Christy Scripps is a philanthropist from Seattle. She is married to Ed Scripps, who is one of the heirs to the E.W. Scripps family fortune. Scripps and her husband Ed are major supporters of civic causes such as universities and other civic causes. ¹ But unlike other major philanthropists, they do not have a specific giving vehicle such as a private foundation. Instead, they mostly rely on personal contributions to the causes they support.

While Scripps does not have a personal private foundation, she does contribute money to one of the family’s foundations, the Scripps Howard Foundation. Ed is a previous trustee, vice president, and member of the executive committee of the foundation, which serves as the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Company. ²

Unlike most philanthropists, Scripps is largely apolitical. There are no recorded campaign contributions from her on either the state or national level, though she has supported university research into environmentalist concerns.

Early Life

Not much is known about Christy Scripps’s early life. She would eventually marry Ed Scripps, who is an heir to the E.W. Scripps family fortune. E.W. Scripps was the founder of a group of newspapers that were targeted at the working class which he sold for a penny. His competitors often sold their papers for five cents. Scripps used various tax avoidance tools such as trusts to pass down his fortune to his heirs. ³

The Scripps would later have two kids, Brittany and Shannon. The Scripps had their family while Ed was working at TV stations in Reno, Nevada, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Scripps would then move their family to Washington state before Ed Scripps joined the board of The E.W. Scripps Company in 1998. ⁴

Yachting

Christy Scripps and her husband own the yacht Zeehaen which is homeported in Seattle. They enjoy bringing their dog Daisy with them when they go sailing. ⁵

Ed Scripps is also the owner of a company called Seattle Yachts. ⁶

Philanthropy

Christy and her husband Ed are also strong supporters of Washington State University. They are contributors to the university’s foundation ⁷ and have contributed at least $100,000 to the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine. ⁸

The Scripps support a professorship at the University of Washington. The professorship, called the Scripps Endowed Professorship in Hematology, was created in 2008 with a gift of $500,000 from the Scripps. This came after Christy’s mother was cared for at Harborview Medical Center and the family wanted to show its gratitude. ⁹

The Scripps continue to support the Scripps Howard Foundation. Ed Scripps is a former vice president and member of the foundation’s executive board. The most recent gift to the foundation was in 2018 with a $150,000 gift to the foundation. ¹⁰

In 2021, the Scripps, along with Ed’s husband’s brother Bill and his wife, donated $6 million to establish the Ted and Jean Scripps Marine Conservation and Technology Facility. The facility was named after her husband’s parents Ted and Jean Scripps. The focus of the institute is to study climate change and how it would affect the oceans. The new building would house the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, which is an interdisciplinary approach in the education of future leaders in marine stewardship with the goal to preserve marine species and ecosystems. ¹¹

1. “ Benefactors”. 2022. Washington State University Foundation. Accessed February 21. https://foundation.wsu.edu/benefactors/.
2. “Scripps Howard Foundation, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer”. 2022. Propublica. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/316025114/201923189349102937/full.
3. Callahan, Patricia, James Bandler, Justin Elliott, Doris Burke, and Jeff Ernsthausen. 2021. “The Great Inheritors: How Three Families Shielded Their Fortunes From Taxes For Generations”. Propublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-great-inheritors-how-three-families-shielded-their-fortunes-from-taxes-for-generations#:~:text=The%20internal%20revenue%20commissioner%20testified,the%20commissioner%20as%20%E2%80%9Cmerely%20ephemeral.
4. “Edward W. Scripps Jr. Elected To Scripps Board Of Directors”. 1998. Scripps. https://scripps.com/press-releases/168-edward-w-scripps-jr-elected-to-scripps-board/.
5.  Swanson, Peter. 2013. “Pets Aboard: Daisy Is A ‘Hawsepiper’ On Zeehaen | Passagemaker”. Passage Maker. https://www.passagemaker.com/.amp/lifestyle/pets-aboard-daisy-is-a-hawsepiper-on-zeehaen.
6. “SAS Yachts To Become Seattle Yachts”. 2010. Boating Industry. https://boatingindustry.com/market-outlook/2010/07/20/sas-yachts-to-become-seattle-yachts/.
7. [1] “Benefactors”. 2022. Washington State University Foundation. Accessed February 21. https://foundation.wsu.edu/benefactors/.
8. “Benefactors”. 2022. Washington State University College Of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed February 21. https://giving.vetmed.wsu.edu/supporters/benefactors.
9. Reedy, Justin. 2008. “Broudy And Elkon Appointed To Endowed Professorships”. UW News. https://www.washington.edu/news/2008/05/29/broudy-and-elkon-appointed-to-endowed-professorships/.
10. Scripps Howard Foundation, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer”. 2022. Propublica. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/316025114/201923189349102937/full.
11. Jennewein, Chris. 2021. “Scripps Family Donates $6 Million Toward New Marine Science Research Facility”. Times Of San Diego. https://timesofsandiego.com/tech/2021/10/08/scripps-family-donates-6-million-toward-new-marine-science-research-facility/.