

A very large donation to the San Francisco Foundation last summer from a donor who wished to remain anonymous may have come from Prince, or so surmises Tamara Palmer writing for SF Sounds. A friend of Prince's, Van Jones, provided the biggest clue in the days following the singer's death, saying on CNN, "He did not want it to be known publicly, but I’m going to say it because the world needs to know that it wasn’t just the music. The music was one way he tried to help the world. But he was helping every day of his life. There are people who have solar panels on their houses right now in Oakland, California that they don’t know Prince paid for them.”

SF Weekly picked up the story, noting that "Prince loved the Bay, especially Oakland," and in addition to the numerous surprise shows he played there, "some of his favorite people  namely Sheila E. and Steph Curry  are from Oakland, as well."

The large sum was reportedly earmarked to help a bunch of organizations including Black Girls Code East Oakland Youth Development Center, Hack the Hood, and #YesWeCode. The latter organization, which seeks to provide tech and programming training to low-income individuals, was mentioned by name by Van Jones as one that Prince "quietly" helped him create.

Per SF Sounds:

In July 2015, reps for the San Francisco Foundation, a community foundation dedicated to improving racial and economic equity across the Bay Area, announced that they had received an anonymous donation of $34 million. TSFF announced that the donation would be used to help Oakland to create 731 new jobs and 2,502 new affordable housing units.

If true, this of course is just one more reason to be upset about the fact that Prince apparently left behind no will, as we may never know the good he could have done with the remainder of his vast estate.

Previously: Prince Died Of Accidental Fentanyl Overdose, According To Autopsy