OVERVIEW: The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation supports criminal justice reform, environmental justice and affordable housing preservation in its target cities of New York, Los Angeles and Tacoma.
IP TAKE: This foundation describes itself as a social justice funder and tends to work through longstanding relationships with grassroots organizations in low-income urban communities. Application for funding is by invitation only. Not a particularly accessible funder, giving here can be bureaucratic; however, this funder is open minded and focused on equity.
PROFILE: The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation was established in 1969 but did not gain official status as a charitable organization until 2016. Roy E. Disney was the son of Roy O. Disney and the nephew of Walt Disney. Roy O. and Walt Disney co-founded the Walt Disney entertainment company, and Roy E. Disney, who died in 2009, served as vice chair of Disney and chair of the Walt Disney Feature Animation division. The Disney Family Foundation seeks to “invest in innovative solutions and community leaders to build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world in which all people thrive.” Its three funding initiatives are criminal justice reform, environmental justice and affordable housing preservation. This funder names New York, Los Angeles and Tacoma as target cities and works mainly through multi-year partnerships with aligned organizations. Roy E. Disney’s daughter, Susan Disney Lord, is a member of the board.
Grants for Criminal Justice
The foundation’s criminal justice reform grants aim to reduce prison populations and support anti-recidivism measures. It also invests in local leaders and organizations involved in justice system reform at the state and national levels. More than half of Disney’s criminal justice grants go to organizations operating in greater New York and Los Angeles. One past grantee, Chrysalis, collaborates with employers in Los Angeles to create opportunities for people with criminal records and recent prison releases. Another grantee, the New York City-based JustLeadershipUSA, works through state and local chapters to build support for a nation-wide movement toward “decarceration” and bail reform.
Grants for Housing and Community Development
The Disney Family Foundation funds housing and community development through its affordable housing preservation initiative. The program’s targets shifting real estate markets in urban areas where it aims to protect renters from rising prices and create community trusts for “permanent affordability.” Grantee partners in this area include InnerCity Struggle, which works toward housing and social equity in Los Angeles’s east side neighborhoods, and Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, which provides legal support for tenants in suits concerning renters’ rights, safe housing and equitable community development.
Grants for Environmental Conservation and Justice
The foundation’s environmental justice grantmaking also has an urban focus and supports organizations working in the areas of environmental inequity, community wellbeing and advocacy. Environmental grantees include East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Liberty Hill Foundation, which worked to reinvest a portion of California’s greenhouse gas reduction funds into Los Angeles’s poorest communities.
Important Grant Details:
The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation gives away about $1 million a year in grants ranging from $5,000 to $500,000. Its average grant size is about $25,000. Funding prioritizes but is not strictly limited to New York, Los Angeles and Tacoma and generally supports grassroots organizations working in low-income communities. Grantees tend to have longstanding relationships with the foundation. For additional information about these partnerships, see the foundation’s partners and partner spotlights pages.
Grant applications are accepted on an invitation-only basis. General inquiries may be directed to foundation staff by telephone at 818-973-4240.
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