Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Non-profit

Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation

Location:

Studio City, CA
Tax ID:

95-4636060
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2019):

Revenue: $7,687,244
Expenses: $2,998,328
Assets: $60,421,027
Type:

Private Foundation
Founded:

1998
Trustees:

Jeff Gold, Howard Gold, Karen Schiffer

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation is private foundation started by the Gold family in 1998 and based in Los Angeles, California. 1 The Gold family holds left-of-center political views and the foundation provides grants to aligned nonprofit organizations, including left-leaning environmentalist groups, homeless advocacy and criminal justice organizations, and high-profile left-of-center nonprofits.

History and Founders

The Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation (formerly the Sheila Gold Foundation and later the Dave and Sheila Gold Foundation) 2 is named after entrepreneur Dave Gold, his wife Sherry, and their daughter Sheila, who died of leukemia at age 27. 3 The foundation received tax-exempt status in 1998. 4

Dave Gold gained notoriety for opening the original 99 Cents Only store in Los Angeles in 1982. 5 The chain eventually had more than 300 stores in four states and was eventually sold in 2011 for $1.6 billion. 6 The three trustees to the Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation are the children of Dave and Sherry Gold; all worked for the 99 Cents Only corporation. 7

Dave Gold, who died in 2013, was a Democrat and political activist involved in anti-Vietnam war protests. 8 Sherry Gold was active in the Bernie Sanders for President campaign in 2016 and participated in phone banks. 9 Their son, Howard, supported Cesar Chavez and Bernie Sanders for President. 10

In 1994 Dave Gold purchased property in Los Angeles that housed Johnie’s Coffee Shop, a cultural-historic landmark that later closed in 2000. 11 The restaurant was vacant until the Gold family offered the space to Bernie Sanders for President to use as a campaign headquarters and event space in 2016. 12 Now, the property is unofficially named Bernie’s Coffee Shop and used as a meeting venue by liberal groups including Black Lives Matter, Humanity First, Extinction Rebellion, Revolution L.A., Democratic Socialists of L.A., Me Too March International, and California For Progress. 13 The outside of the landmark building has a large painted mural of Bernie Sanders with “psychedelic swirls.” 14

Finances

The Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation has just over $60.4 million in assets. 15 In 2019 the foundation reported $7,687,244 in revenue and $2,998,328 in expenses, providing $2,872,815 in grants. 16

Grants

The Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation has funded members of the left-wing “Check the Sheriff Coalition.” 17 The coalition has demanded that Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (D) resign and asked the California Attorney General to investigate the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 18 The foundation also gave grants to coalition members InnerCity Struggle ($5,000), Anti-Recidivism Coalition ($3,000), and Dignity and Power Now ($5,000). 19 The foundation has funded other groups that oppose Sheriff Villanueva including Los Angeles Community Action Network ($20,000) and other nonprofit foundations that funnel money to Check the Sheriff including the California Community Foundation ($3,000) and Liberty Hill Foundation ($15,000).

In 2019, the foundation provided grants to left-of-center and left-wing environmentalist organizations. These included grants of $100,000 to the Natural Resources Defense Council, $20,000 to Earth Island Institute, $45,000 to Greenpeace, $10,000 to the Sierra Club, $10,000 to Friends of the Earth, $75,000 to Our Children’s Trust, $5,000 to Communities for a Better Environment, $3,000 to Grassroots Global Justice, and $3,000 to Indigenous Environmental Network. 20

Other left-of-center organizations that received funding in 2019 included Public Citizen ($320,000), the ACLU Foundation ($25,000), Amnesty International ($10,000), Planned Parenthood ($15,000), Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund ($3,000), the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence ($8,000), Union of Concerned Scientists ($15,000), Social Justice Learning Institute ($3,000), Community Justice Reform Coalition ($4,000), and the Museum of Social Justice ($4,000). 21

Leadership

Jeff Gold is a son of Dave and Sherry Gold and a trustee of the Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation. 22 He was chief administrative officer and later president of 99 Cents Only until 2013. 23

Howard Gold is a trustee of the Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation. 24 The son of Dave and Sherry Gold, he was executive vice president of special projects for 99 Cents Only. 25 He supported and worked for Cesar Chavez while in high school. 26 Howard Gold has stated that capitalism has run amuck in America but doesn’t consider himself a socialist. 27 He helped organize a pro-Bernie Sanders demonstration against Hillary Clinton when she attended a fundraiser at his neighbor George Clooney’s house in 2016. 28

Karen Schiffer is the daughter of Dave and Sherry Gold and a trustee for the Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation. 29 She is also a trustee of the Schiffer Family Foundation. 30

References

  1. Sheila Dave and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  2. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2014; Sheila Dave and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2001.
  3. Li, Shan. “Dave Gold Dies at 80: Entrepreneur Behind 99 Cents Only Chain.” Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-apr-26-la-me-dave-gold-20130427-story.html.
  4. [1] Sheila Dave and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  5. Li, Shan. “Dave Gold Dies at 80: Entrepreneur Behind 99 Cents Only Chain.” Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-apr-26-la-me-dave-gold-20130427-story.html.
  6. Li, Shan. “Dave Gold Dies at 80: Entrepreneur Behind 99 Cents Only Chain.” Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-apr-26-la-me-dave-gold-20130427-story.html; “Dave Gold, Founder of 99 Cents Only Stores, Dies.” USA Today. April 27, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/04/27/dave-gold-99-cents-only-stores-dies/2118103/.
  7. Li, Shan. “Dave Gold Dies at 80: Entrepreneur Behind 99 Cents Only Chain.” Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-apr-26-la-me-dave-gold-20130427-story.html.
  8. Blevins, Aaron. “99 Ways to Leave a Lasting Legacy.” Beverly Press. May 2, 2013. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://beverlypress.com/2013/05/99-ways-to-leave-a-lasting-legacy/; Weinberg, David. “Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie.” Welcome To LA podcast on KCRW (transcript). June 3, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/welcome-to-la/johnies-coffee-shop-los-angeles-googie-architecture-history.
  9. Weinberg, David. “Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie.” Welcome To LA podcast on KCRW (transcript). June 3, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/welcome-to-la/johnies-coffee-shop-los-angeles-googie-architecture-history.
  10. Weinberg, David. “Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie.” Welcome To LA podcast on KCRW (transcript). June 3, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/welcome-to-la/johnies-coffee-shop-los-angeles-googie-architecture-history.
  11. Ogilvie, Jessica. “How This Historic LA Coffee Shop Turned into A Gathering Place for The Political Left.” LAist. January 31, 2019. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://laist.com/news/food/johnies-coffee-shop.
  12. Ogilvie, Jessica. “How This Historic LA Coffee Shop Turned into A Gathering Place for The Political Left.” LAist. January 31, 2019. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://laist.com/news/food/johnies-coffee-shop; Weinberg, David. “Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie.” Welcome To LA podcast on KCRW (transcript). June 3, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/welcome-to-la/johnies-coffee-shop-los-angeles-googie-architecture-history.
  13. Li, Shan. “Dave Gold Dies at 80: Entrepreneur Behind 99 Cents Only Chain.” Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-apr-26-la-me-dave-gold-20130427-story.html; Ogilvie, Jessica. “How This Historic LA Coffee Shop Turned into A Gathering Place for The Political Left.” LAist. January 31, 2019. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://laist.com/news/food/johnies-coffee-shop.
  14. Nichols, Chris. “This Trippy Bernie Sanders Mural Might Be Made Permanent.” Los Angeles Magazine. April 26, 2017. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.lamag.com/askchris/trippy-bernie-sanders-mural-might-made-permanent/.
  15. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  16. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  17. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  18. Check the Sheriff Coalition. Letter to Sheriff Alex Villanueva. July 29, 2020. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/608642aec0f6531f1411b0a8/t/608afe7e46956138f6ca45dc/1619721860680/AdiosVillanueva+Letter+final+sign-on.pdf.
  19. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019; Check the Sheriff Coalition. Letter to Sheriff Alex Villanueva. July 29, 2020. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/608642aec0f6531f1411b0a8/t/608afe7e46956138f6ca45dc/1619721860680/AdiosVillanueva+Letter+final+sign-on.pdf.
  20. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  21. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  22. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  23. [1] Boccaccio, Katherine. “Management Shakeup At 99 Cents Only Stores; CEO Out.” Chain Store Age. January 24, 2013. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://chainstoreage.com/operations/management-shakeup-99-cents-only-stores-ceo-out.
  24. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  25. Li, Shan. “Dave Gold Dies at 80: Entrepreneur Behind 99 Cents Only Chain.” Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-apr-26-la-me-dave-gold-20130427-story.html.
  26. Weinberg, David. “Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie.” Welcome To LA podcast on KCRW (transcript). June 3, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/welcome-to-la/johnies-coffee-shop-los-angeles-googie-architecture-history.
  27. Weinberg, David. “Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie.” Welcome To LA podcast on KCRW (transcript). June 3, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/welcome-to-la/johnies-coffee-shop-los-angeles-googie-architecture-history.
  28. Weinberg, David. “Deep Time: The Strange Life of an LA Googie.” Welcome To LA podcast on KCRW (transcript). June 3, 2020. Accessed October 1, 2021. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/welcome-to-la/johnies-coffee-shop-los-angeles-googie-architecture-history.
  29. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019; Li, Shan. “Dave Gold Dies at 80: Entrepreneur Behind 99 Cents Only Chain.” Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2013. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2013-apr-26-la-me-dave-gold-20130427-story.html.
  30. Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Foundation, Return of a Private Foundation, 2019.
  See an error? Let us know!

Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: February 1, 1998

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2019 Dec Form PF $7,687,244 $2,998,328 $60,421,027 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2015 Dec Form PF $816,487 $2,401,725 $40,948,677 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2014 Dec Form PF $825,359 $2,043,014 $42,533,915 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2013 Dec Form PF $516,827 $710,940 $43,751,570 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2012 Dec Form PF $32,756,766 $1,904,776 $43,946,940 $1 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2011 Dec Form PF $1,298,859 $952,569 $13,094,950 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Sheila, Dave, and Sherry Gold Foundation

    3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd 139
    Studio City, CA