John and Nancy Sabol Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The John and Nancy Sabol Foundation funds grantmaking related to fostering empathy, especially from an early age. It also supports various community causes.
IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities.
PROFILE: Established in 2000, the John and Nancy Sabol Foundation was started by former Microsoft executive John Sabol and his wife Nancy. John Sabol graduated from Harvard. He worked at IBM before joining Microsoft in 1984 where he was a senior executive.
The foundation does not maintain a website, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. According to tax filings, the John and Nancy Sabol Foundation funds grantmaking related to fostering empathy, especially from an early age. It also supports various community causes.
John is involved with Roots of Empathy, whose mission is to “build caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults” as well as Compassionate Action Network, a “Seattle-based nonprofit organization that nurtures and supports seeds and sprouts of compassion in support of the Pacific Northwest compassion ecosystem.” Sabol helped bring the Roots of Empathy program to Seattle-area schools and became interested in childhood development in part because of his granddaughter.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from $5,000 to $25,000. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away $275,000. Past grantees include Social Venture Partners, Child Care Resources, Program for Early Parent Support, Zeno Math, Town Hall Seattle, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Fuse Innovation Fund, which “partners with local organizations to change the conversation on the state budget and identify solutions that strengthen our communities.”
The foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
CONTACT:
John and Nancy Sabol Foundation
3100 W. Commodore Way, No 208
Seattle, WA 98199
