Dan and Debra Friedkin

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Gulf States Toyota, The Friedkin Group

FUNDING AREAS: Conservation, Education, Aviation, Archeology, Disaster Relief

OVERVIEW: Dan and Debra Friedkin and family move philanthropy through several vehicles including the Friedkin Foundation, and the Friedkin Conservation Fund (FCF). Debra, meanwhile, takes the lead in supporting archeology. Friedkin has given away some $400 million.

BACKGROUND: Born in San Diego, Dan Friedkin graduated with a B.B.A. from Georgetown University and received his M.B.A. from Rice University. Friedkin owns Gulf States Toyota, which sold $9 billion worth of Toyotas in 2018 and has exclusive rights to distribute Toyota vehicles in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma. The company was started by his father. He chairs the the Friedkin Group, a privately held consortium of businesses and investments.

ISSUES:

CONSERVATION: Friedkin is an avid outdoorsman who is active in wildlife conservation initiatives in the U.S. and abroad. He is chairman emeritus of Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission and on the board of Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The couple have supported Wildlife Conservation Society, where Friedkin has sat on the board.

The family set up the Friedkin Conservation Fund (FCF), which operates as two separate but related entities – one is a Texas-based nonprofit and the other is The Friedkin Conservation Fund of Tanzania in Africa. FCF assists the Tanzanian Wildlife Division by providing anti-poaching teams. It also addresses issues of poverty and human pressure on natural resources at a community level, and engages in scientific research and monitoring, as well. FCF is working to conserve more than 6 million acres of Tanzania’s protected wildlife areas.

EDUCATION: Friedkin is a trustee emeritus of the Kinkaid School, which the family supports. All four of the couple’s children attended the school, home to the Friedkin Technology Endowment. Other grantees have included Southern Methodist University, Rice University, University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine, Raptor Center.

AVIATION: Friedkin wns one of the largest collections of vintage military war planes in the country. He is the founder of the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation, a nonprofit organization established to honor the men and women of the U.S. Air Force through Heritage Flight displays. He flies a variety of high performance vintage military aircraft, performing in air shows across North America and Europe with the U.S. Air Force and the Horsemen P-51 Flight Team.

ARCHEOLOGY: Debra has in interest in the archaeological research of early human habitation in the Americas. Texas A&M University researchers conduct work at the Debra L. Friedkin site, home to what are believed to be the oldest weapons ever found in North America— ancient spear points that are 15,500 years old.

DISASTER RELIEF: The Friedkin Disaster Relief Fund was established to provide critical assistance to dealers and associates as well as other individuals and families across the Gulf States region who face extreme hardships in the wake of a natural disaster.

ARTS & CULTURE: The couple have supported places like Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and Menil Collection.

LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the Friedkins’ layered work to continue. It is worth noting that Dan Friedkin also has a film production studio. Perhaps more arts and media grantmaking is down the line.

LINK: The Friedkin Group