Warren and Katharine Schlinger Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Warren and Katharine Schlinger Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education, health and human services, animals, arts and culture and Congregationalism. Grantmaking prioritizes Southern California.
IP TAKE: The Warren and Katharine Schlinger Foundation keeps a low public profile, which limits information about its grantmaking priorities and activities. It does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding, so a connection to the Schlinger Family or, perhaps, a past grantee may be the only way to get on this Southern California funder’s radar. Note that this funder’s giving tilts conservative in some areas.
PROFILE: Established in 1994, the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Foundation was founded by the late chemical engineer Warren Schlinger and his late wife, Katie. Warren Schlinger worked for Texaco, where he helped to develop pioneering technologies for processing oil shales and for oil recovery, coal desulfurization, and coal gasification. The foundation is now steered by the couple’s children Sarah Chrisman and Norman Schlinger. The foundation lacks transparency and does not maintain a website, which makes it difficult to locate further information on its priority areas and grantmaking strategies. According to tax filings, the Warren and Katherine Schlinger Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education, arts and culture, animals, health, mental health and Congregational churches. Grantmaking prioritizes, but is not limited to, Southern California.
Grants for Education
Education has been one of this funder’s largest giving areas over the years. The Schlinger Foundation does not name specific priorities for its education grants, but ongoing support has gone to the California Institute of Technology, which is Warren’s alma mater and home to the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Laboratory for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Education grants have also gone to Oakland’s Northern Light School, the University of California San Francisco, Scripps College and the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe. The foundation also shows interest in civics education, having made grants to the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy, Young America’s Foundation and the Leadership Institute, a national organization that works to “[t]urn young men and women into the next generation of conservative leaders for America.”
Grants for Public Health, Mental Health and Housing
Health and mental health account for a significant portion of this funder’s grantmaking. Past grants have gone to the International OCD Foundation, the Tourette Association of America, the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation, Huntington Medical Research Institutes and Hope Solutions, which addresses homelessness in Pleasant Hill, California.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife
This funder regularly supports organizations working in domestic animal welfare and wildlife rescue. Grantees include Walnut Creek’s Community Concern for Cats, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care Inc., the Elephant Sanctuary of Hohenwald, Tennessee and Bear League of Homewood, California.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Schlinger Foundation’s arts and culture grants appear to prioritize music in Southern California. Grantees include the Coleman Chamber Music Association, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
This funder also makes grants to Congregational churches and organizations in Southern California. Grants have gone to Oneonta Congregational Church in Pasadena and the Inland Valley Council of Churches.
Important Grant Details
Schlinger grants mainly range from $5,000 to $350,000.
This funder tends to provide ongoing support to a small corps of grantees, many of which are located in Southern California.
Grants have supported organizations of all sizes.
Some of the foundation’s civics education grantmaking leans conservative.
The Schlinger Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding.
For additional information about past grants, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
This funder does not provide a direct avenue for getting in touch, but an address and phone number are provided below.
PEOPLE:
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CONTACT:
Warren & Katherine Schlinger Foundation
28202 Cabot Rd., Ste 300
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-1249
714-501-0899