The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation is a grantmaking nonprofit that supports organizations in the Chicago area and the South Carolina lowlands. The foundation was historically focused on conservation and arts, but has shifted its funding to supporting racial and ethnic minorities since 2016.

Background

The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation was founded in 1952. Gaylord Donnelley was the president and chairman of the R.R. Donnelley and Sons printing company, and the grandson of the company’s founder. Gaylord and his wife, Dorothy, had homes in Chicago and the South Carolina lowlands. Gaylord was a prolific conservationist and was a trustee of the Conservation Foundation/World Wildlife U.S., national president of Ducks Unlimited, a member of the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, a trustee of the North American Wildlife Foundation, a board member of the University of Chicago, and an adviser to the Illinois Department of Conservation. ^{1 2 3 4}

Gaylord died in 1992 and Dorothy died in 2002. After both deaths, the foundation’s endowment “skyrocketed” as a beneficiary of their wills. The foundation used the new funds to expand its staff with professional asset managers and philanthropic directors. ^{5 6 7 8}

Grantmaking

In 2020, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation disbursed $9.6 million in grants. ⁹ The foundation’s grants are divided into three program areas: conservation, art, and collections. ¹⁰

The foundation’s grant recipients include the Trust for Public Land, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund, Ducks Unlimited, the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, the Open Space Institute, the Land Trust Alliance, and the National Forest Foundation. ¹¹

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation asserts that “the structure and institution of philanthropy have contributed to systemic inequities,” and has therefore prioritized donations and vendor contracting to ethnic and racial minorities, women, and LGBT people since 2016. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is discussed at all foundation meetings. The foundation’s board and staff underwent antiracism training in 2017, and the foundation began financing antiracism workshops for nonprofit leaders in 2019. ¹²

One of the foundation’s three major grant areas is collections, which promotes art made by racial and ethnic minorities. ¹³

In 2022, the foundation launched an initiative to increase grantmaking to Native American organizations. ¹⁴

The foundation’s website links to whitesupremecyculture.info and Peggy McIntosh’s essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” ¹⁵

After the death of George Floyd in June 2020, the foundation reaffirmed its commitment to antiracism training and recommended C-ROAR and the Racial Equity Institute. The foundation also promoted Black Birders Week, an initiative to promote birdwatching in the black community. ¹⁶

Leadership

David Farren has been the executive director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation since 2013. Previously, he served as a senior attorney and program director at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) where Farren worked with the foundation on conservation efforts. Farren is on the board of the Biodiversity Funders Group. ^{17 18 19} Farren announced his intention to retire from the foundation at the end of 2023. ²⁰

Kelly Landis is the director of communications of the foundation. Landis previously worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Brookings Institution, and was a speechwriter for former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. ²¹

1. “Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.” Society for Nonprofits. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://www.snpo.org/publications/fundingalert_details.php?id=1657.
2. “History.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/history/.
3. Howe, Marvine. “Gaylord Donnelley, Former Head of Printing Company, Dies at 81.” The New York Times. April 22, 1992. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/22/us/gaylord-donnelley-former-head-of-printing-company-dies-at-81.html.
4. Sharbaugh, Patrick. “COVER STORY Their Kind of Town.” Charleston City Paper. November 9, 2005. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2005/11/09/cover-story-their-kind-of-town/.
5. “Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.” Society for Nonprofits. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://www.snpo.org/publications/fundingalert_details.php?id=1657.
6. “History.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/history/.
7. Howe, Marvine. “Gaylord Donnelley, Former Head of Printing Company, Dies at 81.” The New York Times. April 22, 1992. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/22/us/gaylord-donnelley-former-head-of-printing-company-dies-at-81.html.
8. Sharbaugh, Patrick. “COVER STORY Their Kind of Town.” Charleston City Paper. November 9, 2005. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2005/11/09/cover-story-their-kind-of-town/.
9. “Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation Form 990.” ProPublica. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/366108460/202133199349102728/full.
10. “Programs.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/our-work/.
11. “Recent Grants.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/collections/.
12. “Our Equity Work.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/about/equity/.
13. “Collections.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/collections/.
14. “Our Equity Work.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/about/equity/.
15. “Our Equity Work.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/about/equity/.
16. Farren, David. “Reflecting on Actions to Address Institutional Racism.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/reflecting-on-actions-to-address-institutional-racism/.
17. “Staff.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/people/.
18. “J. David Farren.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdavidfarren/.
19. Sharbaugh, Patrick. “COVER STORY Their Kind of Town.” Charleston City Paper. November 9, 2005. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2005/11/09/cover-story-their-kind-of-town/.
20. “Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation Executive Director David Farren to Retire at End of Year.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/gaylord-and-dorothy-donnelley-foundation-executive-director-david-farren-to-retire-at-end-of-year/.
21. “Kelly Landis Joins Us as Director of Communication.” GDDF. Accessed October 3, 2023. https://gddf.org/kelly-landis-joins-us-as-director-of-communications/.