The Ettinger Foundation, Inc., also known as the Education Foundation of America (EFA), is a 501(c)(3) private, non-operating foundation founded in 1950. The foundation, founded by the late Prentice-Hall textbook publishing house co-founder Richard P. Ettinger, provides grants to environmentalist groups and other progressive nonprofits.

In 2015, the foundation reported $11,560,068 in total assets to the Internal Revenue Service.¹

Financials & Contributions

According to the Center for Organizational Research and Education, the Ettinger Foundation donated $32,900 in 2005 to the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmentalist “science advocacy” organization. In the same year, it gave $25,500 to the Natural Resources Defense Council, “one of the largest and most well-funded environmental activist organizations in the United States.”²

The Foundation’s smaller contributions include a $15,000 donation to radical environmental activist group Greenpeace and $8,000 to the Sierra Club,² a 125-year-old nonprofit organization known for lobbying against the use of coal and other forms of affordable energy.³

According to its 2021 990 form, during the fiscal year 2021 the Ettinger Foundation reported its revenue at $1,735,403, its expenses at $830,164, and its assets at $18,014,264. ⁴ The Foundation reported $601,000 in contributions during the Fiscal Year 2021. ⁵

Associated Organizations

Richard P. Ettinger, co-founder of textbook publisher Prentice-Hall and his wife, Elsie P. Ettinger, also founded The Educational Foundation of America (EFA).⁶ The same address in Westport, CT is listed for the EFA and the Ettinger Foundation.⁷

On its website, the EFA claims “promoting environmental preservation and conservation” is a focal point of its funding. Since it was established in 1959, the foundation has donated $295,000 to the Sierra Club and $1,920,000 to the Natural Resources Defense Council.⁷

Leadership

David Stocks is the Executive Director of the Ettinger Foundation, serving in the position since 2020. Joining the Foundation in 2015 as the Arts Program Director, he previously served as President of the Shaker Museum Mount Lebanon in New York. In addition, he was the founding Board President and first Executive Director Friends of the Katy Trail in Dallas, Texas. ⁸

1. CitizenAudit.org. Accessed May 30, 2017. https://www.citizenaudit.org/organization/066038938/ETTINGER%20FOUNDATION%20INC/.
2. “Ettinger Foundation.” Activist Facts. Accessed May 24, 2017. https://www.activistfacts.com/foundation/306-EttingerFoundation/.
3. Holden, Emily. E&E News. Wednesday, April 12, 2017. “ENERGY TRANSITIONS: Coal lobby says it is exploring building new U.S. plant.” Accessed May 30, 2017. https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060052949.
4. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/66038938/202203139349101465/full
5. Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part XIV. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/66038938/202203139349101465/full
6. “Our History.” The Educational Foundation of America. April 15, 2013. Accessed May 31, 2017. http://www.theefa.org/our-history/.
7. “Educational Foundation of America.” Activist Facts. Accessed May 24, 2017. https://www.activistfacts.com/foundation/86-EducationalFoundationofAmerica/
8. “Board and Staff —.” n.d. EFA. Accessed October 17, 2023. https://www.theefa.org/board-and-staff.