Gillespie Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Based in Pasadena, California, the Gillespie Foundation supports global health with a strong emphasis on population stabilization. To a lesser extent, it supports environmental conservation initiatives in California.
IP TAKE: The Gillespie Foundation’s main area of focus is population research. Its grants for global health and environmental conservation are much smaller. This funder does not appear to accept unsolicited proposals, but provides contact information on its website. It restricts information on its strategies, though you can reach out to them to learn more about how it chooses who to fund. This is a niche, regional funder, so if you conduct work with a national scope or beyond California, this is not the appropriate funder for your work.
PROFILE: Founded in 2007 by Robert Gillespie, the Gillespie Foundation seeks to “[p]rescribe policies and actions to achieve population stabilization, explore the path to zero fossil future and preserve and protect the environment for the future generation of children.” Based in Pasadena, California, this funder maintains a low-profile and works mainly in the areas of global health, environmental conservation and clean energy, prioritizing the state of California.
Grants for Global Health
Gillespie Foundation’s global health funding focuses on population control and stabilization in developing countries. As a result, reproductive health remains an important portion of this area of grantmaking. A significant portion of funding is directed toward research in this area; funding has supported population studies at the Population Media Center, Blue Planet United, Population Communication and the Population Reference Bureau. Less frequently the foundation supports health initiatives concerning reproductive freedom. These grantees include the National Women’s Health Network, Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, IntraHealth International and the Reproductive Health Access Project of New York City.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
The Gillespie Foundation has demonstrated a commitment to environmental conservation, with grants going to land conservation, wildlife protection and environmental education initiatives. The foundation limits its environmental funding to California-based organizations or projects. Land conservation grantees include San Francisco’s Trust for Public Land, the Urban Wildlands Group, the Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy and the Arlington Garden in Pasadena. Wildlife grantees include Hawaii’s Papahana Kuaola, Defenders of Wildlife, Inc. and the National Audubon Society. Gillespie has also supported environmental education programs at the University of California Los Angeles and Midland School in Los Olivos, California.
Important Grant Details:
Gillespie grants are awarded in amounts up to $500,000, with an average grant size of $10,000. It is worth noting that grants for research on population control and stabilization are most often awarded in amounts greater than $100,000, while most other grants are in the $1,000 to $10,000 range. More than half of all grantmaking funds organizations in the state of California. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
The Gillespie Foundation does not appear to accept applications for funding, but provides contact information on its web page.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
