The Munger, Tolles, and Olson Foundation is the grantmaking arm of Munger, Tolles, and Olson LLP, a prominent California law firm. Primarily, the foundation makes contributions to various cultural and left-of-center organizations. Additionally, the foundation hosts and oversees the MTO Associate Fund, which contributes to organizations based in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Background

The Munger, Tolles, and Olson Foundation (also known as the MTO Foundation) was founded in 1982 by partners of Munger, Tolles, and Olson LLP (MTO), a nationally prominent law firm based in California. The foundation acquired its status as a tax-exempt nonprofit grantmaking foundation in February 1983. The activities of the foundation are directed and wholly funded by partners of the firm, with the exception of the activity of the Paul Davis MTO Associate Fund, which is separately funded and managed by the firm’s associate attorneys. ^{1 2}

Grant Recipients

Recipients of Munger, Tolles, and Olson Foundation grants include the Alliance for Children’s Rights, an organization oriented around youth and foster care issues; the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit that provides pro bono legal services to low-income individuals and families in the Los Angeles area; the Constitutional Rights Foundation, a civics-oriented 501(c)(3) educational organization; the Los Angeles Music Center; and Human Rights Watch, a left-of-center nonprofit organization oriented around human rights issues. ^{3 4 5 6 7}

The Paul Davis MTO Associate Fund

In 2000, the Munger, Tolles, and Olson Foundation established the Paul Davis MTO Associate Fund in memory of Munger, Tolles, and Olson LLP associate Paul Davis. Unlike the foundation, the grants of which are funded by MTO partners, the fund’s grants are funded by contributions from MTO associate attorneys. In that vein, the activity of the fund is managed by a board consisting of MTO associates overseen by the MTO Foundation. The fund specializes in making grants to organizations active in communities in Los Angeles and San Francisco, particularly ones in which the firms associate attorneys live. According to the firm’s website, the fund does not accept grant requests originating outside of the firm. ⁸

People

Kathleen McDowell, co-president of the MTO Foundation, is a litigation partner based in MTO’s Los Angeles office specializing in eDiscovery issues, particularly in financial industry litigation. She is a board member and former president of both the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. She is also a board member of the Los Angeles Chapter of Women in eDiscovery, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers–Los Angeles Chapter, the Los Angeles County Bar Foundation, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, a left-progressive nonprofit oriented around offering legal assistance to poor Californians. ^{9 10 11}

Robert Dell Angelo, co-president of the MTO Foundation, is an MTO partner specializing in defending companies in disputes relating to financial securities and corporate control. He is also a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners. ^{12 13}

1. “Pro Bono.” Munger, Tolles, and Olson. Accessed September 9, 2021. https://www.mto.com/pro-bono/pro-bono-activities
2. MUNGER TOLLES & OLSON FOUNDATION. ProPublica. Accessed September 9, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/953793858
3. “Pro Bono.” Munger, Tolles, and Olson. Accessed September 9, 2021. https://www.mto.com/pro-bono/pro-bono-activities
4. “About Us.” Human Rights Watch. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://www.hrw.org/about/about-us
5. “About CRF.” Constitutional Rights Foundation. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://www.crf-usa.org/about-constitutional-rights-foundation.html
6. “Who We Are.” Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Accessed September 9, 2021. Accessed September 9, 2021. https://lafla.org/who-we-are/
7. “Our Mission and Services.” Alliance for Children’s Rights. https://allianceforchildrensrights.org/mission/
8. “Pro Bono.” Munger, Tolles, and Olson. Accessed September 9, 2021. https://www.mto.com/pro-bono/pro-bono-activities
9. “Kathleen M. McDowell.” Munger Tolles and Olson. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://www.mto.com/lawyers/Kathleen-M-McDowell
10. “About Western Center.” Western Center on Law and Poverty. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://wclp.org/about-wclp/
11. The Munger, Tolles, and Olson Foundation. Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/953793858/02_2021_prefixes_95-99%2F953793858_201912_990_2021021917727302?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_hdD9bWba8K4i_K_aL5GJmL8qJ68BTl8svfOpV9hPWf4-1631464839-0-gqNtZGzNApCjcnBszQw9
12. “Robert Dell Angelo.“ Munger Tolles and Olson. Accessed September 21, 2021. https://www.mto.com/lawyers/Robert-L-Dell-Angelo
13. The Munger, Tolles, and Olson Foundation. Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/953793858/02_2021_prefixes_95-99%2F953793858_201912_990_2021021917727302?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_hdD9bWba8K4i_K_aL5GJmL8qJ68BTl8svfOpV9hPWf4-1631464839-0-gqNtZGzNApCjcnBszQw9