William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund

Founding and History

The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund was founded in 1946 by Archibald Graustein in memory of his brother, William, who died in a car accident in 1945. William’s widow, Hallie Hubbard Graustein, left a significant amount of money to the fund upon her death, which significantly scaled up its operations. ²

The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund is largely focused on using education to eradicate what it sees as inequity in Connecticut. It states that racism and poverty are systemic and entrenched in American society and that public education perpetuates white supremacy. These oppressive systems are supposedly rooted in white supremacy and capitalism. ³

Despite the fund’s current philosophy opposed to business and capitalism, its founder, Archibald Graustein, was a successful business lawyer and president of International Paper Company, at the time the largest paper manufacturer in the world. Under his leadership, International Paper expanded across the United States and Canada and, in addition to its paper milling business, also became one of the largest suppliers of hydro-generated electricity in the United States and Canada. ⁴

Activities

The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund frames its grantmaking in the context of education with a special focus on “equity.” The organization specifically seeks to promote “anti-racism” and seeks to make grants that will promote this controversial race-based ideology in both the creation of curriculum and training educators in its use. It similarly seeks to make grants that promote “equity” in all manner of education related activities ranging from “exclusionary language”, financing, discipline, and to recruit teachers of color. ⁵

The foundation also makes grants to organizations focused on other issues, such as crime, “economic justice,” healthcare, housing, and immigration, if they are directly tied to education. ⁵

Finances

In 2021, the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund reported $16,851,459 in revenue, of which $210,462 was derived from interest on savings, $344,135 from dividends and interest on securities, and $3,358,403 from the net gain on the sale of assets. It reported $8,022,661 in expenses, of which $4,189,787 was allocated to contributions and grants; $504,106 for officer, director, and trustee compensation; $1,132,518 for other employees’ salaries; and $540,384 for pension plan and benefits. It ended the year with a net profit of $8,828,798 and net assets of $124,986,91. ⁶

Leadership

William Graustein is the son of the late Archibald Graustein and sits on the fund’s board. He is a former geologist and is involved in other philanthropic endeavors through the Graustein family office that makes grants beyond education. ⁷

Lisa Graustein is the daughter of William Graustein and sits on the fund’s board. She holds left-of-center views on race and has worked as a diversity consultant and a teacher. She has written that she will not allow her son to have his hair cut in a “mohawk” style, as this would be cultural appropriation, and also claims that “actual and symbolic” genocide is ingrained in American culture and institutions. ^{7 8}