Who We Are
The Humboldt Foundation was built on a simple belief: that sovereignty is not given, it's resourced. We partner with organizations and communities working to make autonomy, justice, and ecological balance a lived reality.
Our Story
The Humboldt Foundation was founded to catalyze and sustain a values-aligned resource exchange across nonprofit organizations, philanthropic partners, and our leadership, with the aim of fostering a diffusion of sovereignty both nationally and globally.
Rooted in Alexander von Humboldt’s philosophy of the unity of nature and the interconnectedness of all things, we ground our work in an ecosystemic perspective. Through this lens, we recognize that capital is only one of many forms of currency that drive systems change, and we wholly embrace relationships, trust, lived experience, and collective wisdom as equally vital to thriving ecosystems. We strive to align our resources to nurture these ecosystems, emphasizing locally anchored, regenerative impact and amplifying the agency of individuals and communities within the ecosystems we serve.
Mission
The Humboldt Foundation's mission is the diffusion of sovereignty: the decentralization and redistribution of authority and access from a central source to the individual contributor.
Vision
The Humboldt Foundation believes that, together, we can resource possibility, power, and the conditions for lasting sovereignty.
Values
Our values are not aspirational, they are operational. They shape how we resource, relate, and show up within the ecosystems we serve.
Solidarity
We stand with — not above — the communities and movements we resource. Our partnerships are rooted in shared commitment, not hierarchy.
Ecosystem- Mindedness
We see connection where others see categories. Our work honors the interdependence of people, organizations, and the systems they operate within.
Authenticity
We lead with honesty and transparency in our intentions, our limitations, and our relationships.
Compassion
We hold space for complexity. Behind every organization is a community, and behind every community are people navigating real conditions.
Optimism
We invest in what's possible. Our work is grounded in the belief that sovereignty, equity, and ecological balance are not ideals; they are achievable.
Focus Areas
Our mission is fulfilled through three interconnected focus areas. Each represents a dimension of sovereignty over body, over history, and shared with the natural world.
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![Multiple hands of diverse individuals stacked together in unity outdoors.]()
Queering Anatomy
A future grounded in autonomy, where non-normative ways of being are valued.
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![Two hands, one of a darker skin tone, holding a small plant with green leaves and soil.]()
Reparations
A future where difference is embraced and equity and justice flourish along racial lines.
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![Sunlight streams through the branches of a large, ancient tree in a dense forest.]()
Symbiosis & Reciprocity
A future oriented towards aligned earth-centrism and honoring the natural world’s intrinsic worth.
About Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was a naturalist, explorer, and polymath whose radical insight that “nature is a single, interconnected living whole” transformed how humanity understands the natural world. At a time when science categorized and divided, Humboldt saw unity. He mapped relationships between ecosystems, climates, and cultures across continents, insisting that nothing in nature exists in isolation.
His philosophy of interconnection is the root system of this foundation. We carry his name not as tribute to a historical figure, but as a commitment to the worldview he championed: that sovereignty, ecology, and human dignity are inseparable.
Video Credit: Introducing Alexander von Humboldt (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
Our Team
The Humboldt Foundation exists to serve the populations and communities within our ecosystems. Our leadership leans on lived experience, shared expertise, and commitment to the diffusion of sovereignty.
Erin Samueli
Founder and President, The Humboldt Foundation
Erin Samueli is an activist, organizer, and philanthropist grounded in the principles of social justice and earth-centric values.
With a multidisciplinary background spanning education as a middle school science teacher, philanthropic leadership as a program director and board member, laboratory science as a biochemist, and creative expression through music as frontwoman of the rock band 37 Houses, Erin holds a dynamic worldview that empowers and amplifies every space she engages in.
As Founder and President of The Humboldt Foundation, Erin is committed to fulfilling the mission of Sovereignty Diffusion, leading with an ecosystemic vision inspired by the interconnectedness of living systems, and grounded in the belief that meaningful change emerges not only through financial capital but through relationships, trust, lived experience, and shared wisdom. Erin’s life work is to cultivate regenerative networks of resource exchange across sectors, communities, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic partners.
Across all her personal and professional endeavors, Erin embodies and advances the values of solidarity, ecosystem-mindedness, authenticity, equity, compassion, and optimism. Her work centers the amplification of agency, the nurturing of interconnected systems, and the co-creation of conditions where sovereignty, possibility, and collective thriving can take root.
The Orange County Community Foundation Philanthropic Advisor
Philanthropic advising services for The Humboldt Foundation are powered by the Orange County Community Foundation, Center for Engaged Philanthropy. This strategic partnership supports the Humboldt Foundation’s mission by providing operational infrastructure, funding strategy, relationship development, and effective grantmaking aligned with The Humboldt Foundation’s core values, focus areas, and ecosystemic vision for impact.
Ready to grow with us?
If your work aligns with our focus areas and guiding principles, we'd love to hear from you.