David and Heidi Welch
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Infinera
FUNDING AREAS: Education, Environment
OVERVIEW: David Welch and his wife, Heidi, do their grantmaking through the David and Heidi Welch Foundation, which made over $400,000 in grants in a recent year. The couple's philanthropy prioritizes education, the environment and health. A few years ago, Welch founded Students Matter, which promotes access to quality public education through impact litigation, communications and advocacy. Students Matter helped bring a successful lawsuit against teacher tenure in California. The Welchs have also earmarked funds for the environment, focusing on Natural Resources Defense Council, where David serves on the board of trustees.
BACKGROUND: A Maryland native, David F. Welch received a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Cornell University. Welch joined Spectra Diode Labs as a research scientist in 1985. He climbed the ladder at the company, eventually serving as CTO and VP of Corporate Development. In 2001, Welch co-founded Infinera, a manufacturer of optical telecommunications systems based in Sunnyvale, California. Welch holds over 130 patents in optical transmission technologies.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION: A product of public schools, David Welch's philanthropic passion is education. In 2011, Welch founded Students Matter, "a national nonprofit organization dedicated to sponsoring impact litigation to promote access to quality education." Students Matter helped spur a landmark court ruling that California laws governing teacher tenure, firing and layoffs violate students' constitutional right to education equality. More recently, Students Matter filed the lawsuit Doe v. Antioch, which "challenges the collective bargaining agreements of thirteen school districts and their local teachers unions that explicitly prohibit the use of students’ standardized test data in the evaluation of teachers, in direct violation of the Stull Act." The Stull Act, by the way, requires school districts to evaluate the performance of teachers through various means including via standardized test data.
Welch and his wife Heidi fund Students Matter through The David and Heidi Welch Foundation. The couple has supported other K-12 education organizations, including the Menlo School, the New Schools Venture Fund, KIPP Bay Area Schools and the Riekes Center, which runs fitness, creative arts and other programming for students and youth. In higher education, the foundation has given to the UCLA School of Nursing, the University and Stanford University. Welch’s alma maters, the University of Delaware and Cornell, have also received support.
ENVIRONMENT: Welch sits on the board of trustees of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which has received steady support from his foundation. The couple has donated specifically to support NRDC programs addressing toxins and public health. Another specific area of interest has been fellowships at NRDC's Center for Market Innovation, which "works to demonstrate and implement new approaches to finance and investment that offer strong profit potential as well as increased opportunity for people of all income levels."
PUBLIC HEALTH: The Welch Foundation’s grantmaking for public health overlaps with its environmental grantmaking. The couple’s specific areas of interest include the dangers that environmental toxins cause to human health and public awareness about the dangers of environmental degradation. Grants have supported programs at the National Resources Defense Council.
LOOKING FORWARD: Welch will likely stick with his specific areas of interest in K-12 education and the environment. Grantmaking has held steady at about $450,000 over the past few years.
CONTACT:
The David and Heidi Welch Foundation
217 Camino Al Lago
Atherton, CA 94027
(650) 321-0150
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