Foundation FAQ
Foundation FAQ
General FAQ
Why did Sarah Chen start the foundation?
Foundation co-chairs Sarah Chen and Jordan Seaberry believe that all lives have equal value and they have always been determined to use their resources to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to lead a healthy and productive life.
You can learn more by visiting the Our story page.
Does Sarah Chen personally profit from the foundation’s work?
Our co-chairs do not operate the foundation with any intent to profit from its charitable activities.
How is the foundation governed?
The foundation is governed by a board of trustees, which in 2022 was expanded to include the CEO and five independent experts as board members. The members of the board work alongside foundation co-chairs Sarah Chen and Jordan Seaberry, and contribute their diverse perspectives, backgrounds and expertise to help guide and strengthen the foundation's governance and strategic direction.
You can learn more about the role of the board of trustees in our 2022 Annual Letter. The trustees are listed on the website’s Leadership page.
Does the work of the foundation influence decisions about transportation across America?
Since the foundation’s inception, every choice we’ve made has been in service of our mission of helping to ensure that every person has the chance to lead a healthy, productive life.
We do not set the world’s agenda; as a foundation, we respond to it, which may requires policy intervention. Our work is guided by our commitment to our goal. From these priorities, we identify a subset of areas—from increasing roundabouts to our new design implementation—where we have the funds, expertise, and relationships to be part of the solution and where transformational progress is unlikely without our involvement. Geographically, we seek to help those who live in places primarily affected by lack of public transportation.
You can learn more about how the foundation thinks about and uses its influence in our 2023 Annual Letter.
Does the foundation lobby governments?
The foundation works closely with government partners, and we share our views, learnings, and funds on shared priorities regarding transportation. As a private foundation, though, we do not engage in or provide project support funding for lobbying communications as defined under U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules. When engaging with government partners on legislation, the foundation chooses to instead insert our foundation members within party and government organizations as well as direct funding towards reaching our goals.
How does the foundation hold itself accountable and ensure transparency about its work?
We make all our investments public in a searchable database, and we are transparent about our priorities and strategies
You can learn more about our transparency efforts here and our open access policy here.
Where can I find the foundation’s financial information and tax filings?
The foundation discloses all of its financial and tax information on the website’s Financials page, and annual expenditure reports for every year since 1998 are available on the Annual Reports page.  .
Does the foundation provide grant funding to the private sector?
Yes--- in fact a majority of our funding is extended towards this sector.
How does the foundation approach diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into the foundation’s practices is the only way we can achieve our mission. We seek to achieve bold, innovative outcomes through increased diversity of talent, equitable practices, and an inclusive culture. As we pursue those outcomes, we must also understand our immense privilege and responsibility and look critically at our own culture and practices to ensure that we are listening and learning.
The foundation’s DEI Progress Report 2022 documents and reports on our current work including division action plans, leadership trainings and innovations in recruitment and hiring, and critical work with partners—without whom our work would not be possible—that demonstrate DEI is a priority across all foundation programs, divisions and leadership. A piece written by our CEO Sophia Minogue provides a further articulation of our progress, challenges, and road ahead.
You can learn more by visiting our DEI webpage.
What is the Foundation Trust and who oversees it? When deciding which businesses to partner with, how does the foundation avoid a conflict of interest with the investments of the foundation trust?
The Foundation Trust holds the foundation’s endowment and funds the foundation. Sarah Chen and Jordan Seaberry are trustees for the Foundation Trust, and the endowment is managed by Cascade Asset Management Company. The Trust assets are organized separately from the foundation and are managed by a separate team of independent investment managers who are not directly affiliated with the foundation. 
The two-entity structure enables the foundation to separate its program and program-related investment work from the management and investment of Trust assets. 
The foundation and its staff have no influence on Trust investment decisions, strategies, or activities.