Andrew and JoAnn Senyei

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Enterprise Partners Venture Capital

FUNDING AREAS: Medical Research, Education

OVERVIEW: Andrew and JoAnn Senyei move philanthropy through the The Senyei Family Foundation, which gave away around $164,000 in a recent year. Senyei strongly supports his alma mater Northwestern University.

BACKGROUND: Andrew Senyei emigrated from Budapest when he was six and received his M.D. from Northwestern University. He served as managing director of Enterprise Partners Venture Capital. He has also served on the boards of more than 30 private and public companies and was named one of the top 100 venture capitalists in the U.S. on Forbes magazine’s 2006 Midas Touch List.

ISSUES:

MEDICAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION: The Senyeis are steady backers of Northwestern University, where their three children graduated, as well. They gave a $3 million gift to Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine towards a new Biomedical Research Building. They’ve also supported the President’s Fund, the Bienen School of Music, and a Feinberg professorship within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Senyei is a trustee of Northwestern Medicine Campaign Cabinet. They also support University of San Diego.

Other grantees have included Monarch School, UC San Diego Foundation, UC Irvine, Bishops School, Evans School Education Foundation, and MPN Research Foundation, which “stimulates original research to find new treatments and an eventual cure for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).” MPNs are types of blood cancers.

OTHER: The Senyeis have also earmarked more modest sums for causes like arts and culture and other causes in the San Diego area. Grantees have included La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego Humane Society.

LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the family’s giving to track with established interest areas for now. It’s worth noting that Senyei was once president of the San Diego Opera and won a Tony Award last decade as one of the producers of the hit Broadway musical, Jersey Boy. Perhaps arts grantmaking will ramp up via the foundation down the line.

CONTACT:

The Senyei Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the family but below is an address:

The Senyei Family Foundation
1547 El Camino Del Teatro
La Jolla, CA 92037