Updated:
Stolte Family Foundation
Chris and Heidi Stolte established the Stolte Family Foundation in 2015 following Chris Stolte's exit from Tableau Software, the data-visualization company he...
Stolte Family Foundation
Chris and Heidi Stolte established the Stolte Family Foundation in 2015 following Chris Stolte's exit from Tableau Software, the data-visualization company he co-founded. Heidi Stolte, a former elementary school educator, and Chris, a Stanford-trained computer scientist, built the foundation to direct technology-generated wealth toward structural reform. The foundation operates from Seattle under Executive Director Kim Wright, a three-decade veteran of the region's philanthropic sector who previously led family philanthropy advisory at Seattle Foundation. The foundation makes grants by invitation only, concentrating on three program areas: climate and clean energy policy, civic engagement, and education equity. Its climate strategy targets state-level implementation in Washington and Michigan — two jurisdictions the foundation views as having high potential to model carbon-free energy systems. The education portfolio funds home-visiting programs for caregivers and children, parent-leadership initiatives within schools, and family-focused policy advocacy. Civic engagement grants build organizing and communications infrastructure across Washington, with an emphasis on multicultural rural communities. The foundation does not publicly disclose total deployment or assets. Kim Wright serves as Executive Director and has shaped the foundation's strategy since its earliest days as the family's philanthropic advisor. The staff includes Whitney Howe, who manages grantmaking operations and previously oversaw the process at the Campion Foundation and Advocacy Fund, and Karen Laughlin, a former Heising-Simons Foundation climate program officer who holds a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Cornell. The Stoltes maintain a separate commercial real estate portfolio globally and Heidi Stolte operates the film entity Missing Piece Films. The foundation's structural posture is lean and discretionary — it runs no open calls for proposals and instead relies on a small internal team and community advisors to source grantees. That closed-door sourcing model, paired with a programmatic focus on state-level energy policy rather than broad environmental grantmaking, distinguishes it from many tech-founder philanthropies that default to national or global issue portfolios.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
2015
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Seattle
Corporate office
Seattle, Washington, United States
Principals
Chris Stolte
Co-Founder
Heidi Stolte
Co-Founder
Kim Wright
Executive Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs the Stolte Family Foundation's investment decisions and grantmaking?
Grantmaking is led by Executive Director Kim Wright, who previously advised Chris and Heidi Stolte as their philanthropic advisor and spent nearly a decade directing family philanthropy services at the Seattle Foundation. Wright works with a small internal team that includes Whitney Howe on grants operations and Karen Laughlin on climate strategy. Chris Stolte applies an analytical lens to climate policy selection while Heidi Stolte guides the education portfolio based on her teaching background.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The foundation's wealth originates from Chris Stolte's role as a co-founder of Tableau Software, the data-visualization platform that went public in 2013 and was acquired by Salesforce in 2019. Heidi Stolte, also a co-founder of the foundation, was a former elementary school educator. The Stoltes have not publicly disclosed the total asset base of the foundation.
How does the foundation source its grantees?
The Stolte Family Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited Letters of Inquiry. It works directly with community partners and a network of advisors to identify organizations aligned with its three funding pillars: climate and clean energy, education equity, and civic engagement. The foundation does not publish open RFPs or application windows.
What is the foundation's geographic focus?
The foundation concentrates its domestic policy and implementation grants in Washington state, where it is headquartered, and in Michigan — two states the Stoltes view as capable of modeling clean-energy transitions. Its civic engagement and education work is centered in Washington communities, with specific outreach to multicultural rural constituencies.
What investment stages or asset classes does the foundation engage with?
The foundation's primary activity is grantmaking rather than investment: it deploys capital through invitation-only grants to nonprofit organizations working on systemic policy change. A separate commercial real estate portfolio operates alongside the foundation but is not part of its programmatic grantmaking. The foundation does not publicly participate in venture capital, private equity, or fund commitments as a grantmaking entity.
How is the Stolte Family Foundation related to Tableau Software or Salesforce today?
The foundation operates independently of Tableau and its acquirer Salesforce. Chris Stolte co-founded Tableau and left the operating business; the foundation was separately established in 2015 as a family philanthropy. There is no current structural or programmatic link between the foundation's grantmaking and the corporate entities.
Does the foundation maintain any adjacent philanthropic vehicles or operating businesses?
Heidi Stolte runs Missing Piece Films, a film production entity separate from the foundation. The Stoltes also hold a global commercial real estate portfolio. There is no evidence of a donor-advised fund, secondary foundation, or club co-investment structure tied directly to the foundation's grantmaking.
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.
Need institutional-grade insight on endowments & foundations?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: