Who We Are

We invest in California's children and work to make better communities

The Westly Foundation invests in California’s underserved youth. We do this by funding opportunities that advance education, improve healthcare access, and support the growth and well-being of our children. Through the Westly Prize, we also support young, social innovators to address some of the greatest challenges confronting our world today.

Bringing good ideas from California to the world.

The Westly Foundation is a private family foundation founded in 2000 by Steve Westly and Anita Yu. The foundation supports programs that improve the trajectory of underserved and at-risk children and youth in California. Initially known as the Steve and Anita Westly Foundation, for simplicity, the foundation was renamed the Westly Foundation in 2015.

Since its inception, the foundation has provided support for children in the areas of education, youth development, and health care. Now in its second decade, the foundation seeks to broaden its impact by investing in earlier stage, innovative organizations in its core funding areas. The Foundation also recognizes the state’s young social entrepreneurs through the Westly Prize for Young Innovators of California, which awarded its first prizes in 2012. Starting locally and thinking globally, the foundation also seeks to take what it learns from its programs and share and collaborate with others to benefit children and youth everywhere.

Our team is committed to finding and funding innovative people, programs and organizations to improve the quality of life and opportunities for the children of California.

Steve Westly

Steve Westly is the Founder and Managing Director of the Westly Group, one of the nation’s largest venture funds investing in smart energy, smart mobility and smart building technologies.

Before launching his firm, Mr. Westly was California State Controller. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Business Development and International at eBay during its period of most rapid growth. Mr. Westly also served as Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party and as the California Co-Chair for President Obama’s 2008 campaign. He also served on the faculty at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business from 1991 to 1995. Steve has a BA and MBA from Stanford University.

Anita Yu

Co-founder Anita Yu came to philanthropy while raising her own children. She saw the need to help enhance the lives of children and youth across California. Previously, Ms. Yu spent her time working in the professional service industry, first as consultant for Accenture, managing large projects across multiply industries over the years. She also helped take Portal Software public as the Director of Professional Services for its West Coast and Asia offices.

Working with the foundation on strategic issues, her experience as a tech sector professional, as well as her experience as a parent leads her to create strategies that lay the groundwork for the overall, long-term success of the Foundation. Born in Hong Kong, Anita holds a B.S. from San Diego State University.

Jessica García-Kohl

Jessica García-Kohl is the Executive Director of the Westly Foundation. For two decades she has dedicated her career to nonprofit, government and philanthropic sectors, serving to strengthen communities and create equitable opportunities for children, youth, and families. Previously, Jessica has held executive roles in non-profit education and affordable housing organizations, and has served as a policy advisor for the cities of San José and San Francisco. Jessica holds masters’ degrees from the University of California, Berkeley in Public Policy and Public Health, and a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University.

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