Willard and Katharine Overlock

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Goldman Sachs

FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Environment, Human Services, Health

OVERVIEW: Willard and Katherine Overlock and family conduct their philanthropy through the Emwiga Foundation, which available tax filings indicate, awarded $650,000 in grants in 2018. Grant amounts tend to be modest. The family supports their schools as well as other education and youth outfits, mainly in the Northeast. Other interests include the environment and health.

BACKGROUND:  Willard J. Overlock Jr. graduated from University of North Carolina in 1968, and got an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1973. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1973 and served as head of the M&A department from 1984 to 1996.

ISSUES:

EDUCATION & YOUTH: Overlock has directed funds to his alma mater Columbia Business School and Columbia University. He was once on Columbia Business School's board of overseers. Overlock has also supported his undergraduate school, University of North Carolina, and his son's school, Dartmouth College. Other grantees have included Student Sponsor Partners, Prep for Prep (Katharine was once on the board), Inner-City Scholarship Fund, Nantucket Boys and Girls Club, Bank Street College of Education, and Waterside School, among others.

ENVIRONMENT: The couple lives in Wyoming, a site of philanthropy. Katharine has long been interested in environmental protection, particularly as it relates to both health and education. She is a member of the chairman’s council of Conservation International, the Jackson Hole Land Trust’s Open Space Council, and serves on the board of the National Parks Conservation Association. Other grantees have included Grand Teton National Park Foundation and Riverside Park Conservancy.

HUMAN SERVICES: The family via their foundation has supported Operation Warm and Coalition for the Homeless.

HEALTH: Overlock once served as chairman of the board of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. The family has directed sums to Joslin Diabetes Center, St. John’s Hospital Foundation, and Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the family to stick with their select interest areas. The family also supports select organizations working on a global level, such as Habitat for Humanity International and World Food Program.

CONTACT:

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

Emwiga Foundation
77 Water St., 9th Fl.
New York City, NY 10005