THE MONEY: Sisters who are the granddaughters of late oil tycoon J. Paul Getty.
FAMILY HISTORY: Their grandfather made his first million in 1916 in Oklahoma oil and became a billionaire from work in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the 1940s and 1950s. Other holdings included aircraft maker Spartan. Some news reports at the time said he was the world’s wealthiest man. The sisters were born in the 1950s to J. Paul’s eldest son, George Franklin Getty II. Anne Earhart also known for political giving.
THE NUMBERS: J. Paul died in 1976, leaving $700M to fund the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and a family fortune disputed for nine years by dozens of descendants. It included 40% of Getty Oil; a family trust in 1984 sold that for $4B to Texaco. The museum also got a boost, selling its 12% holdings as part of Texaco’s takeover. Anne and Caroline each received about $750M from the will and $400M apiece from the Texaco deal.
COASTAL GIVING: Some of Anne Earhart’s giving flows through the Marisla Foundation she founded in Laguna Beach. The organization supports over 150 groups focused on marine conservation “which includes some of the world’s most epic surf spots,” according to the Surf Industry Members Association (SIMA). Marisla partnered with other foundations to create another nonprofit Oceana, also dedicated to ocean conservation and restoration; says it has won more than 325 victories and protected over 4M square miles of ocean. Anne Earhart is a regular partner of Oceana’s annual gala SeaChange Summer Party, which is also attended by notable actors, musicians, athletes and OC executives.
IN HER WORDS: “My thought is, I want this organization to be doing what they do best and not spending their time fundraising. I consider keeping the lights on and the rent paid, might be the best way to support those organizations,” Earhart said about giving long-term support to nonprofits in a 2022 Chronicle of Philanthropy webinar.
ART HISTORY: Three artworks from Los Angeles’ Getty Museum, two oil paintings and a mantel clock from 1789, were brought to life onstage in the 2025 edition of Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach.
