What SoCal Groups Should Know About the Lundquist Family Foundation

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Since 2000, the Richard C. and Melanie Lundquist Family Foundation has been engaged in philanthropy in Southern California, supporting local nonprofits with small grants of a few hundred or thousand dollars each. Although this foundation does not have a website or publicize its grantmaking protocols, it has been making the news in recent years because of occasional multimillion-dollar gifts to big-name institutions in the Los Angeles area.

To help you get familiar with this funder, here are some facts to keep in mind about the Lundquist Family Foundation.

Based on a real estate fortune

Like many foundations in Southern California, the Lundquist Family Foundation is connected to the real estate industry. Richard Lundquist is the president of the Continental Development Corporation, an El Segundo, California-based commercial real estate and management company. Charles Lundquist founded the company in 1969, Richard Lundquist became its president in 1988 and the company has entered the medical office market since that time. Richard and Melanie Lundquist signed the Giving Pledge in 2018.

Typical topics of interest

The Lundquist Foundation typically funds a variety of nonprofits based in the couple’s home region and with personal connections to the family. Lately, the most common funding topics have been education, animal welfare and human services. Both K-12 education and higher education receive support from the Lundquist family, as well as arts and culture organizations and healthcare groups in California. Past local grantees include the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, Torrance Memorial Medical Center and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Most — but not all — grants are small

A review of the Lundquist Family Foundation’s recent tax filings reveals numerous grants between $100 and $1,000. This is typical for the foundation, which often gives less than $100,000 in total per year. However, the foundation is also known for awarding an occasional large grant, such as a $70 million unrestricted gift to the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, which was renamed the Lundquist Institute upon receipt of this sizable donation. High-dollar grants have also gone to the Torrance Memorial Medical Center and to help establish the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.

Unsolicited requests unwelcome

Something else to know about the Lundquist Family Foundation is that it does not accept unsolicited funding requests. Instead, this foundation maintains a fairly low profile and only contributes to preselected organizations that it seeks out. Looking forward, we expect education and health to be the funder’s top priorities, and to see perhaps a few more big gifts with naming rights attached to them.

Check out IP’s full profile of the Richard C. and Melanie Lundquist Family Foundation in our LA and SoCal Funding Guide to learn more.