Walter Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Walter Family Foundation primarily supports grantmaking related to education and youth, the arts, animals and community organizations.
IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals.
PROFILE: The Walter Family Foundation was established in 2013. It was founded by billionaire investor Mark Walter and his wife, Kimbra. Walter is CEO of investment firm Guggenheim Partners. The foundation lacks transparency and does not maintain a website, restricting further information on its priority areas and grantmaking strategies. According to tax filings, the Walter Family Foundation primarily supports grantmaking related to education and youth, the arts, animals, and community organizations.
The Walters have supported Northwestern University for several years. Mark Walter’s first gift to the school was $100 in 1986, but the couple gave $40 million to the school in 2014. Northwestern University School of Law is home to the Walter Family Foundation Scholarship Fund. Kimbra is on the board of OneGoal, “a coalition of teachers, students, school leaders and education advocates working to close the college degree divide,” to which the couple has given millions. The Walters own a 17,000-acre animal refuge in Florida, as well as wildlife preserves in Africa. In Chicago, they have backed the Lincoln Park Zoo, where Kimbra is a trustee. Additionally, Kimbra is a vice chair of the board of Goodman Theatre, which received a 7-figure gift from the couple recently. Additional Chicago grantmaking has gone to Get IN Chicago, the University of Chicago, Lyric Opera and the Field Museum.
Grants range from $200 to around $3.2 million. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $10.2 million.
The Walter Family Foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.
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CONTACT:
Walter Family Foundation
227 West Monroe Street, 4800
Chicago, IL 60606
