California Family Institute Named a 2026 Samueli Foundation Breakaway Fund Recipient
CFI has been selected as a recipient of the Samueli Foundation's 2026 Breakaway Fund — one of 89 Orange County organizations chosen from 1,108 applications. The grant supports the infrastructure behind the practice: the systems and operations that let our clinicians focus on the people they serve.
By California Family Institute
Investing in the work that holds the work together.
We're honored to share that California Family Institute has been selected as a recipient of the Samueli Foundation's 2026 Breakaway Fund.
The Samueli Foundation received 1,108 applications this year requesting more than $263.1 million. Eighty-nine Orange County–serving organizations were selected, sharing $15 million in funding — 67 through the Breakaway Fund and 22 through the Build OC Fund.
What the Breakaway Fund Supports
The Breakaway Fund is unusual among grants. Rather than funding a specific program, it invests in the unglamorous work that keeps an organization standing — systems, infrastructure, leadership, and outside expertise. As Lindsey Spindle, President of Samueli Family Philanthropies, put it:
A beautiful home will crumble without proper investments in its plumbing and infrastructure; the same is true in the nonprofit sector.
That framing resonates with us. The work our clinicians do in the therapy room depends on a great deal that clients never see.
What This Means for CFI
Our grant supports the infrastructure behind the practice: the systems, tools, and operations that hold a growing clinical team together. It is the least visible part of what we do, and the part that most determines whether the visible parts work.
CFI has grown considerably over the past year — more clinicians, more clients, and all the coordination that growth demands. This investment lets us build that foundation deliberately rather than improvising it, so our clinicians can spend less time on administration and more time with the people they came here to serve.
With Gratitude
We're grateful to the Samueli Foundation for believing in our work, and to the community that makes it possible — the clients who trust us with their stories, the clinicians who show up for them, and everyone who has supported this practice along the way.
