Gordon and Dona Crawford
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Capital Group
FUNDING AREAS: Media, Education & Youth, Health
OVERVIEW: Gordon and Dona Crawford and family conduct their philanthropy through the Crawford Family Foundation. Available tax filings show that the foundation gave away $627,000 in 2018. Crawford has focused on improving journalism. Other interests include education and health. Los Angeles is an important region of giving.
BACKGROUND: Gordon "Gordy" Crawford was born in New York and raised in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. He graduated from Wesleyan and received an MBA from University of Virginia. Crawford joined Capital Group in 1971 and in 1973 became one of the managers of its Growth Fund of America. He immersed himself in Hollywood, and a few years later added cable to his portfolio, working with such magnates as John Malone and Ted Turner.
ISSUES:
MEDIA: Since leaving Capital Group, Crawford has spent a portion of his time focused on improving journalism. Crawford previously gave $4 million to help fund a new $24.5 million broadcast facility for KPCC, a public radio station based in Pasadena, California, that's a member of National Public Radio. Crawford once chaired the board of KPCC, and the family continues to support the outfit.
Other grantees include KCET and Paley Center for the Media, where Crawford, a trustee emeritus, helped create a comprehensive, publicly accessible video archive of Olympic television coverage called The U.S. Olympic Archive.
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Crawford has supported the schools he attended, Wesleyan University and Flintridge Preparatory School.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Grantees include Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Huntington Hospital, and First Descents, a "charitable non-profit organization that gives a free outdoor adventure experience trip to young adults who are fighting cancer."
OTHER: The Crawfords have made donations to Community Partners, which provides "expert guidance, essential services, and a strong dose of passion to help foster, launch, and grow creative solutions to community challenges," Union Station Homeless Services, and Advancement Project, a multiracial civil rights organization. The Crawfords have also supported U.S. Olympic Committee.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the Crawfords to stick with their established interest areas for now.
CONTACT:
Crawford Family Foundation
520 Georgian Road
La Canada, CA 91011
