Crystal Hayling

Executive Director, The Libra Foundation

Crystal Hayling is the Executive Director of The Libra Foundation, based in San Francisco, funding organizations working to advance human rights and racial, economic, and social justice. Crystal (she/her) brings to The Libra Foundation a wealth of domestic and international experience across a broad spectrum of equity-focused issues. For six years, Crystal lived in Singapore where she built bridges between civil society and emerging donors in Southeast Asia to address income inequality and climate change. As managing director of the Aspen Institute’s Environmental Fellowship, Crystal designed a global leadership program focused on the food system’s impact on the environment.

Feeding her interest in equitable health care, Crystal was CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation where she spearheaded work to achieve universal health coverage. She was also part of the founding team at The California Wellness Foundation where she led a groundbreaking initiative to shift youth violence prevention from a criminal justice issue to a public health effort.

She has served on the boards of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Northern California Grantmakers, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, and Grantmakers in Health. Most recently Crystal was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. She has also lived and worked in China and Mexico.

Born and raised in Florida, Crystal is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She and her husband live in the Bay Area with their two teenage sons.

Contributions

2023 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Susan Stamerjohn, Michelle Tremillo, Alejandro Foung, Dr. Jason Franklin, Jonathan Brack, Sandra Fluke, Tonya Allen, Diego Zegarra, Sue Banerjee, Catherine Maddox Walton

Save the Date 2023 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat
The 2025 Family Philanthropy Leadership Retreat will take place in La Jolla, San Diego from October 27 to October 29, 2025. Learn more here.   Thank you so much for your interest in the Leadership Retreat. The event is sold out, and we are no longer accepting names for the waitlist, due to the unlikelihood of accommodating everyone on it… Read More
Voices from the Field

After a Year Like No Other, Three Foundation Leaders Talk About What Changed and What Comes Next

Posted on May 26, 2021 by David Callahan, James Canales, Crystal Hayling, Carmen Rojas

This article was originally published by Inside Philanthropy and is re-posted here with permission. The transcribed conversation comes from a plenary session at NCFP’s 2021 CEO Retreat.  How well philanthropy responded to the events of the past 14 months—a period of so much trauma and suffering—is a topic sure to be debated for many years to come. And, of course,… Read More

Family Foundation CEO Retreat

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Betsy Erickson, Janine Mason, Michael Smith, Tina Runyan, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bari Katz, Rob Reich, Shaady Salehi, Carmen Rojas, Diana Scearce

The role of a family foundation CEO is unique, often bridging generations of family members, community leaders, staff, advisors, and partners. Expectations can be challenging to meet and boundaries are sometimes vague and ever-changing. Success in this role requires a cadre of specialized leadership skills, particularly in these divisive and dynamic times. This 3-day virtual retreat, designed for both new… Read More
Featured Article

On the Precipice

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Crystal Hayling

Photo credit: Franceska Gámez (Trust Your Struggle Collective) & Nathanial Baysa This article was originally published by The Libra Foundation and is re-posted here with permission. We’re getting near the edge. Nonviolent protests sparked by the murder of Black people (George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless others) are filling the streets of more than 400 cities, all to… Read More

Beyond 5%: Increasing Support in a Time of Crisis

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Nicholas A. Tedesco, Crystal Hayling, Aaron Dorfman, Nat Chioke Williams, Phil Buchanan, Mary Mountcastle

Chalkboard with graph that is increasing
The National Center for Family Philanthropy is dedicated to serving families who give and those that work with them. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are offering conversations on topics of interest to all philanthropic families associated with family foundations, donor-advised funds, family offices, and other philanthropic vehicles. For questions about this series, please contact Jen Crino at jen@ncfp.org… Read More
Voices from the Field

Funding the Heat

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Crystal Hayling

Editor’s Note: This post was originally written for the Libra Foundation’s blog and is posted with permission. Crystal Hayling, Executive Director of the Foundation, and Regan Pritzker, President, spoke about funding advocacy at our 2019 National Forum on Family Philanthropy. Check the highlights from the Forum on our blog. The prison abolitionist movement reacted with outrage to Ford Foundation President… Read More

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