Ballmer Group
| Company type | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment, Philanthropy |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Steve Ballmer, Connie Ballmer |
| Headquarters | Bellevue, Washington , United States |
Area served | Southeast Michigan, Washington state, Los Angeles County |
Key people | Steve Ballmer |
| Products | Investment management, Philanthropic funding |
The Ballmer Group is a United States-based investment company located in Bellevue, Washington. It functions as the family office responsible for managing the assets of Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft. The organization's primary objective is to promote economic mobility.
Its operations span across regions including southeast Michigan, Washington state, and Los Angeles County.
Background
Following his departure from Microsoft, Steve Ballmer partnered with his wife, Connie, to establish the Ballmer Group in 2015 as a philanthropic initiative. The entity generally provides multi-year, unrestricted funding after conducting thorough, data-informed due diligence to evaluate the capacity and dedication of recipient organizations.
The Ballmer Group champions reforms in criminal justice such as bail reform and the clearing of criminal records, collaborating with policymakers like Karen Bass. Its strategy emphasizes a "wraparound approach" that favors community-led efforts rather than direct involvement in educational areas such as personalized learning or curriculum design for K-12 education. A significant contribution was made to StriveTogether, a coalition dedicated to enhancing economic opportunities for children.
Organized as a limited liability company, the Ballmer Group is recognized for maintaining relatively limited transparency compared to similar entities; it has opted not to fully reveal all its grants, investments, lobbying endeavors, or political contributions.
The organization broadened its reach into Los Angeles County in 2016 and further extended its presence into the Detroit region in 2017.
Notable funding and grants
In 2018, the Ballmer Group pledged $59 million over five years to Social Solutions, a software company providing data tracking for nonprofit and governmental social service organizations. Additionally, it contributed $16 million distributed among 18 nonprofits in southeast Michigan, including groups like the American Heart Association and Planned Parenthood.
In 2022, the group donated $425 million to the University of Oregon to create the Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health, which aims to address mental health issues affecting children.
By February 2023, it committed up to $165 million to Communities in Schools to support expansion into 1,000 predominantly low-income schools. In April 2023, it awarded $43 million to Washington state to enhance access to early childhood education programs and provided $38 million to the University of Washington for scholarships benefiting early childhood educators. In May 2023, the Ballmer Group dedicated $42.5 million over five years toward more than 100 Black-led nonprofits working on advancing economic mobility.