Joanna Jackson was appointed to the role of interim president and chief executive of the Weingart Foundation on Oct. 1. The role was previously held by Miguel Santana, who became the California Community Foundation’s president and chief executive.
The Weingart Foundation was founded in 1951 by Ben and Stella Weingart, and has since provided more than $1 billion in grants and loans focusing on racial, social and economic justice in Southern California.
Jackson has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic and public sectors and joined the Weingart Foundation in 2008. Other organizations she has been involved with include the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the California Endowment and the city of San Jose.
She spoke with the Business Journal about her career in philanthropy and how Covid has impacted the Weingart Foundation.
What made you interested in running a philanthropy, and how have you chosen the groups you have been involved with over the years?
My entire career has been driven by my personal values and commitments to equity and justice. I come from a family of activists, and it was always clear to me that it is my right and responsibility to continue the struggle for true equity and justice for all. Whether working in a small community-based arts organization or focused on vulnerable children across the globe, I have chosen to work with organizations that share the commitment and belief that we can build a better and more equitable world. I believe philanthropy has an important role to play in that effort as one of many levers that can help fuel movements from the ground up to advance positive, equitable and meaningful change.
Tell me about the mission of the Weingart Foundation. What drew you to it and what are you doing to further it?
The mission of Weingart Foundation is to partner with communities across Southern California to advance racial, social and economic justice for all. As I shared, issues of social justice and racial equity have always driven my work. I remain passionate about those issues, and I do believe philanthropy has an important role to play. Philanthropy, when done in real partnership with those on the front lines of the struggle for equity and justice, can help fuel the movement building and institution-building that is necessary to deliver the structural and systemic change we need.
But that is also going to require some adjustments in our approach. I learned quickly that it is very easy to maintain the status quo in philanthropy, to provide the minimum needed to address critical gaps but not to deliver systemic change.
I’m excited about Weingart’s approach to the work that is grounded in values like trust, courage, respect, partnership and justice. Those values drive everything we do and how we do it from our grantmaking to our full commitment to impact investing, aligning all our capital to achieve both social and financial returns. Last fiscal year, the foundation’s combined impact in both areas was over $88 million ($38 million in grants and $50 million in mission-aligned impact investments).
I hope the Weingart Foundation can serve as an example of what it means to be a racial-justice funder and lead boldly in that work. I think we are at a real moment of opportunity to push the field not just on the issues, but also in how we do the work. Including but not limited to listening and taking the lead from communities most impacted, operating from a place of trust and authentic partnership and utilizing tools like impact investing to align our capital with mission.
How has Covid impacted the foundation? Have you had to make many changes when it comes to raising money and getting people involved?
As a private foundation, we are in a very privileged position, which brings great responsibility and tremendous opportunity. Deciding how to allocate the resources we steward was not easy during the pandemic, but it was absolutely nothing compared to the challenges faced by our community partners on the front lines in low-income communities of color. However, it was an opportunity for us to eliminate some of the burdens that foundations often put on our nonprofit partners in accessing our resources. Our program staff now work proactively in the
field to identify funding opportunities. We also eliminated our lengthy application, opting for just two short questions, and rely more on deep conversations with our partners.
What’s next for the Weingart Foundation?
The foundation will continue to focus on its commitment to racial equity through both grants and impact investments as we work toward building an investment portfolio that is 100% mission aligned. Our work remains guided by our strategic framework that focuses on building civic, cultural, economic and political power; advocating for equitable and just systems; and strengthening communities. As always, we will do this work in partnership with community leaders, movement builders and collaboratives that share our vision of a just and equitable Southern California.
A MISSION TO END SUFFERING
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was founded in 1944 by the late hotel entrepreneur Conrad Hilton. When he died, the foundation was named the principal beneficiary of his estate. Causes it now supports include foster youth, homelessness and refugees.
Peter Laugharn, who has 25 years of foundation and nonprofit experience, serves as the foundation’s president and chief executive. He previously served as the executive director of the Firelight Foundation, which works with African nonprofits.
Laugharn spoke with the Business Journal about working for nonprofits and humanitarian work.
What made you interested in running a philanthropy, and how have you chosen the groups you have been involved with over the years?
I have been working in the nonprofit sector since I began my career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco in the early 1980s, so in many ways preparing for this role has been my life’s work professionally. My first role was working with Save the Children in Africa, then I moved to the Netherlands to be executive director for the Bernard van Leer Foundation and returned to the U.S. to serve as executive director for the Firelight Foundation, before coming to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation eight years ago.
Tell me about the mission of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. What drew you to it and what are you doing to further it?
Our mission is to improve the human condition and alleviate suffering among people experiencing disadvantage around the world. In his last will and testament, Conrad N. Hilton asked that children be a primary focus of the philanthropic work of the foundation bearing his name. As such, the Hilton Foundation has invested in this work for decades through our Global Early Childhood Development initiatives, as well as through our Older Youth initiatives, which focus on transition-age foster youth and opportunity youth.
I have spent my career dedicated to improving outcomes in children, from the early years through primary school education. Coming most recently from the Firelight Foundation, which is one of the Hilton Foundation’s partners in advancing early-childhood development, I was very familiar with and interested in the work the Foundation was doing in this space. I was excited by the opportunity to continue in this work, and even more excited to dive into the breadth of work the foundation is doing in the U.S. and globally.
The foundation recently awarded its annual Humanitarian Prize. Can you tell me a little bit about what this is and how you selected the price recipient?
At $2.5 million, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize is the world’s largest annual humanitarian award presented to nonprofit organizations judged to have made extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering.
What’s unique and important about this prize is that it is awarded to nonprofit organizations, not individuals, and the funding itself is unrestricted. This allows organizations to use the funding in ways that will most effectively advance their impact.
The recipient is selected by an independent, international panel of distinguished jurors who make the final selection after a rigorous vetting process by our staff.
This year’s jury recognized One Acre Fund for its exceptional impact and mission to address the massive humanitarian challenge that African smallholder farmers experience.
One Acre Fund was built on the idea that when farmers have the opportunity to make their farming more productive, they can build pathways to prosperity for millions of farmers. Since they began in 2006 with a pilot training of 40 farmers, they have impressively grown to reach a network of 4 million farm families across nine countries through their direct service program and partnerships. Through this network, they provide the financing, tools, and training to help farmers increase yields and profits, grow their way out of hunger, and create thriving economies.
One Acre Fund joins an elite list of 27 deserving organizations that have received this recognition, such as the Norwegian Refugee Council, Camfed, Homeboy Industries, Metadrasi, Shofco, ICDDR,B and the Task Force for Global Health, among others.
How has Covid impacted the foundation?
The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly impacted most, if not all, of the communities we serve in profound and long-lasting ways. As the world begins to emerge from the pandemic, we continue to evaluate our approach to grantmaking to ensure we are meeting the current needs and future needs of the communities we serve.
We know that Covid-19 disproportionately impacted many of the populations we serve, most notably refugees and the communities that host them; these populations face lost livelihoods and education, food insecurity, spiraling poverty, social unrest, and increasingly restrictive policies negatively impacting mobility and access to services and market.
What’s next for the foundation?
We are thrilled to share that this year, alongside the United States Agency for International Development at the United Nations General Assembly, we joined 15 global funders from around the world in endorsing a donor statement on committing to locally led development.
HEALTH CARE HEROES
The California Wellness Foundation has more than $1 billion in assets, making it one of California’s largest philanthropic public-health institutions. The philanthropy awards more than $50 million annually in grants and program-related investments.
Richard Tate leads the Foundation as its president and chief executive. He is also a board member. He joined in 2016 as the vice president of public affairs. Since then, he led the expansion of the foundation’s digital communications, advocacy efforts and innovation. In 2020 he was promoted to executive vice president and was named president and chief executive earlier this year. Before joining Cal Wellness, Tate spent 10 years as a senior leader at Hopelab. He is currently on the board of the Stupski Foundation.
Tate spoke with the Business Journal about his role at Cal Wellness and the initiatives he has led.
What made you interested in running a philanthropy and how have you chosen the groups you have been involved with over the years?
Early in my career, I was focused on personal achievement to further my economic position like many young professionals with lower middle-class roots. I had a career in communications and health, working in the technology and pharmaceutical industries. But I was unsatisfied and burnt out in the corporate environment. I made a career transition to philanthropy working with Hopelab, a health-tech organization founded and funded by Pam and Pierre Omidyar, who founded eBay. Doing entrepreneurial, mission-focused work was exciting and rewarding, but I became increasingly interested in connecting my work in philanthropy more directly with my identity as a biracial gay man. I was drawn to Cal Wellness because of the diversity of the team and the foundation’s bold work to address the social factors that impact health and wellness – where we live, our race, our education and income. Today, I’m honored and inspired to be leading this work as CEO.
Tell me about the mission of the California Wellness Foundation. What drew you to it and what are you doing to further it?
Our mission is clear and ambitious: advancing wellness for the people of California. That means meeting people’s essential needs, like access to health care, quality education, and good jobs, and breaking down the systemic barriers that prevent access. I joined Cal Wellness because I believe in this broad definition of wellness and the foundation’s commitment to supporting both direct services and policy advocacy. Cal Wellness also has a legacy of working with local organizations to understand community needs and learn from what works, then providing unrestricted funding to grow those solutions. I intend to continue and build on that legacy of community connection, generous giving, and partnership – including cross-sector partnerships with business and government.
How has Covid impacted the foundation?
Our board, staff, and community partners experienced the pandemic the way that most people did: we tried to stay healthy while experiencing loss and caring for people in our lives. As a foundation, we invested more than $16 million in grants in response to Covid, including a partnership with the public sector by investing a $2 million grant to Public Health Institute, which created the Together Toward Health initiative and with support of Californian’s major foundations and state raised $33 million to provide grants to more than 500 organizations across our state. The initiative helped ensure that communities disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 had access to vaccines and health information. We also directly funded organizations providing services to communities of color, undocumented people, seniors, and those ineligible for government relief. We even simplified our grantmaking process to move funds to community partners more quickly.
How does the foundation decide what funding requests to accept?
To receive funding from Cal Wellness, an organization’s work must fit into one or more of our priority areas: equity in access, economic security and dignity, community well-being, and leading for power and change. Plus, it must serve one or more groups we intend to reach. We have an open process through which organizations can submit letters of interest for funding, and we’re particularly interested in work that addresses the needs of low-income communities, people of color, youth, immigrants, and residents of rural areas.
You have been involved in many initiatives including the foundation’s Advance and Defend campaign. Can you tell me a little bit about that and what it does?
After the 2016 election, the progress toward improving access to health care through policies like the Affordable Care Act was suddenly at risk of being reversed. We also witnessed a spike in hate violence and policy changes targeting immigrants and people who rely on safety-net services. We got angry, we got organized, and we launched a campaign to use our dollars and voices to ensure we sustained efforts for wellness and continued to make progress. The Advance and Defend Wellness campaign allowed us to make $14 million in responsive grants and raise our voices in support of health care access, the safety net, immigrant communities and efforts challenging hate. For me, it was one of the most powerful examples of how we as a foundation can adapt and respond to the emerging issues while staying true to our broader mission and vision for health and wellness.
ARTISTIC LARGESSE
Katherine Fleming last year became president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, which touts itself as the world’s largest cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts. She previously served as provost at New York University and led its strategy in Europe.
She spoke with the Business Journal about the J. Paul Getty Trust and how it decides what causes to support.
What made you interested in running a philanthropy, and how have you chosen the groups you have been involved with over the years?
The sheer breadth of Getty’s philanthropic mission is compelling and part of what brought me here. We are a nonprofit that operates programs at our two beautiful sites, Getty Center and Getty Villa, for both the general public and for professionals in the visual arts. I’m thinking here of our museum that draws nearly 2 million visitors a year to enjoy our art collections and programs as well as our Research and Conservation Institutes, which move the disciplines of art history and preservation forward and make sure the arts are central to today’s conversations about critical issues, such as academic freedom and climate change. We also fund other organizations around the world to advance our fields and extend our impact. We do this through the Getty Foundation, which leads our grantmaking efforts locally and internationally.
Tell me about the mission of the Getty trust. What drew you to it and what are you doing to further it?
The J. Paul Getty Trust’s mission, put in the most succinct of terms, is to promote art in every way possible. We display, conserve, research, fund, and protect art – in Los Angeles and all around the world. I like to think of us as a global art Swat team, anchored by a world-class museum, foundation, and research and conservation institutes housed at the Getty Center. And a core part of the mission is to do this work in the most accessible way possible, and through a philanthropic lens. I was tremendously drawn to the global reach of the institution, the multidisciplinary focus on art, and, most of all, by the very real ways that Getty can respond to major developments across the world and intervene in and shape important debates.
How has Covid impacted the Getty trust?
Covid has impacted Getty in some ways familiar to an array of institutions and in some others that are more specific to ours. Of course, as is the case elsewhere, Getty is more comfortable with remote work than it used to be. The organization has developed some flexibility and agility that it didn’t have before. And as a public-facing institution, Covid has given the trust the opportunity to think hard and long about the many ways we can make our collections and the work we do as broadly accessible as possible, well beyond Southern California audiences. Covid was – is – a global phenomenon, a shared experience of almost all of humanity, and that bears some significant implications in terms of our ability to empathize with and think about people far afield, and about how to bring them into our orbit and how to enter theirs. Covid also galvanized Getty’s commitment to Southern California, most vividly through the Arts Recovery Fund – a truly amazing thing that provided a lifeline for scores of institutions when they most desperately needed it. We’d like to continue to play that role well beyond times of crisis.
How do you decide what funding requests to accept and causes to support?
Our foundation staff is in constant contact with colleagues around the globe to stay updated on challenges impacting the visual arts. From this, we identify the opportunities where grantmaking could make a difference and then create dedicated funding programs. One example is PST ART, the now landmark regional collaboration of arts organizations across Southern California, all simultaneously presenting exhibitions and programs around a common theme. Multiyear grant funding makes it possible for each of the participating museums to stretch their ambitions, conduct intensive research, engage and commission the most creative artists and present world-class exhibitions and dynamic programming.
I realized immediately upon joining Getty that PST ART has an extraordinary capacity to reach broad audiences in dynamic and ambitious new ways. Our current iteration, PST ART: Art & Science Collide, will open in September 2024 with over 50 local partners opening exhibitions about the intersections of science and art that relate to today’s most pressing issues, from environmental justice and Indigenous knowledge systems to artificial intelligence.
What do you hope to accomplish in your role at the Getty trust?
I’d like to further consolidate Getty as a major force in promoting the healthy flourishing of the arts and arts institutions in southern California. At the same time, I want to make sure that Getty is instantly recognizable around the world. In my view, we don’t have the visibility that we should, and I’d like to work to help change that. I’d like to bring together the local and the global, making sure that Los Angeles benefits from our global reach. I’d like Getty to be a leader in the arts and sustainability.
What’s next for the Getty trust?
We have our upcoming iteration of PST Art, Art and Science Collide, which is going to be amazing. In spring of 2024 we will be launching some new initiatives connected to sustainability. Getty will be working to make its communications, physical spaces, and general vibe feel as welcoming as possible. We just celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Getty Center and are thinking a lot about all the exciting new things that the next quarter century will bring.
Education and Science are Key
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation was founded by Eli and Edythe Broad, a husband-wife pair known for their charitable work and extensive art collection. Eli Broad, who passed away in 2021, built two Fortune 500 companies.
Gerun Riley, president of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, oversees its work in education, scientific and medical research and the arts.
She started working at the foundation in 2003 in an entry-level administrative position, before moving up the ranks. Initiatives she has worked on include the Broad Prize for Urban Education and the architectural competition for and opening of The Broad museum.
Riley spoke with the Business Journal about running a philanthropy and Covid’s impact.
What made you interested in running a philanthropy, and how have you chosen the groups you have been involved with over the years?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been aware of how lucky I am and determined to pay it forward. After studying neuroscience and preparing for medical school, I took a detour to a law firm in New York City where I worked for a partner representing mentally ill death-row inmates in their appeals cases. An impulsive move to Los Angeles and the luck of a prescient temp agency landed me at the front desk of the Broad Foundation. As it turned out, this is where I could bring my respect for science, my appreciation for educators (my mother is a teacher) and my passion for the arts (my father is an architect), together with a lifelong reckoning with my own privilege to help make a difference in my community.
Tell me about the mission of the foundation. What drew you to it and what are you doing to further it?
Over the past 20 years, the Broad Foundation has established groundbreaking institutions in education, science and the arts – and we are committed to ensuring those programs thrive and exist in perpetuity. At the same time, we are focused on investing in the future of Los Angeles – the Broads’ adopted hometown – by expanding economic opportunity for historically marginalized Angelenos.
What is your day-to-day like running the foundation?
Together with an incredible team, I engage in all activities, operations, investments and governance of the Broad Foundation’s work in public K-12 education, scientific and medical research, the arts, and civic initiatives across Los Angeles. Every day is different, and I love that about my job.
How did Eli Broad’s passing impact the foundation, and what are you doing now to honor his legacy?
Anyone who worked with Eli knew he could see around corners, and his own life was no exception. He anticipated and planned for his absence long before he stepped down from the day-to-day operations at TBF, which allowed several years of transition. Though I no longer get to race him to the office in the morning, his spirit, diligence, care and impatience are with us, and always will be.
How has Covid impacted the foundation?
We are proud that the Broad Institute developed a Covid testing system that processed over 37 million tests, allowing schools, nursing homes and hospitals across the Northeast to continue providing essential services throughout the pandemic. Here in Los Angeles, where Covid further exposed and exacerbated the disparities and inequities in our region’s most vulnerable communities, we made the decision to turn TBF’s active grantmaking towards investing in L.A.’s recovery and future.
How does the foundation decide what causes to be involved with?
Eli and Edye’s decision to focus their philanthropic activities on public K-12 education, scientific and medical research, the visual and performing arts and civic initiatives across Los Angeles, was inspired by their personal experiences and passions. While we are disciplined in limiting our grantmaking to these core areas, within each there has been (an) evolution in our approach. Most recently, our education work benefited from a listening tour with over 300 teachers, parents and students across Los Angeles. In addition to actively soliciting community feedback, our decisions are informed by three questions: Will the work happen without us? Will the investment make a difference in 20 or more years? Is leadership in place to make the goal a reality?
What’s next for the foundation?
The Broad Foundation is committed to collaborating with our partners to help realize L.A.’s potential by supporting the cultural, civic, systemic and educational infrastructure that allows more Angelenos to live, work and play in our city. We are energized by our fellow Angelenos and the civic leaders shaping a collective vision for L.A.’s future, and we are always ready to get to work on the next idea.
FAMILY FOUNDATION THRIVES
William Ahmanson is the president of the Ahmanson Foundation and has served on its board since 1999. The foundation was founded in 1952 with financing from Howard Ahmanson and his wife, Dorothy Grannis Ahmanson.
Howard Ahmanson was also the founder of H. F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance company, and created Home Savings of America, a savings and loan association. After his passing in 1968, his nephews, William and Robert Ahmanson, and others ran the Foundation.
Today, the Foundation funds cultural projects, education, health care, programs related to homelessness and underserved populations.
William Ahmanson, a native Angeleno and Harvard-Westlake School and Occidental College alum, spoke with the Business Journal about becoming involved in the foundation and what causes it is most interested in now.
What made you interested in running the Ahmanson Foundation? Did your family’s legacy play a role?
My relevant work experience relates to my time at Home Savings of America. When I started college, I went to work at Home Savings of America as a teller. This was helpful in avoiding Friday night parties at Occidental College since I had to be in the Beverly Hills office by 8:15 in the morning. My career there took me to chief teller (in charge of the vault in Beverly Hills), real estate appraiser and residential loan manager, and ended my time at Home as the chief underwriter for California Residential Lending. All high-risk loans needed my approval.
The main skill set I brought was being able to turn around troubled offices. The reason for the telling of this tale is because management of a foundation office is much like a loan office. To be clear, The Ahmanson Foundation was never in trouble or needed turning around, but that management experience honed my skills and credibility to manage this foundation.
After a brief stint at Union Bank, I started here full time as part of a transition plan. My father, the president before me, passed away unexpectedly in 2007 and I have been president since. I also had knowledge of the organization through being a trustee since 1999.
Legacy played a vital role in my decision and protection of the original donor intent. This foundation was founded in 1952 by Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. and Dorothy Grannis Ahmanson, who served as the first president. To this day we strive to honor their legacy and hope they will be pleased by our focus on matters that were important to them.
Tell me about the mission of the Ahmanson Foundation. What drew you to it and what are you doing to further it?
The website will have the same generic mission statement as all nonprofits post. What drew me to this is not in the mission statement. You may notice our branding around town. What we do well is the projects others do not find engaging, like HVAC, roofs, sewers, pipes. Basically, the type of grantmaking that provides a better environment for those (we) serve and the staff providing those services.
How does the foundation decide what funding requests to accept?
We review requests 51 weeks a year and look primarily for capital requests from organizations that have been established for about five years, have solid financial information and a robust mission.
Why focus your efforts on Los Angeles?
Howard Ahmanson Sr. made his wealth in Los Angeles and wanted to serve this community.
How has Covid impacted the Ahmanson Foundation? Have you had to make many changes?
Like all foundations, we rapidly pivoted to meet the needs of the nonprofit community, one of the advantages of philanthropy. Now that the pandemic has passed, we are basically back to business as before.
What’s next for the Ahmanson Foundation?
We are always looking for new opportunities and partners. We have recently begun a relationship with the Huntington Museum to assist in the collection of American and European artwork. There are other goals we are working on, but it is premature to mention them at this time.
ADVANCING A CIVIC AGENDA
Miguel Santana took over as the California Community Foundation’s president and chief executive earlier this month, replacing Antonia Hernández. Prior to joining the group, Santana was the president and chief executive of the Weingart Foundation. He was appointed in that role in 2021. He started his career as a community liaison at Maldef and served as former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina’s chief of staff before becoming the city administrative officer for the city of Los Angeles, overseeing a $9 billion budget. He has also served as the president and chief executive of Pomona-based nonprofit Fairplex.
“Antonia Hernández has built CCF to a position of great strength and incomparable reputation; Miguel Santana is the right leader to build from that extraordinary foundation to greater heights for the foundation and for the Los Angeles region,” Thomas A. Saenz, chair of the CCF board, said in a statement when Santana was announced the group’s next president. “His unmatched and lengthy leadership track record of successfully confronting myriad challenges in our dynamic region demonstrate that he will increase the positive impact of CCF on the Los Angeles that he has loved and served throughout his life.”
The California Community Foundation was founded in 1915 with the goal of strengthening local communities and oversees $2.3 billion in assets.
Santana spoke with the Business Journal about raising money during the pandemic and what’s next for the CCF.
What made you interested in running a philanthropy and how have you chosen the groups you have been involved with over the years?
My career has been at the intersection of government, nonprofit, private, philanthropy and the community sectors, which has allowed me to work on the issues that I care the most about around systems change and making Southern California a more equitable place where everyone thrives. Philanthropy, and specifically CCF, is a natural fit in the intersection of that work.
Tell me about the mission of the California Community Foundation. What drew you to it and what are you doing to further it?
CCF advances the civic agenda by bringing together donors, community organizations and government to address the most pressing issues of our day – such as homelessness, immigration, health and education. Looking ahead, CCF is preparing to launch its strategic planning process next fiscal year, which will be community driven and build on the work that’s already been done, while developing the framework for a more inclusive Los Angeles community.
How has Covid impacted the foundation? Have you had to make many changes when it comes to raising money and getting people involved?
Covid exposed the systemic failures that existed prior to the pandemic. It disproportionately impacted communities of color, exposing disparities to access to everything from quality internet, economic viability, healthy food, housing and health care. Amid this crisis, CCF donors were incredibly generous, enabling us to serve Los Angeles communities at a time when the need was most. As we look ahead, philanthropy is uniquely positioned to use the pandemic as a catalyst for change. CCF is working to ensure we are not recreating the L.A. that existed prior to Covid, but a reimagined and more equitable Los Angeles.
What’s next for the California Community Foundation?
I am looking forward to CCF hosting more in-person events to connect our donors, community, and civic leaders. Together we will further advance our shared mission to create systemic change in Los Angeles County that strengthens all our communities.
