David C. Copley Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This private family funder supports the San Diego area in the areas human services, military and veterans, youth development, medical research, arts and culture, education, animal welfare and more.
IP TAKE: While the David C. Copley Foundation supports organizations of every size throughout San Diego County, it is not particularly accessible to new grantseekers, who must be invited by a board or staff member to apply for a grant. Networking will likely be the only way to gain this SoCal funder’s attention.
PROFILE: The David C. Copley Foundation is a private family foundation formerly known as the Helen K. and James S. Copley Foundation. Its mission is “to carry on the Copley family’s legacy of giving by funding nonprofit organizations making a difference in the areas of human services, military and military veterans, youth development, medical and medical research, education, arts and culture and animal welfare, especially those programs and services improving the life or opportunities of the underserved in the San Diego area.” Dating back to 1953, the foundation was established from the success of the family’s company, the Copley Press, which owned and published multiple newspapers in California, Ohio and Illinois. David C. Copley, the son of Helen and James, was born and raised in San Diego. He died in a 2012 car accident in La Jolla after having a heart attack at the age of 60. After his death, the foundation became the sole beneficiary of his estate. Today, the foundation is controlled by independent directors that David appointed to carry on his tradition of philanthropy.
Grants for Public Health, Mental Health and Diseases
The Copley Foundation’s Human Services giving area is its largest and appears to focus on organizations supporting health and wellness in San Diego County. Grantees include Alzheimer’s San Diego, the Burn Institute of San Diego and the Imperial Valley, Crisis House and the Gold Rush Cure Foundation, which “bring[s] hope and encouragement to children fighting cancer and advocate[s] for cures.”
The Copley Foundation also names grantmaking interest in Medical Services and Research, although this is a smaller giving area. Grants have supported the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Rady Children's Hospital Foundation, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the San Diego Blood Bank Foundation.
Grants for Housing, Homelessness and Sustainable Food Systems
Copley’s Human Services focus area also gives to organizations working to prevent hunger and homelessness in San Diego County. The foundation does not name specific goals or priorities for this giving. Grantees include the Interfaith Shelter Network, the San Diego Food Bank, the San Diego Rescue Mission and Feeding San Diego.
Grants for Work and Opportunity
The Copley Foundation names Job Training and Skills as an area of grantmaking interest, and some grants that stem from its Human Services area also support work and career training and placement services. Some grantees working in these areas are Kitchens for Good, Rise Up Industries, San Diego Second Chance and St. Madeleine Sophie’s Training Center.
Grants for K-12 Education
The Copley Foundation names education, literacy and youth development as areas of interest, and giving across these areas account for a significant portion of the foundation’s overall grantmaking. Copley does not articulate a strategy for its giving in these areas but supports a range of in-school and out-of-school learning and enrichment programs for K-12 populations in San Diego County.
Grantees include Cristo Rey San Diego High School, the Elementary Institute of Science, Reading Legacies, the ABC Youth Foundation and multiple chapters of Boys and Girls Clubs in the San Diego area.
Grants for Veterans and Military
The Copley Foundation does not articulate goals or priorities for its military and veterans giving, but has given to several organizations that support veterans, active military and first responders in the areas of wellness, mental health and opportunity. Grantees include the Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA, the Foundation for Women Warriors, the Support The Enlisted Project, Inc. and the Veterans Association of North County.
Grants for Arts and Culture
Arts and culture represent a smaller area of giving for this foundation. While Copley does not outline strategies for this giving, performing arts appear to be a main priority. Grants have gone to the La Jolla Playhouse, Mainly Mozart, the San Diego Youth Symphony and transcenDANCE. The foundation has also supported the San Diego Automotive Museum.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife
Animals are another smaller area of giving for the Copley Foundation, with most grants supporting rescues and shelters for domesticated animals. Grantees include the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, the San Diego Humane Society, the Spay Neuter Action Project and the Tecate Horse Rescue.
Important Grant Details
Grants mainly range from $10,000 to $500,000, but have been much larger in past years.
Grantmaking is mainly limited to organizations serving the communities of San Diego County, but organizations of all sizes have received support.
This funder appears to prioritize services for vulnerable and needy populations.
Human services and education are the foundation’s largest areas of giving.
The Copley Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for funding. The foundation states that “applicants must be invited by a board member or staff before applying and will be given a link for application at that time.”
See a list of recent grantees here.
General inquiries may be directed to the foundation via email at kim@copleyfoundation.org or by telephone at (619) 269-8220.
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