Walter Scott Family Foundation

The Scott Family-related foundations managed by the group include the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation, the Amy L. Scott Family Foundation, the Dixon Family Foundation, the Lori & David Scott Foundation, the Parker Family Foundation, and the Singer Foundation.  ¹

Background

The Walter Scott Family Foundation claims to act as a “coordinating vehicle” for the philanthropic activities of foundations connected to the late Walter Scott and his family. These include the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation, the Amy L. Scott Family Foundation, the Dixon Family Foundation, the Lori and David Scott Foundation, the Parker Family Foundation, and the Singer Foundation. The group’s website claims that all foundations operated by the group share a staff while each one maintains different “focus, governance and charitable priorities.” ¹

All the foundations are related to the family of Walter Scott, a Nebraska-based billionaire and longtime friend of Warren Buffett who died in 2021 and was estimated to have had a fortune worth $4.2 billion by Forbes by that year. ^{1   2}

Activities

The Walter Scott Family Foundation claims that its main areas of grantmaking are education, community, and leadership.  ³

The foundation also offers an Omaha Award, which grants an annual maximum of $75,000 per grantee to Omaha-based nonprofits focused on food, shelter, and health care distribution.  ⁴

The foundation also runs the Jack Lewis Safety Fund, which is focused on funding “police, fire and EMS departments in rural communities across Nebraska and southwest Iowa.”  ⁵

Grantmaking

According to its 2024 tax filings, the Walter Scott Family Foundation reported $1,147,113,015 in revenue, $51,522,084 in expenses, and $2,834,283,174 in net assets.  ⁶

In 2024, the Walter Scott Family Foundation gave $125,000 to the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons Inc, $500,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands, $9 million to the Brownell Talbot School, $577,315 to the Central Community College Foundation, $500,000 to the Charles E. Lakin Human Services Campus Foundation, $1.6 million to the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center Foundation, $50,000 to Children’s Mercy Hospital, $75,000 to Citizens for a Greater Ord Nebraska, $100,000 to the City of Bassett, $75,000 to the City of Chadron, $100,000 to the City of McCook, $65,000 to the City of Milford, $100,000 to the City of North Platte, $100,000 to the City of Wood River, $5 million to the Community Information Trust, $75,000 to the Cozad the Community Foundation, $39,000 to CSU Strata, $30,000 to CUES, $250,000 to the Garfield County Frontier Fair Association, $3,000,000 to the Hastings College Foundation, $50,000 to the Heart Ministry Center, $3,000,000 to the Joslyn Art Museum, $250,000 to Kaneko, $1 million to the Lake Cunningham Development Trust, $85,000 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $50,000 to Neighborgood, $568,342 to the Northeast Community College Foundation, $55,000 to the NorthStar Foundation, $1.4 million to the Omaha Community Foundation, $750,000 to Omaha Community Playhouse, $2.5 million to the Omaha Zoo Foundation, $100,000 to Police Athletics for Community Engagement, $2 million to Project Harmony, $50,000 to Release Inc, $40,000 to the Republic of South Sudan Leaders, $105,000 to the Seal Family Foundation, $500,000 to Share Good, $45,000 to the Simic Recreation Association, $1 million to the Singer Foundation, $1,041,877 to the Southeast Community College Educational Foundation, $1.5 million to the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, $1.5 million to the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation, $50,000 to The Brain Aneurysm Foundation, $50,000 to Trinity University, $1,726,000 to University of Nebraska Foundation, $250,000 to the W.M. Keck Observatory, and $2.5 million to the Westside Community Schools Foundation.  ⁷

Leadership

Walter Scott was the founder of the Walter Scott Family Foundation. Scott was reportedly a longtime friend of Warren Buffett before the former passed away in 2021. According to a Forbes article published that same year, Scott’s fortune was listed as roughly $4.2 billion fortune, with most of it coming from his position in Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Scott was formerly the CEO of the Kiewit Corporation and had previously partnered with Buffett to buy MidAmerican Energy, which was later renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Scott sat on the board of Berkshire Hathaway prior to his death. ²

As of 2026, Calvin Sisson was listed as the president and CEO of the Walter Scott Family Foundation. Previously, he was the executive director of the foundation, the executive director of the Omaha Zoo Foundation, and the vice president of Heritage Services.  ⁸