SOURCE OF WEALTH: Cisco Systems
FUNDING AREAS: Animal Welfare, Art & Culture, Education
OVERVIEW: When Leonard Bosack and his now ex-wife left Cisco, they were compensated with $170 million in stock, which they used to create the Bosack/Lerner Foundation. With his new wife, Bette M. Kruger, Bosack established the Leonard X. Bosack and Bette M. Kruger Charitable Foundation, which prioritizes animal welfare and scientific research.
BACKGROUND: Leonard Bosack grew up near Philadelphia and attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business before heading to Stanford to study computer science. It was in the Stanford Business School lab that Bosack met his future--and now ex--wife and business partner, Sandy Lerner, with whom he co-founded Cisco Systems. After the company went public, Lerner was forced out, causing Bosack to resign in protest.
ISSUES:
ANIMAL WELFARE: Bosack’s grantmaking for animal welfare includes grants to a variety of organizations working on animal welfare and rights issues, such as Born Free USA, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Austin Zoo, the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, NC Veterinary Medical Foundation, WildEarth Guardians, the African Elephant Conservation Trust, and SPAY/USA. The Bosack Kruger Foundation also supports academic research on animals, with past grants going to organizations including the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington and the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California for its veterinary clinical center.
EDUCATION: Bosack’s education philanthropy has mainly gone to technology adn science programs. In addition to supporting his alma maters, Bosack has made contributions to Harvard, Tufts, the University of Washington and the University of California.
ARTS & CULTURE: Bosack and his ex-wife, Lerner, gave at least $7 million toward the creation of the Chawton House Library, funding the purchase of an English manor that once belonged to Jane Austen’s brother, and turning it into a research center for 18th and 19th century women writers.
LOOKING FORWARD: The Bosack Kruger Foundation’s giving has declined steadily over the past several years. However, it is not difficult to imagine Bosack amassing another fortune through XKL, a privately funded engineering company that develops optical networks for data communications.
CONTACT:
Leonard X. Bosack and Bette M. Kruger Charitable Foundation, Inc.
8458 W. Main St. Marshall, VA 20115
LINKS: XKL.com