Richard C. And Melanie Lundquist Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Richard C. And Melanie F. Lundquist Family Foundation supports youth development, community development and animal welfare. In addition to foundation giving, the Lundquists make large donations for biomedicine, public health and higher education.
IP TAKE: The Richard C. And Melanie Lundquist Family Foundation conducts just a small fraction of its founders’ philanthropic giving. While the Lundquists are known for making donations in the tens of millions to Southern California health and disease research organizations, their foundation grants mainly stay below $10,000. Nevertheless, the Ludquists are signatories of the Giving Pledge and may ramp up their foundation’s giving in the years to come.
PROFILE: The Richard C. And Melanie Lundquist Family Foundation was established in 2000. Its was founded by Richard Lundquist and his wife, Melanie. Richard is president of Continental Development Corporation, a commercial real estate and management company based in El Segundo. 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. Tax filings suggest the Richard C. And Melanie Lundquist Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to education, human services, and animal organizations of late. In addition to their foundation’s giving, this couple has made large private donations for biomedical research and education. The Ludquists signed the Giving Pledge in 2018.
Grants for Public Health and Diseases
The Lundquists have made large donations to health- and disease-related organizations over the past two decades. In the 200os, they gave $13 million to Torrance Memorial Medical Center for the establishment of the Lundquist Cardiovascular Institute and for a project to expand the center’s emergency department. Additional gifts to Torrance have seen the establishment of the Lundquist Orthopedic Institute and the Lundquist Neuroscience Institute. More recently, in 2019, the Lundquists made an “unrestricted gift” of $70 million to Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, which has since been renamed the Lundquist Institute.
Grants for K-12 Education and Youth Development
According to tax filings, education and youth are areas of significant interest for the Lundquists. Richard Lundquists has served on the board and as chair of the El Segundo Education Foundation, and Melanie Lundquist was involved in the founding of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, an effort that was accompanied by a $35 million commitment to that organization. In 2016, the couple bankrolled the establishment of South Bay Sports, Health and Recreation, a nonprofit that “support the development of worthwhile sports and recreational venues primarily for the youth of the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.” Richard continues to serve as CEO of that organization.
In addition to these major commitments, the couple has made grants through their foundation to organizations that support K-12 education and children’s well-being. Grantees include the Everychild Foundation, which focuses on “easing the suffering of children in the Greater Los Angeles area, whether due to disease, disability, abuse, neglect or poverty,” and United Friends of the Children, which “provides housing and education services to current and former foster youth” in Los Angeles County.
Grants for Higher Education
Higher education is not a major area of giving for the Lundquist Foundation, but the couple gave $25 million to McPherson College in Kansas in 2022. Richard Lundquist serves on the liberal arts college’s board of trustees. According to an article posted on the college’s website, the gift will support McPherson’s Community by Design strategic plan.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife
The Lundquist Foundation’s tax filings reveal an interest in animal causes, although the foundation does not articulate a strategy for this giving. Grantees include Pet Orphans of Southern California and the SPCA of Los Angeles.
Grants for Environment and Community Development
The Lundquist Foundation also demonstrates interest in organizations involved in conservation and neighborhood beautification projects. Some of this giving, however, may be directed toward communities where the Lundquists maintain real estate interests. Grantmaking in this area has supported the Palos Verdes Estates Foundation, the Del Monte Forest Property Owners, the National Parks Foundation and the California State Parks Foundation.
Important Grant Details:
While the Lundquists have made some gifts in the tens of millions, foundation grants range from $250 to $6,000.
This funder maintains a low profile, limiting information about its grantmaking strategy.
While the Lundquists have made large donations for biomedicine and higher education privately, their foundation tends to focus on youth development, animal causes and community development and beautification projects.
For information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
This funder does not accept unsolicited requests for funding, but contact information is provided below.
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CONTACT:
Richard C. And Melanie Lundquist Family Foundation
2041 Rosecrans Ave, Ste 200
El Segundo, CA 90245
310-640-1520
