Richard Leeds and Anne Kroeker

SOURCE OF WEALTH: CPI Corp

FUNDING AREAS: Conservation, Education

OVERVIEW: Richard Leeds and his wife Anne Kroeker established the Kaleidoscope Foundation in 1997, along with its two funds—Wildlife Forever Fund and Educational Legacy Fund—through which the bulk of their giving flows. The couple is strongly involved in the local Pacific Northwest environmental community.

BACKGROUND: Richard Leeds graduated from University of Colorado Boulder in 1975 with a degree in computer science, molecular cellular developmental biology and astrophysics. He was a software project leader at Microsoft. In 1985, he founded CPI Corp., a Research & Development lab implementing Conversation Processing Intelligence.

ISSUES:

CONSERVATION: The couple’s Wildlife Forever Fund participates with land trusts, the Land Trust Alliance, and other organizations that promote wildlife conservation, education, recreation, business ventures and scientific investigations. Its work is primarily in the Northwest. Richard and Anne are passionate supporters of land conservation and are statewide and national leaders in the land trust movement. Both East Coast natives, the couple explains their commitment to the Pacific Northwest: “[we] fell in love with a place that had old growth trees, native fish, unique arts and culture, and untamed wilderness.” They are steady supporters of Washington Association of Land Trusts and members of the Land Trust Alliance’s National Council. Other grantees have included Trout Unlimited, Wild Salmon Center, NRDC, Land Trust Alliance, Audubon Washington, Climate Solutions, and Columbia Land Trust.

EDUCATION: The couple’s Educational Legacy Fund participates with organizations providing sustainable business education, experiential environmental education, STEM training, and public education projects. Anne was a volunteer in the art education program for years in Bellevue Public Schools and Richard took a semi-sabbatical teaching math and science.

The extended Leeds family gave a $35 million gift to University of Colorado at Boulder College of Business to endow the CU-Boulder business school. Leeds attended the school as did his brother Michael.

The couple via their foundation have supported ACLU Foundation toward education equity programming; Islandwood (formerly Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center); Museum of Glass; and University of Colorado Foundation.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Grantees have included American Red Cross, Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, Seattle Opera, and Seattle Symphony.

LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the couple’s steady support of environmental organizations to continue. While the foundation does not accept proposals, the family has said they’re interested in hearing from others with similar interests and goals.

CONTACT: 

The Kaleidoscope Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:

Kaleidoscope Foundation
c/o R. Leeds 227 Bellevue Way NE, 543
Bellevue, WA 98004

LINK: Richard Leeds Linkedin