Donations Went to All-Time High 67 Recipients
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., Jan. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The William, Jeff & Jennifer Gross Family Foundation, the charity founded by renowned investor and philanthropist Bill Gross and his son and daughter, announced that it donated more than $18 million to 67 non-profits and charities in 2023, the most recipients ever in a single year for the Gross Family Foundation. Recipients included several Laguna Beach and Orange County organizations, as well Doctors Without Borders; The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, CA; Atrium Health Foundation of Charlotte, NC; and the Orange County Teachers Of The Year Award Foundation, a longtime beneficiary of the Gross family’s giving.
The $465 million-asset Gross Family Foundation – among the largest private foundations in Orange County — continued its support of five general categories of organizations that directly impact the people and communities in which they serve, whether locally in California, or globally in developing nations: healthcare; education and the arts; global development and humanitarian relief; the environment; and community support.
“Jennifer, Jeff and I are pleased to continue our tradition of giving to organizations that provide immeasurable benefits to the communities they serve,” said Mr. Gross, a philanthropist, author and the co-founder of Newport Beach-based, fixed income asset manager PIMCO. “I am a firm believer that success should be shared, whether it was establishing the PIMCO Foundation and mandating partners contribute 2% of their bonus, or donating the proceeds of the sale of my stamp collection. The larger world is a reflection of what we leave behind to others.”
In additional to several repeat recipients, new organizations that received donations from the Gross Family Foundation include:
Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, serving local people experiencing homelessness, hunger and life challenges through emergency services, recovery programs and community outreach.
Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program of Ludlow, VT, providing a supportive and safe environment that encourages individuals to heal from the past and gain the skills needed for a healthier future. Their campus provides accommodations for guests who are ready to embrace recovery.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens of Palm Desert, CA, a nonprofit, accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, active in conservation research, habitat protection, breeding programs and education initiatives around the world, as well as in its own community.
Orangewood Foundation of Santa Ana, CA, working with youth in four critical areas: health & wellness, housing, life skills & employment, and education to meet a broad array of needs: from groceries and a hot meal; to transitional housing, to life skills workshops and employment leads; to the innovative Samueli Academy public charter school; and scholarships for college and graduate school.
PAL Kauai, providing homes and sustainable living solutions within reach, restoring hope for the people of Hawai’i. They believe that in order to achieve true affordability it is essential to develop homes that: minimize energy costs, and are cost-effective to construct and maintain over the building’s “life-cycle”.
World Wildlife Foundation – Tigers, a program monitoring tigers and their prey; preserving and connecting tiger habitat; building political will; and eliminating tiger trade.
While at PIMCO Mr. Gross established the PIMCO Foundation, which has since expanded to three global PIMCO Foundations that have granted more than $49 million to support nonprofit organizations worldwide. PIMCO annually awards the “Bill Gross Volunteer Impact Award,” which recognizes the transformative community service of PIMCO employees around the globe. Mr. Gross is a signatory to the Giving Pledge, a global, multi-generational commitment by many of the world’s wealthiest individuals and couples to give a majority of their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes, either during their lifetimes or in their wills.
The following non-profits received donations of more than $1 million from the William, Jeff & Jennifer Gross Family Foundation in 2023:
- Doctors Without Borders $4,000,000
- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens $2,000,000
- Orange County Teachers of the Year Award Foundation $1,600,000
- Atrium Health Foundation $1,000,000
- UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network $1,000,000
Other recipients included:
- Action Against Hunger
- Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund
- American Family Housing
- Anaheim Health Fair
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast
- Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach
- Child Creativity Lab
- Coast Film Festival (Laguna Beach)
- Creative Visions Foundation
- Cristo Rey High School
- Doug Pensinger Photography Fund
- Duke University
- Ear Community of Broomfield, CO
- Ecumenical Hunger Program
- Edward Charles Foundation
- Engineers Without Borders USA
- Environmental Advocates NY
- Evans Scholarship Foundation
- Grammy Museum
- Health Wagon
- Hope Builders
- Laguna Art Museum
- Laguna Beach Community Clinic
- Laguna Beach Festival of Arts
- Laguna Beach Historical Society
- Laguna Beach Parade Corp
- Laguna Beach Police & Community Foundation
- Laguna Beach Senior Center
- Laguna Canyon Foundation
- Laguna College of Art and Design
- Laguna Food Pantry
- Laguna Ocean Foundation
- Laguna Outreach for Community Arts (LOCA)
- Lestonnac Free Clinic
- National Catholic Community Foundation
- Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
- Open Roads Academy
- Orange Coast Community Foundation
- Pacific Marine Mammal Center
- Pebble Beach Company Foundation
- Pharia Foundation
- Pollinator Protection Fund
- Pueblo Unido
- Pursuit Leadership Foundation
- Roof Above
- Sally’s Fund
- School On Wheels
- Small Wonders Foundation
- TreePeople
- Tufts University
- University of Hawaii Foundation – Wai’ale’ale Project
- University of Miami
- Unlimited Possibilities
- US Coalition on Sustainability
- The VII Foundation