The Suwinski Family Foundation is a Pittsford, New York-based private grantmaking foundation belonging to former corporate executive and Cornell University professor Jan Suwinski and his wife Susan that donates largely to left-leaning causes. 1
The group is a major supporter of Planned Parenthood and its affiliates donating $70,000, or more than 10 percent of all grants, in grant year 2022 and also supports the population-control nonprofit Population Connection. 2
The nonprofit also supports groups promoting left-of-center environmental policies such as 350.org, the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation International, Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Post Carbon Institute, the Sierra Club Foundation, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. 3
Background
Jan Suwinski and his wife Susan founded the Suwinski Family Foundation in 2000. 4 Suwinski began his business career in 1965 working in numerous managerial roles for Corning, Incorporated. He then became executive vice president of Corning’s Opto Electronics group in 1990 and chairman of Siecor, a Siemens and Corning joint venture. He retired from Corning in 1996 and became a professor at Cornell University while serving on numerous corporate boards. He retired from Cornell in 2016. 5
The group makes most of its donations in support of left-of-center advocacy causes. 6
Abortion and Population Control
Planned Parenthood
The Suwinski Family Foundation donated more than 10 percent of its total donations in grant year 2022 in support of abortion provider Planned Parenthood and two of its affiliates. The group gave Planned Parenthood Federation of America $30,000, Planned Parenthood of Alaska $10,000, and Planned Parenthood of Charleston $30,000. 7
Other Pro-Abortion Groups
The Suwinski Family Foundation donated $5,000 to the Center For Reproductive Rights and $25,000 to overseas abortion provider EngenderHealth in 2022. 8
Population Control Advocacy
The Suwinski Family Foundation donated to groups advocating global population control, which advocates policies such as left-of-center policies in support of access to abortion, contraception, and sterilization in order to achieve no net population growth. The group donated $15,000 to the Center for Biological Diversity and $5,000 to Population Connection. 9
Environmental Policies
The Suwinski Family Foundation donated to groups advocating for left-of-center climate and environmental policies in 2022 including $10,000 to 350.org, $3,000 to 350 Eugene, $5,000 to Alaska Center for the Environment, $5,000 to the Alaska Conservation Foundation, $5,000 to Cascadia Wildlands, $5,000 to Conservation International, $5,000 to Defenders of Wildlife, $20,000 to Earthjustice, $10,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund, $3,000 to the Natural Resources Defense Council, $5,000 to the National Wildlife Federation, $1,000 to the Oregon Environmental Council, $5,000 to the Post Carbon Institute, $10,000 to the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, $2,000 to the Sierra Club Foundation, $2,000 to the Wilderness Society, $5,000 to the Union of Concerned Scientists, $5,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society, $10,000 to the World Wildlife Fund, and $1,000 to the Xerces Society. 10
Other Groups
The Suwinksi Family Foundation donated $15,000 to the left-of-center human rights group Amnesty International USA; $15,000 to Doctors Without Borders; $10,000 to the Occupy Movement-inspired Occupy Medical in Eugene, Oregon; and $5,000 to Oxfam America. 11
Finances
According to the 2022 tax return, the Suwinski Family Foundation had $165,234 in revenue, $557,379 in expenses, and $7,834,399 in assets. 12
References
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911.
- “Jan Suwinski Retires from Thor Industries’ Board of Directors.” PR Newswire:, December 18, 2020. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jan-suwinski-retires-from-thor-industries-board-of-directors-301196275.html.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.
- “The Suwinski Family Foundation Inc, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 22, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/161587911/202321299349104712/full.