A Year of Giving
The William, Jeff and Jennifer Gross Family Foundation donated more than $21.4 million to 28 nonprofits in 2018, including Doctors Without Borders and CHOC Children’s.
The donations will help important initiatives that range from supporting people who are experiencing a lack of or limited access to food, to international human rights campaigns through the VII Foundation.
Other donations were made to assist the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund and the Friendship Shelter serving homeless adults in Laguna Beach.
The Foundation also supported educational causes, including a previously announced contribution of $1.1 million to the Orange County Teachers of the Year awards, adding to the $3.4 million previously donated by Bill Gross.
“I am pleased to work with my son Jeff and daughter Jennifer in identifying and supporting worthy and important causes that benefit California, as well as global communities,” said Gross, who disclosed the new foundation last year and earlier this month announced his retirement from Janus Henderson Investors, effective March 1, both in exclusive interviews with the Business Journal.
“We are committed to doing our part to help others in their times of need, as well as furthering educational and healthcare organizations that are working to create better lives locally and around the world,” he said.
Honoring the Givers
Irvine Public Schools Foundation hosted its 6th annual Top 100 Reception on Jan. 30 at Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast. The list of Top 100 companies were honored for their commitment to excellence in education by supporting IPSF’s mission. These companies are investing in Orange County’s future by ensuring local youth have access to educational resources that will enhance their academic and future success.
Companies represented on IPSF’s Top 100 List include some of Orange County’s most influential corporations, including Wells Fargo, FivePoint Communities and Ingersoll Rand/Trane.
Corporate giving to IPSF last year, including the city of Irvine’s Challenge Match Grant funds, totaled more than $2.6 million.
“We are proud to live in a professionally diverse community that allows us to build rich partnerships with companies across many industries,” said Neda Eaton, president and chief executive of IPSF. “With their support, we are able to fulfill our vision of providing students with opportunities that prepare them for the future workforce.”
Protecting History, Heritage
Builder and developer Baldwin & Sons announced on Jan. 31 that the National Park Foundation, under the stewardship of Al Baldwin, founder and chairman, Baldwin & Sons, has raised more than $500 million in support of the country’s national parks.
The five-year campaign represents the most successful fundraising effort in NPF’s history, exceeding the prior amount of $25 million raised in one year.
Baldwin is a longstanding board member of the NPF, reappointed to the board by three administrations starting with George W. Bush, and has served as the foundation’s chairman of the Centennial Committee for the past five years.
The National Park Foundation, founded in 1967, is the official charitable partner of the National Park Service.
“It’s important to preserve and protect our national parks for our children and future generations to learn from and enjoy. The parks tell the story of our democracy and who we are as Americans,” said Baldwin, whose company in 2017 won a Family-Owned Business award from the Business Journal.
“The national parks are our history and our heritage. They include beautiful parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, but also battlefields and monuments such as the Flight 93 Memorial. Each are so integral to our country’s history and heritage.”
Advocates for Justice
Three local legal professionals and civil rights advocates have been named recipients of the 2019 Marcus Kaufman Jurisprudence Award.
This year’s honorees are Mark Erickson, a partner at Haynes and Boone LLP in Costa Mesa; the Honorable Wendy S. Lindley, retired judge from Orange County Superior Court; and Brett Williamson of O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Newport Beach.
The prize is named after Justice Marcus Kaufman, the 103rd Justice of the California Supreme Court and a champion of civil rights. It is given annually to attorneys who have made significant contributions to their communities and to the legal profession and embody Anti-Defamation League’s mission to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.
Bits & Pieces
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County received a $195,000 grant from the Albertsons Cos. Foundation as part of their Hunger Is initiative to eradicate childhood hunger through two core programs that provide food to children and families, the Mobile School Pantry and the Mobile Pantry programs. … The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation announced the hiring of a new chief executive officer, Meg Linton, who formerly served as executive director at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, director of galleries and exhibitions for the Ben Maltz Gallery at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, and executive director at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe. …During the month of January, Free Wheelchair Mission in Irvine shipped nearly 5,500 wheelchairs to countries throughout the world.
