The Boone Family Foundation is a private foundation that was founded in 2007 by The Container Store cofounder Garret Boone and his wife Cecilia and their three children after the sale of The Container Store to a private equity firm. ¹ It makes grants to abortion providers, abortion advocacy groups, and environmentalist advocacy groups. ²

Grantmaking

In 2024, the Boone Family Foundation disbursed $5.3 million in grants. Notable grants included $250,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, $250,000 to the Center for Reproductive Rights, $200,000 to Planned Parenthood Advocates of Texas, $100,000 to Media Matters for America, and $100,000 to 19th News. Additionally, it made a $100,000 grant to Parkland Health Foundation to provide contraceptives for low-income residents of Dallas County and a $250,000 grant to Planned Parenthood Federation of America in support of its EPIC electronic health records program. ²

In 2024, the Boone Family Foundation also made a $250,000 grant to the Hopewell Fund for “operating funds” for its Charley Chatbot program. ² Charley Chatbot is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot that was created to inform users on how they can obtain an abortion and how they can circumvent state-level abortion restrictions. It claims to be secure, to not collect data, and to delete chats to prevent parents or law enforcement from being able to access information. ³

Charley Chatbot was founded by former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and chief strategy officer Tom Subak to make it easier for individuals seeking information about abortions to be able to obtain one. The chatbot is available for free to be downloaded onto websites to be commonly present on websites discussing abortions. ⁴

In 2024, the Boone Family Foundation gave $35,000 to The Cobalt Foundation to support its abortion fund that provides financial assistance to women seeking abortions in Colorado. ² The Cobalt Foundation provides pregnant women with money to pay for abortion, travel costs to receive an abortion, and funds to cover “additional costs” associated with obtaining an abortion. The Cobalt Foundation advocates eliminating “all barriers” for abortion access and created the fund to assist individuals seeking to travel to other states to circumvent abortion restrictions in their home states. ⁵

In 2024, the Boone Family Foundation made a $75,000 grant to United to Learn to fund professional development training for teachers in Dallas County. ² United to Learn is a left-of-center nonprofit organization that provides professional development resources for schools. Its resources promote the implementation of social-emotional learning (SEL) practices based on the belief that 90 percent of children have been subjected to racism, trauma, or another childhood event that prohibits learning. In alignment with SEL practices, United to Learn trains teachers to prioritize relationships and lessons on understanding emotions. ⁶

People

Aimee Cunningham is the president and CEO of the Boone Family Foundation. From 2016 to 2022, she was a board member of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, holding the post of Board Chair from 2019 to 2022. From 2014 to 2017, she was board chair for Planned Parenthood Texas Votes and then a board member from 2018 to 2021. Cunningham has also served as board member for Annie’s List, EMILY’s List, and Eanes Education Foundation. From 2011 to 2016, Cunningham also was a national finance committee member for Obama for America. ⁷

The Container Store cofounder Garret Boone cofounded the Boone Family Foundation following the sale of The Container Store to a private equity firm in 2007. Boone also cofounded the Texas Business for Clean Air Foundation in 2006 to advocate for Texas businesses to reduce energy consumption. He is also the vice-chair of The Trinity Park Conservancy and a board member for Greenspace Dallas. ¹

Cecilia Boone is a cofounder of the Boone Family Foundation. Cecilia Boone is also on the Harvard-Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board and the Women’s Funding Network board. She previously was chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Dallas Women’s Foundation, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, Planned Parenthood of North Texas, Planned Parenthood of North Texas Action Fund, and Annie’s List. ¹

Financials

In 2007, the Boone Family Foundation reported $49.9 million in contributions, including $39.9 million in contributions from Garett and Cecilia Boone, $3.3 million from Aimee Brooks Boone (Aimee Cunningham), $3.3 million from Katherin Nancy Boone, and $3.3 million from Daniel Guthrie Boone. ⁸

In 2024, the Boone Family Foundation reported $682,719 in total revenue which came from the sale of assets, dividends, and interest. It also reported $5.8 million in total expenses, including $5.3 million grants paid and $261,000 in compensation for employees. ⁹ At the end of 2024, the Boone Family Foundation reported $9.8 million in total assets. ¹⁰

1. “Board of Directors.” Boone Family Foundation. Accessed December 14, 2025. https://www.theboonefamilyfoundation.org/board-of-directors/.
2. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Boone Family Foundation. 2024. Part XIV.
3. “Need an Abortion? Charley the Anonymous, Secure Chatbot Can Help.” Reproductive Freedom for All. Accessed December 15, 2025. https://reproductivefreedomforall.org/resources/charley-abortion-chatbot/.
4. “Say hello to Charley, the chatbot built to get abortion-seekers the info they need.” Fast Company. March 24, 2024. https://www.fastcompany.com/91054525/charley-abortion-chatbot.
5. “Cobalt Foundation.” Colorado Gives. Accessed December 18, 2025. https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/CobaltAdvocates.
6. “School Culture and Well-being.” United to Learn. Accessed December 15, 2025. https://www.unitedtolearn.org/what-we-do/school-culture-and-well-being/.
7. “Aimee Cunningham.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimeebcunningham/.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Boone Family Foundation. 2007. Schedule B.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Boone Family Foundation. 2024. Part I.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF). Boone Family Foundation. 2024. Part III.