Louise Gund is a theater producer based in Berkeley, California, and one of the heirs to the Gund family fortune. [1] In 2015, the Gund family was recognized by Forbes as the 80th richest family in America; the year before they were recognized as the 71st with a combined family fortune of $3.5 billion. [2] Louise has also made a name for herself as an environmental activist, and as a donor to political campaigns and organizations.[3] [4]
Family
Louise Gund’s father, George Gund II, amassed his family’s wealth in the early 20th century, first by selling the family brewery, then by purchasing Sanka, a decaf coffee manufacturer, which he later sold to Kellogg corporation for $10 million. [5] Gund used the proceeds of this sale to invest during the Great Depression and in realty across the United States, garnering more than $600 million by his death in 1966. [6]Much of the family fortune was put into the George Gund Foundation where grants have been awarded for the arts, economic development, education, environmentalism, and human services. [7]
Louise Gund has five siblings, all of whom are active in the arts, finance, and philanthropy. [8]
Career
Louise’s personal career has been in the theater and production, where she has worked as a photographer, [9] musician, [10] and producer. [11] She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York and later a Masters degree in Holistic Psychology. [12]
Most of her work has been in Berkeley, California, where she resides and is both a member of and on the board for the Berkeley Community Chorus. [13] She has also served on the Board of the San Francisco Opera as well as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. [14]
Activism
Louise Gund identifies herself as an environmental activist, and works closely with environmental organizations. [15] She is an honorary life trustee of the environmentalist litigation group EarthJustice.[16]
Campaign Donations
Louise Gund has given over $2 million to Democratic Party candidates and committees since 2000, with a large portion going towards United States Representative and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in recent election cycles. [17] Pelosi and Gund have attended the same events in California. [18]
Gund is reportedly a member of the Democracy Alliance liberal donor group.[19]