Gene Haas created the Gene Haas Foundation to share the benefits of his business success with the needy in the community by supporting local charities in Ventura County, California, where his business is located. These efforts included deserving organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, Food Share, the Rescue Mission, and many others.

Since then, Gene has expanded his Foundation’s mission to support a great passion: improving the quality of manufacturing education and introducing young people to careers in industry. The Foundation now supports manufacturing training programs in a variety of ways: through its Gene Haas Centers program, it makes grants to exceptional schools who want to expand their facilities; through its teacher training programs at selected schools throughout the U.S., it helps instructors obtain advanced training; and through its Haas Technical Educators Conference program (HTEC), it organizes conferences to allow teachers to learn from each other. It also supports students by providing scholarship funds to schools with computer numerical control (CNC) programs, and by supporting activities such as team robotics and racing competitions, which introduce more students to manufacturing and allow them to utilize their skills. Tens of thousands of students have received scholarships funded by the Foundation, or have participated in FIRST and SAE teams sponsored by the Foundation, learning teamwork and enabling them to develop their skills in friendly competitions.

Currently, the Gene Haas Foundation donates millions of dollars annually to worthwhile organizations. All grants are made only to tax-exempt entities, and only in response to online applications through the portals on this website. In 2024, the Foundation awarded more than $32 million in grants, bringing the total since its inception in 1999 to more than $225 million.