Derwood S. Chase

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Chase Investment Counsel Corporation

FUNDING AREAS: Public Policy 

OVERVIEW: Derwood Chase and family conduct their philanthropy through the Chase Foundation of Virginia, with grantmaking that steadily backs conservative policy outfits. Chase sits on the board of the Reason Foundation in Los Angeles and the Fraser Institute in Vancouver, Canada. Available tax filings indicate the foundation gave away nearly $760,000 in 2018.

BACKGROUND: Derwood S. Chase earned a B.S. from University of Virginia and an MBA from Harvard University in 1954. Chase is the founder of Chase Investment Counsel Corporation in Charlottesville, Virginia.

ISSUES

POLICY: Derwood Chase sits on the board of the Reason Foundation in Los Angeles, which "advances a free society by developing, applying, and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law." He also sits on the board of the Fraser Institute in Vancouver, whose mission is to "improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families, and future generations by studying, measuring, and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship, and choice on their well-being." 

Via the Chase Foundation of Virginia, Chase steadily supports a range of policy organizations, many of which advocate for free market principles. Grantees have included Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Michigan, The Atlas Network, Buckeye Institute for Public Policy, Cascade Policy Institute in Portland, Cato Institute, Citizen's Council for Health Freedom in Minnesota, whose goal is to protect "health care choices, individualized patient care and medical and genetic privacy rights," Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Goodman Institute for Public Policy in Miami, Manhattan Institute for Public Policy, Kansas Policy Institute, and the Tax Foundation

LOOKING FORWARD: Chase’s annual grantmaking has been pretty consistent of late. Expect his steady support of conservative and libertarian think tanks to continue. 

CONTACT: 

The Chase Foundation of Virginia does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:

Chase Foundation of Virginia
350 Old Ivy Way, No. 100
Charlottesville, VA 22903

LINK: Chase Investment Counsel