SOURCE OF WEALTH: Film and television and production
FUNDING AREAS: Multiple Sclerosis, Historic Preservation, TBD
OVERVIEW: If Jerry Bruckheimer is making grants, he is doing so quietly. He has helped host fundraisers and produce public service announcements for several organizations, but public records or reporting of any sizeable grants are nonexistent.
BACKGROUND: The son of Jewish immigrants, Jerry Bruckheimer grew up in Detroit and attended the University of Arizona. He then went to work in advertising, but quit to pursue a career in film. He is now regarded as one of the most successful men in Hollywood, having produced more than 40 feature films, including the blockbusters Flashdance, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, The Rock, Armageddon, Black Hawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean and many others. He is also the creator of the hit TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and The Amazing Race.
PROFILE: For someone with a reported fortune of nearly a billion dollars, Bruckheimer has been extraordinarily quiet when it comes to philanthropy. He started the Jerry Bruckheimer Foundation relatively early in his career, pledging to support various charitable causes, but the last grant from the organization was made in 1995 to a prep school in Van Nuys, and the organization does not appear to have filed tax forms since 2008, so it is likely no longer in existence.
For his part, Bruckheimer has been more inclined to give his time and talent than to part with his money, at least so far. He has worked with the Nancy Davis Foundation for Multiple Sclerosis, producing videos and attending events to help raise funds. He has raised money for the repair and restoration of the historic clipper ship Cutty Sark as well, by exhibiting series of photographs he took on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean.
In 2010, with director Michael Bay, he co-hosted the Big Game, Big Give, an annual Super Bowl party thrown by the Giving Back Fund. The organization does a lot of consulting and donor-advised funds for celebrities and other high profile individuals who want to give back, but also raises funds which it gives away through a grantmaking process.
More recently, he hosted an event for Balls Without Borders, which provides soccer balls to children affected by armed conflict, or natural or man-made disasters.
LOOKING FORWARD: Bruckheimer has certainly has a prolific career, which may explain his relatively small philanthropic footprint to date. He is quickly approaching the age where his career should be winding down, however, giving him more time to focus on giving away his fortune. For clues on what causes he might support, his television and film career makes us think of things like veterans, scientific exploration and criminal justice. Then there is his personal history, which makes us think he might look to put some of his fortune back into Detroit and support Jewish causes. His wife might offer the best clue, though. Linda is a novelist who is originally from Kentucky, and has a passion for restoring and preserving historic buildings in small rural towns. The couple’s organization, The Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer Preservation Fund for Kentucky, makes small grants to support the preservation of historic buildings in Kentucky. The couple also owns two farms together, one in California and one in Kentucky, all of which could have some bearing on how Bruckheimer decides to give away his money.
CONTACT:
Jerry Bruckheimer Films
1631 10th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 664-6260
Twitter: @bruckheimerjb
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