How the Former CEO of Public Storage Gives in Southern California

The self-storage industry is big business these days, especially with large homes becoming less affordable by the year and an increasing number of people moving into smaller spaces to save money. The largest self-storage brand in the U.S. is Public Storage, which opened its first facility in 1972 and has thousands of locations across the U.S. and in Europe. A big name to know behind this business is Ronald Havner Jr., who is Public Storage’s former CEO and a philanthropist worth paying attention to.

Due in part to his success with the company, Havner launched his own philanthropic foundation with his wife, LeeAnn Havner, in 2003. Here are some details about the Havner Family Foundation and what the couple’s priorities are in their home region of Southern California.

A Recent Step Down from CEO

In 2019, Ronald Havner Jr. stepped down as the CEO of Public Storage and left the role to current company president Joe Russell. Havner was with the company since 1986 and held numerous senior leadership positions since then.

With this recent role shift, it is possible that Havner may have more time to devote to philanthropy and focus on his foundation’s charitable giving. However, Havner is still a trustee and chairman of the board for the storage company.

Broad Grantmaking Interests

Thus far, the Havners have given to a wide range of interest areas and topics through their foundation. Major interests include human services, health, education and arts and culture. Recent support has gone to school foundations, organizations that assist disabled individuals, disease-specific causes and well-established local arts organizations. Most of the foundation’s grants are in the form of general operating support and can be as low as $250 or as high as over $300,000.

Los Angeles and the greater Southern California region are steady priorities for the Havner couple. Havner earned his degree from UCLA, and LeeAnn Havner chairs the board of directors of Muse/ique, a music venue in Pasadena that the couple regularly supports. The foundation is based in San Marino, California. A few of Havner’s personal affiliations are the Urban Land Institute and the NYU REIT Center.

Low Transparency and Accessibility

Unfortunately for Southern California grantseekers, only limited information is publicly available about the Havner Family Foundation because it does not have a website or make itself particularly transparent. Tax filings indicate that the couple is not open to unsolicited requests for foundation grants, and the foundation does not publicize its grantmaking guidelines or procedures.

Learn more about how to get in touch with this foundation with general questions or read about other SoCal grantmakers right here at IP.

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