A Glimpse Into the Southern California Philanthropy of the Robert Day Foundation
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In September 2023, Robert A. Day passed away at the age of 79. Day was a local investor, businessman and philanthropist in the Los Angeles area, and a longtime USC supporter. Day founded the Trust Company of the West in 1971 and served as the CEO of the W.M. Keck Foundation, which his grandfather founded in 1954. In addition to Day’s 28 years of leadership at the W.M. Keck Foundation, he also established his own private family foundation, the Robert A. Day Foundation. In 2008, the Robert Day Foundation became the successor trust to the original Robert A. Day Foundation and continues to make grants to support Southern California organizations.
Limited transparency and accessibility
Robert A. Day’s private foundation has never maintained a website, restricting transparency about its grantmaking priorities and strategies. However, tax records indicate that the Robert Day Foundation most commonly funds education, health, arts and culture. A massive $200 million gift to Claremont McKenna College funded the Robert Day Scholars Program to support undergraduate liberal arts education. His philanthropic work and affiliations include the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Saint John’s Health Center and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
Recent foundation giving
In a recent year, the Robert Day Foundation reported over $6.5 million in grants and around $23.5 million in total assets. Annual grantmaking has been over $5 million for quite some time. Foundation grants range anywhere from $1,000 to $5 million, and grantees are usually based in Los Angeles and throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The Robert Day Foundation commonly provides unrestricted general operating support to its grantees. Recent California grantees include the CDA Futbol Club in Cerritos, Claremont McKenna College in Claremont and Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai.
Getting in touch
According to recent tax records, the Robert Day Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals and only funds preselected organizations. Most grantees have personal affiliations with the Day family. Since the passing of Robert Day, his foundation has been in the hands of other family members and directors, including Peter Barker, Robert Miller, Jonathan Day, Joseph Deegan Day, Dorothy W. Day, Matthew Drevlow and Peter Carlton. Nonprofits may contact the foundation by phone with general questions or to inquire about its current grantmaking protocols and any potential funding opportunities.
If you want to learn more about this philanthropist or local giving in Southern California, check out IP’s profile of the Robert A. Day Foundation, our donor profile of Robert and Marlyn Day and our Los Angeles and Southern California grantmaking guide.
