SOURCE OF WEALTH: Buchanan Partners
FUNDING AREAS: Environment, Other
OVERVIEW: Robert Buchanan and family move their philanthropy through the Buchanan Family Foundation, which has given modestly in recent years. The foundation’s grantmaking hasn’t really crystalized around distinct issue areas, though a recent year saw several environmental grantees. Away from the Mid-Atlantic, Oregon is a site of giving.
BACKGROUND: Robert E. Buchanan graduated with a B.A. from Yale University. A third-generation builder/developer, Buchanan founded Buchanan Partners’ predecessor company more than four decades ago and launched Buchanan Partners in 1998. Buchanan Partners has become one of the leading full-service real estate firms in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
ISSUES:
ENVIRONMENT: Grantees have included NRDC, Nature Conservancy, Oregon Environmental Council, C&O Canal Trust, and Coral Restoration Foundation.
OTHER: The Buchanans, via their family foundation, have supported women’s organizations Empowered Women International and Refuge for Women. Outside the D.C. area, Oregon-based grantees have included Portland Leadership Foundation, and Friends of the Children Portland, where Buchanan’s son Ryan sat on the board for more than a decade. Ryan is an entrepreneur in the Portland area and active in civic life. The family has supported human services organizations including Fisher House Foundation and Food Recovery Network.
LOOKING FORWARD: Perhaps the family’s giving will deepen down the line. The family’s ties to the Pacific Northwest in particular could lead to greater giving there.
CONTACT:
The Buchanan Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact, but below is an address:
The Buchanan Family Foundation
9736 The Corral Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
(301) 765-9251