NET WORTH: Unknown
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Katun Corporation
FUNDING AREAS: Education, Social Improvement, Media, Arts and Culture
OVERVIEW: David Jorgensen and his wife, Annette, do their grantmaking through the David and Annette Jorgensen Foundation, which made grants of around $390,000 in a recent year. The Jorgensens’ philanthropy focuses mainly on education and educational media. David Jorgensen serves on the board of the Free to Choose media network.
BACKGROUND: David Jorgensen grew up in Salt Lake City and attended the University of Utah, earning a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1961. He took a position in an engineering development program at Boeing and later received an MBA from the University of Washington. In 1972, Jorgensen joined Dataquest, eventually becoming CEO. In 1979, he co-founded Katun Corporation, a supplier of OEM-compatible photoreceptors, imaging supplies, and parts for office equipment. The Jorgensens established their foundation in 1988 in Portola Valley, California.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION: The Jorgensens, via their foundation, have supported a broad range of K-12 and higher education initiatives. K-12 grants have gone mainly to schools and districts in California, including the Reed Schools Foundation, the Redwood High School Foundation and the Trustin Public Schools Foundation. Higher education funding has supported Jorgensen’s alma mater, the University of Utah, and Stanford University. It is worth mentioning here that the one of the Jorgensen Foundation’s main recipients, Free to Choose Media, produces and broadcasts educational media for child audiences.
JOURNALISM AND MEDIA: Jorgensen sits on the board of Free to Choose Network, which produces documentary and educational programs that are often broadcast on PBS affiliates. The network is one of the Jorgensen Foundation’s largest beneficiaries. Other media grantees include the Wikimedia Foundation and Northern California Public Broadcasting.
CIVIC AND DEMOCRACY: The Jorgensen Foundation does not name specific goals for its funding in this area, but recent grants have supported the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation, the California Public Policy Center and the Pacific Legal Foundation.
ARTS and Culture: Arts and culture is a smaller area of grantmaking for the Jorgensens, who tend to provide ongoing support to a small cadre of grantees including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
LOOKING FORWARD: The Jorgensens have demonstrated a strong interest in education and educational media. Grantmaking in these areas may expand in the coming years.
CONTACT:
David and Annette Jorgensen Foundation
20 Zapata Way
Portola Valley, CA 94028
(650) 851-7822
LINK: