- Philip W. Halperin — President and Trustee
- Mark Halperin — Trustee
- Peggy Halperin Dow — Secretary and Trustee
- Maurine S. Halperin — Director

## Questions

### Does the Robert & Ruth Halperin Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

Both. Altss research identifies allocations to external fund-of-funds and co-investment vehicles alongside direct positions in early-stage through late-stage companies. The foundation's strategy is balanced across primary fund commitments, direct co-investments, and mezzanine debt.

### What is the relationship between the Robert & Ruth Halperin Foundation and the Silver Giving Foundation?

The Silver Giving Foundation is a separate philanthropic entity also operated by the Halperin family. Both vehicles coexist as part of the family's broader charitable architecture, with Philip Halperin active in governance and the San Francisco civic community through multiple board seats.

### Which sectors or causes does the foundation avoid?

Public grantmaking records indicate funding to left-leaning nonprofits, progressive education programs, and activist organizations. Sectors and causes associated with the political right are not represented among disclosed grant recipients, though the foundation does not publish a formal exclusion list.

## Related profiles

- [Park-Ohio Holdings Corporation Pension Plan](https://altss.com/profile/park-ohio-holdings-corporation-pension-plan)
- [Sun Health Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/sun-health-foundation)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/robert-ruth-halperin-foundation

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology