A Letter from Sheri & Les

In 2001, we established the Foundation in order to change people’s lives in meaningful and lasting ways. We knew we wanted the Foundation to follow a model of active philanthropy, one where we could contribute not only financial resources, but also our time, energy, and intellect. We also understood that this model of philanthropy would allow us to form close partnerships with organizations from each of our three focus areas: Economic Opportunity, Supportive Care, and Social Impact Theatre. 

The Foundation has experienced significant change since its inception, but what hasn’t changed is our deep commitment and passion, and our reliance on community partners to connect us with the constituencies we strive to support. Because of this, we’ve been fortunate to see first-hand how our initiatives transform individuals and organizations: from the patients and caregivers who find holistic support at City of Hope’s Biller Family Resource Center, to the CareerWork$ graduate who moves her family from homelessness to self-sufficiency, to theatres that present socially-relevant productions that wrestle with the critical issues of contemporary society. 

Our grantees’ stories remind us each day why we’re committed to creating solutions that are scalable and have impact. They drive us forward, challenging us to invest in bold ideas that inspire collective action in order to achieve powerful results.