The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has announced that Larry Kramer is stepping down as president after more than a decade in the role.

Kramer will become president and vice chancellor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. He will remain in his role at Hewlett through the end of the year.

Under Kramer’s leadership, the foundation—with assets totaling nearly $15 billion as of 2021—has deepened its longstanding support for environmental protection, performing arts, and women’s reproductive rights, while taking on emerging problems such as cybersecurity and making significant new commitments to advance U.S. democracy, racial justice, and economic prosperity. An outspoken advocate for ambitious climate philanthropy and donor collaboration, Kramer has championed collaboration with other funders to reduce global greenhouse emissions.

During his tenure, the foundation has retained an institutional commitment to multiyear, flexible funding, awarding more than two-thirds of its roughly $550 million in grants in 2022 as flexible dollars. Kramer has also led the foundation to take a more collaborative and adaptive approach to strategic philanthropy and led sustained efforts to build a more inclusive foundation, significantly diversifying both its staff and grantees. In 2020, the foundation announced a 10-year, $180 million commitment to advance racial justice, spanning the organization’s internal operations, culture, and grantmaking.

“As president, Larry has advanced the foundation’s goals with sagacity, enormous energy, and a steadfast commitment to achieving positive change in people’s lives,” said Hewlett Foundation board chair Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar. “The board is grateful to Larry for his many contributions—from building coalitions supporting urgent climate and democracy-protection goals to renewing our work on education, performing arts, and reproductive equity—and for being an engaged steward of the foundation’s values of long-term thinking, humility, and integrity.”

(Photo credit: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation)