David and Lura Lovell Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The David and Lura Lovell Foundation is a Tucson, Arizona-based funder that supports mental health, integrative health and wellness, youth access to the arts and gender parity.
IP TAKE: Come to this funder for niche health support that other Southwest funders tend to overlook. Key examples are nursing education, end-of-life care, and alternative and complementary medicine.
PROFILE: Established in 1994, the David and Lura Lovell Foundation is a family foundation that supports causes near to its founders’ hearts. It is based in Tucson, Arizona, and focuses much of its grantmaking in the state. The foundation seeks to “fulfill the wishes of its founders and to share their good fortune through grants to deserving groups and organizations in the communities where its trustees reside.” The couple’s wealth came from David’s companies, the Coulton Chemical Corporation and the Cairo Chemical Corporation. The foundation is run by second- and third-generation family members today. Grantmaking areas are mental health, integrative health and wellness, youth access to the arts and gender parity.
The Lovells’ son was born with brain damage and diagnosed with Asperger’s, epilepsy and schizophrenia, which has driven the couple’s commitment to mental health. David Lovell was diagnosed with lung cancer and learned about meditation from a nurse, sparking an interest in integrative medicine. Other family members have used integrative medicine to cope with illnesses as well, and those treatment modalities have become a unique point of interest for the foundation. The Lovells are also passionate about cultural enrichment, especially for youth. Gender parity involves equal access to resources for all people and leveling the playing field between genders, and this is a newer focus area for the foundation. In Arizona, the Lovell Foundation has emerged as a top funder of end-of-life care issues. It has partnered with local community foundations to award millions of dollars of grants for this under-the-radar nonprofit cause.
This funder currently awards three types of grants. Initiative Grants address organizations working to eliminate or create a solution to solve a problem relating to one of the foundation’s areas of focus. Social Impact Media Grants support the development and production of projects that aim to increase public awareness, understanding and/or acceptance in one of the foundation’s focus areas. Projects commonly include documentary films and web-based projects. And IDEA Capacity-Building Grants support existing Lovell grantees as they develop more equitable and accessible workplaces and services. View a list of past grants here.
This funder gave away close to $4 million in grants in a recent year. Grants are awarded in amounts of up to $100,000, but maximum amounts vary by program. Groups in Tucson and greater Pima County, Arizona, are often given priority. Other geographic areas of interest are the San Francisco Bay Area, Eugene, Oregon and Hawaii. It also has a donor advised fund at the Toledo Community Foundation and supports groups working in the area of mental health there.
This foundation accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry via the online application system. These may be submitted at any time of the year. The staff will invite groups to send full proposals for its next competitive grant round. Full proposals are typically due on April 1 for consideration at June board meetings and November 1 for consideration at January meetings. Direct general questions to the staff at info@lovellfoundation.org or 520-325-3656.
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