The Woodcock Foundation is a progressive family foundation established to link family creativity and resources with community development needs. Trustees select areas of interest, identify individuals within those areas who possess strong leadership skills, and then invest in them with both financial as well as technical resources. Since 1996, Woodcock has awarded over $80 million (at present over $3.5 million per year) to over 100 organizations and enterprises, primarily in the areas of social enterprise & economic development, food systems, conservation and biodiversity, democracy & media, gender equality, and civil society more broadly.

Guiding Principles

• Support constructive systemic change to improve society and the quality of life, locally, nationally and internationally.
• Support unusually able, innovative individuals who can contribute to such change.
• Seek out leaders who are from the communities in which they are advancing solutions and/or have lived experience that informs their approach.
• Take a comprehensive approach to creating positive impact that includes grants and investments as well as the knowledge, skills and relationships of staff and Trustees.

Leadership Framework

• Woodcock provides funds to support individual leaders who are advancing innovative solutions through their organizations or enterprises.
• Woodcock funds institutions that demonstrate leadership in their particular fields with model programs.

• Woodcock seeks to be a leader in philanthropy through all of its activities:
  • in identifying potential grantees;
  • in leveraging its investments;
  • in extending to grantees other resources through the Foundation’s networks and combined experiences; and
  • in collaborating with others to improve the practice of philanthropy.

Board of Trustees

• Lindsay Shea
• Olga Merck Davidson
• Stuart P. Davidson
• Jeremy Guth
• Winthrop Rutherfurd, Jr., Esq.
• Margot Brandenburg

Founder

• Polly Guth

Counsel

• Tomer J. Inbar, Esq.

Staff

• Stacey Faella, Executive Director
• Kavi Waddell, Program Manager
• Nicholas Tran, Grants & Administrative Associate