SOURCE OF WEALTH: Microsoft
FUNDING AREAS: Arts and culture, education, science research, Seattle
OVERVIEW: Charles Simonyi and his wife, Lisa, have made around $100 million in total grants, much of it through the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, which was created in 2004. The Simonyis support a broad array of causes in the Seattle area, but national grantmaking focuses mainly on arts and culture.
BACKGROUND: Charles Simonyi grew up in Budapest, Hungary. His father was a professor of electrical engineering and inspired Charles with an early interest in computers. Charles attended UC Berkeley, obtaining a master’s, and went to Stanford for his Ph.D. During his time at Stanford he was hired by Xerox, where he worked on the development of an early personal computer. In 1981, he went to work for Microsoft, overseeing the creation of the Microsoft Office applications. He spent nearly 20 years at the company before leaving in 2002 to co-found Intentional Software.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION: Simonyi has been responsible for the funding several professorships over the years. In 1995, he established the Simonyi Professorship of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University, a position first held by Richard Dawkins. Two years later he endowed a chair at Stanford—the Simonyi Professorship for Innovation in Teaching. In 2005, he made a $25 million donation to the Institute for Advanced Study, which was used in part to fund the Simonyi Professorship of Mathematical Physics. The family has continued to strongly support the institution. Other past grantees include Cambridge in America, Alliance for Education, Seattle University, and University of Washington Foundation, which received a $5 million gift for the completion of its new building for its Computer Science and Engineering Department.
ARTS & CULTURE: The couple's giving in arts and culture prioritizes Seattle area, with their largest grants going to the Seattle Symphony, where Lisa has served on the board of trustees. Other grantees include the Seattle Public Library, the Seattle Art Museum, the Museum of Flight and the Seattle Opera. The family has also supported places like Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Simonyi's one-time home of Denmark, the Museum of Computer History in California, the Hungarian-American Coalition, the Metropolitan Opera and the All Star Orchestra Summit.
SEATTLE AREA: In addition to support for Seattle’s arts and culture organizations, the Simonyis have given to a range of other organizations in their community. Some examples include the Boys & Girls Club, the Washington Policy Center, Stronger Families, the Seattle Chinese Gardens Society, the National Bureau of Asian Research, the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the United Service Organization of Puget Sound and Seniors Making Art.
SPACE EXPLORATION: Simonyi has been a major supporter of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Arizona, giving $20 million to the project, which images remote galaxies to help uncover the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, and can also be used to chart hazardous near-earth objects. The family has also given to National Space Society, and Pima Air & Space Museum.
LOOKING FORWARD: The Simonyis will likely continue to pursue broad philanthropic interests in Seattle and support select schools and organizations in other parts of the U.S.
CONTACT:
Susan Hutchison, Exec. Dir.
Simonyi Fund
P.O. Box 85900
Seattle, WA 98145-1900
(206) 522-7000
susan@simonyifund.org