Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on November 21, 2024.
The stories behind family philanthropy in America could rival any epic novel or prime-time drama — sprawling clans jockeying over deep pools of wealth and power to influence every aspect of society you could imagine. But they’re also homespun stories of familial relations recognizable to just about anyone, with donors bonded by love and mutual respect, or fractured by their disagreements.
In other words, a wealthy philanthropic family is still a family. And family is complicated. Especially so when we’re talking about dynasties of five or six generations handing down fortunes over many decades.
“We often say families become more complex over time and so do their philanthropies,” says Nick Tedesco, president and CEO of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, when offering his insights for this list (be sure to check out IP’s series on family philanthropy with NCFP).
As a result, philanthropic families vary quite a bit. Sure, some family philanthropy consists of a few related board members following a staid tradition of supporting a particular cause. Other family giving operations will engage dozens, if not hundreds, of relatives in decision-making, leading to surprising twists and turns, heated debates and even a splintering of some families.
It can be difficult to manage, and today’s families face an evolving set of challenges as the sector itself evolves. For example, how should a family balance donor intent and emerging crises? To what extent should a family engage the community in decision-making? How should donors navigate the disruption of divorce? And when is it time to hand things over to the youngsters, or even spend down?
All of the families on this list are grappling with these questions and more, each in their own way—some collaboratively, some separately. But a few factors unite them:
- They control and give away large sums of money.
- They have a large family presence in the sector, meaning more than a few family members and/or multiple generations involved.
- They make things happen, either through sheer size of their giving, outsized wealth in their home region, or softer forms of power.
As always, while we dug deep into IP’s coverage and the public record to come up with this list, the following is quite subjective. Feel free to disagree, and apologies for any family squabbles we’ve started.
Andrus Family
Founded in 1917, the Surdna Foundation has been governed by over five generations of the descendants of former Congressman John Emory Andrus. Surdna has evolved over the years into a powerful player in racial and social justice, albeit prompting disagreement among some family members.
Annenberg Family
The foundation of publisher Walter Annenberg was rooted in the Philadelphia area for years, serving as a vehicle for $3 billion in lifetime giving from him and his wife Leonore. Daughter Wallis took over in 2009 and transplanted the operation to L.A., where she and her three kids now steer about $100 million a year, with a focus on Southern California.
Blank Family
One chapter of the philanthropy associated with Arthur Blank’s Home Depot fortune came to a close with the end of the Kendeda Fund. But giving continues with the Atlanta-based Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, run by Arthur and his adult children.
Buffett Family
While Warren’s riches still fuel the largest foundation in the country, at 93, the investor made it clear that the Gates Foundation will get no more Buffett money after his death. That means Warren’s three children, who helm four foundations, will come into something like $143 billion, setting the stage for a massive experiment in family philanthropy unlike anything we’ve seen.
Butt Family
In 1905, Florence Butt started what would become the H-E-B grocery store chain, a household name in Texas. Two family foundations live on, including that of her grandson Charles Butt, a major K-12 donor and influential presence in the state.
Crown Family
The Chicago-based dynasty has yielded several streams of giving, including local powerhouse Crown Family Philanthropies. The Susan Crown Exchange is the rare funder investigating youth and tech, in partnership with Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures.
Cummings Family
Here’s an example of the challenges in managing a multigenerational family funder, evidenced by the abrupt departures of more than one leader over the years. Through it all, though, the Nathan Cummings Foundation has remained a powerful social justice funder and trailblazer in mission-aligned investing.
Deggendorfer Family
The Sisters, Oregon-based Roundhouse Foundation was created by Kathy Deggendorfer and her mother Gert Boyle, the feisty late president of Columbia Sportswear. Another relatively smaller entry, giving around $19 million in 2023, Roundhouse is an important presence in rural philanthropy and Indigenous causes in the Northwest. Several family members across four generations are currently involved with Roundhouse.
Disney Family
Most family members keep their distance from the mouse these days, but many engage in serious giving with their slice of the clan’s entertainment riches. Lillian Disney was a major L.A. donor, Abigail and Tim Disney have each given away millions, and Susan Disney Lord runs a family foundation with a dozen or so relatives involved.
DuPont Family
Weapons, chemicals and cars built the fortune of the DuPont family, which today spans some 3,500 members. There are a bunch of DuPont-related philanthropies, with a huge presence in Delaware and the mid-Atlantic. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund, for example, is a prominent place-based equity funder.
Durfee Family
One of the smaller funders on our list in terms of wealth, the Durfee Foundation is a great example of the potential for a family to take a stand and make an impact, with its outspoken support for nonprofit workers. Durfee also has a big presence in Los Angeles backing community groups and leaders.
Getty Family
The Getty oil dynasty is close to American royalty, with all of the drama, tragedy and even a supposed “family curse.” The J. Paul Getty Trust is one of the wealthiest and most influential arts institutions in the world, but other notable philanthropies include environmental funders like the Marisla Foundation and the Aileen Getty Foundation.
Gund Family
The Gunds have deep roots in Cleveland, where their flagship foundation is based and currently tackles climate, inequality and threats to democracy. Agnes Gund is also a major supporter of the arts, including through her Art for Justice Fund, which moved $125 million for justice reform before sunsetting in 2023.
Haas Family
I count at least five foundations with connections to the family behind Levi Strauss. The Walter and Elise Haas Fund is a powerhouse in San Francisco, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is an important social justice funder and was a top backer of LGBTQ causes before announcing a pivot in 2022.
Hearst Family
Drawing wealth from the media empire that inspired “Citizen Kane,” the Hearsts are another iconic American family. Since the 1940s, the flagship family philanthropy has given over $1.5 billion to a combination of arts, education, health and more.
Heinz Family
Here’s another very old family fortune dating back to 1869, counting two famous former senators in the mix and even a connection to the Trumps. Heinz philanthropy has a huge presence in Pennsylvania and in environmental and arts funding.
Hewlett Family
Now we’re getting into some new(ish) money. Mid-century Silicon Valley tech wealth funds the Hewlett Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the country. Family members partially govern its giving for climate, education, democracy and more. Meanwhile, the smaller Flora Family Foundation has some 16 children and grandchildren involved.
Hilton Family
Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, and his son Barron, built the eponymous L.A.-based foundation, which has backed a unique mix of causes such as homelessness, refugees and foster youth. Several (less famous) Hilton descendants still run the show.
Hunt Family
H.L. Hunt was the inspiration for J.R. Ewing, the cowboy-hat-wearing oil baron in 1980s prime-time family drama “Dallas.” H.L. had 15 children, and family philanthropists include Ray L. Hunt, Lyda Hill, Helen LaKelly Hunt, and influential progressive donor organizer Leah Hunt-Hendrix.
Kaiser Family
More oil wealth, this time planting a huge stake in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where George Kaiser’s foundation is best known for funding a transformative $465 million park. George is now 82, and his three kids serve on the foundation’s board.
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Koch Family
We all know the influence Charles and his late brother David have had in shaping the American conservative agenda. But the family’s giving is taking interesting turns, with David’s widow Julia Koch emerging as an ultra-wealthy donor, and Charles’s son Chase playing a growing role in the family business and Koch network.
Marriott Family
Six Marriotts sit on the board of the family’s largest foundation, which gives around $50 million a year to medical research, education and more. The funder places a big focus on the D.C. area, as does the smaller Richard E. And Nancy P. Marriott Foundation.
McKnight Family
The Twin Cities-based McKnight Foundation is governed in part by the fourth generation of the McKnight family, whose wealth comes from 3M. It’s a regional funder to some extent, with a huge footprint in the Midwest, but punches well above its weight on issues like climate change.
Mellon Family
A prime example of the way time can fragment a family’s philanthropy, Mellon descendants created two powerful but very different foundations—R.K. Mellon, focused on conservation and other causes in southwest Pennsylvania, and Mellon, the arts and humanities funding powerhouse. (The latter dropped the “Andrew W.” from its name, prompting a lawsuit from the R.K. side.) Meanwhile, the late Cordelia Scaife May and Richard Mellon Scaife created multiple powerful funders of right-wing causes.
Mitchell Family
Back to Texas, y’all. George Mitchell made a killing bringing natural gas fracking to market. Now, two generations of the Mitchell family govern their huge, Texas-focused foundation, one of a handful of oil and gas fortunes that now fund clean energy.
Mott Family
C.S. Mott was a co-owner of GM and a mayor of Flint, Michigan, the city the company once called home. Ridgway White is the fourth Mott family member to lead the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which gives big in Flint and beyond. Other family foundations include the Ruth Mott Foundation, CS Fund, and Warsh-Mott Legacy.
Packard Family
The other half of philanthropy’s Hewlett-Packard story, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, is a huge West Coast environment and social justice funder and, while it has independent board members, has always been a family affair. Daughter Julie Packard and two of the founders’ grandchildren are currently trustees.
Perez Family
Jorge M. Perez came to the U.S. from South America in 1968 and built a real estate empire in Miami. Major supporters of the city’s arts scene, Darlene and Jorge’s four kids are now deeply involved in their South Florida-focused philanthropy.
Pigott Family
The Pigotts’ Satterberg Foundation has grown into a prominent social justice funder in Washington State, and a forward-thinking advocate for trust-based philanthropy. Informed by the younger generation, and with no small amount of contention, trustees conducted an impressive overhaul of the foundation in 2016, focusing on shifting power via long-term, general operating support.
Pritzker Family
We could write a whole list just about the Pritzkers (and we did!). Chicago-based, they’re one of America’s richest clans, and boast political power via Penny and J.B. Pritzker. There are over a dozen philanthropic projects here, including Rachel Pritzker’s innovation-focused giving, Nicholas and Susan Pritzker’s progressive Libra Foundation, and Susan and Regan Pritzker’s racial-justice-focused Kataly Foundation.
Rasmuson Family
It’s one of not that many philanthropic power players in Alaska — four generations of Rasmusons have guided the largest private funder in the state, topping $30 million in giving some years. Funds go toward a wide range of Alaska nonprofits, artists, Native tribes and capital projects.
Reynolds Family
This tobacco fortune looms large in North Carolina, and family money backs various causes, while grappling with the company’s legacy. Z. Smith Reynolds and Mary Reynolds Babcock foundations, and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust all fund in North Carolina and other parts of the South.
Robertson Family
When Julian Robertson passed away, he left behind a huge philanthropic legacy, including his own $2 billion in giving and the dozen or so mentees who became major donors. Currently retooling, his foundation will carry on, with his sister, his sons and their spouses serving on the board as of 2022.
Rockefeller Family
There are several Rockefeller-spawned philanthropies that, on their own, would easily qualify the Standard Oil dynasty for this list. The big one is among the oldest and most powerful foundations in U.S. history, still operating with some family representation. But family members also formed the influential Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Rockefeller Family Fund, and more (influential consultancy Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors also has its roots with the family). Taken together, this is another massive oil fortune now contending with climate change.
Simons Family
The late Jim Simons was one of philanthropy’s great characters, and with wife Marilyn Simons, a giant funder of basic science. Their foundation continues, as do the kids’ Sea Change and Heising-Simons foundations. Third generation member Caitlin Heising sits on the latter’s board and is highly involved in giving. And don’t forget daughter Audrey Cappell’s progressive Foundation for a Just Society.
Sobrato Family
Rooted in real estate rather than tech, the Sobratos are huge in the Bay Area, and their Sobrato Philanthropies is a unique Silicon Valley funder focused on communities in its own backyard. The third generation is gaining a larger presence, with younger members strengthening the focus on social justice.
Stryker Family
Three grandchildren channel inheritances from the medical device company through their respective foundations, including Pat Stryker’s Colorado-based Bohemian Foundation and Jon Stryker’s Arcus, a powerful funder of LGBTQ causes and protection of apes. Ronda Stryker, meanwhile, gave a historic $100 million to Spelman College this year.
Tisch Family
Brothers Bob and Larry Tisch made the bulk of their fortune through Loews Theatres, which they grew into a multi-industry conglomerate. The brothers were huge donors to NYU and New York arts institutions, and second– and third-generation descendants are giving through some half-dozen channels.
Turner Family
Media mogul Ted Turner has always been focused on conservation of land, in part by buying it — he’s one of the largest private landowners in the country. The environmental foundation that bears his name is now steered by a bundle of Turners, including third-generation members Vasser Seydel and John Rutherford Seydel III.
Walton Family
Our final entry also happens to be the big one. The Waltons are the richest family in the country, boasting seven multibillionaires. Family giving used to run primarily through the Walton Family Foundation, which is now governed by the third generation. But we’ve seen several huge new philanthropies emerge in recent years, with Sam Walton’s heirs channeling hundreds of millions to causes like climate, the environment and LGBTQ issues. Not your grandfather’s philanthropy.
