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 80^th richest family in America; the year before they were recognized as the 71^st 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 5}

Family

Louise Gund’s father, George Gund II, amassed his family’s wealth in the early 20^th 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. ⁶ 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. ⁷Much 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. ⁸

Louise Gund has five siblings, all of whom are active in the arts, finance, and philanthropy. ⁹

Career

Louise’s personal career has been in the theater and production, where she has worked as a photographer, ¹⁰ musician, ¹¹ and producer. ¹² 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. ¹³

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. ¹⁴ She has also served on the Board of the San Francisco Opera as well as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. ¹⁶

Activism

Louise Gund identifies herself as an environmental activist, and works closely with environmental organizations. ¹⁷ She is an honorary life trustee of the environmentalist litigation group EarthJustice.¹⁸

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 Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ¹⁹ Pelosi and Gund have attended the same events in California. ²⁰

Gund is reportedly a member of the Democracy Alliance liberal donor group.²¹

1. Williams, Tate. “The Under-the-Radar Green Giving of One Gund Heir.” Inside Philanthropy. April 1, 2014. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/4/1/the-under-the-radar-green-giving-of-one-gund-heir.html.
2. “Gund Family.” Forbes Media. September 27, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/profile/gund/.
3. ”Louise Gund Political Campaign Contributions.” Campaign Money. September 27, 2017. https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/louise-gund.asp?cycle=16.
5. “Louise Gund.” Oregon Shakespeare Festival. September 27, 2017. https://www.osfashland.org/en/artist-biographies/board-member/louise-gund.aspx. [/note] She is reportedly a member of the liberal donor collective Democracy Alliance.⁴ Vadum, Matthew. “The “Vast Left-wing Conspiracy”.” Capital Research Center. October 6, 2014. Accessed October 13, 2017. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-vast-left-wing-conspiracy-george-soross-democracy-alliance-remains-a-potent-force-in-the-2014-elections/.
6. Davis, Jonathan T. “Forbes Richest People: The Forbes Annual Profile of the World’s Wealthiest Men and Women.”  New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1997.
7. “About the Foundation: Mission and History.” The George Gund Foundation.  September 27, 2017. https://gundfoundation.org/about-the-foundation/mission/.
8. “Grants Awarded.” The George Gund Foundation. September 27, 2017. http://gundfoundation.org/grants-awarded/arts/february/.
9. Williams, Tate. “The Under-the-Radar Green Giving of One Gund Heir.” Inside Philanthropy. April 1, 2014. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2014/4/1/the-under-the-radar-green-giving-of-one-gund-heir.html.
10. “Louise Gund.” Oregon Shakespeare Festival. September 27, 2017. https://www.osfashland.org/en/artist-biographies/board-member/louise-gund.aspx.
11. “Louise Gund.” Oregon Shakespeare Festival. September 27, 2017. https://www.osfashland.org/en/artist-biographies/board-member/louise-gund.aspx.
12. “Louise L. Gund.” Playbill. September 27, 2017. http://www.playbill.com/person/louise-gund-vault-0000124897.
13. “Louise Gund.” Realtionship Science. September 27, 2017. https://relationshipscience.com/louise-gund-p25822481.
14. “Louise Gund.” Oregon Shakespeare Festival. September 27, 2017. https://www.osfashland.org/en/artist-biographies/board-member/louise-gund.aspx.
16. “Louise Gund.” Realtionship Science. September 27, 2017. https://relationshipscience.com/louise-gund-p25822481.[/note]

    She has been a producer for Broadway and off-Broadway shows since 2014. ¹⁵ “Louise Gund.” Internet Broadway Database. September 27, 2017. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/louise-gund-495853/#awards.

17. “Louise Gund.” Oregon Shakespeare Festival. September 27, 2017. https://www.osfashland.org/en/artist-biographies/board-member/louise-gund.aspx.
18. “Honorary Life Trustees.” Earthjustice. March 20, 2017. Accessed October 13, 2017. https://earthjustice.org/about/honorary-life-trustees.
19. “Louise Gund Political Contributions.” CampaignMoney.com. September 27, 2017. https://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/louise-gund.asp?cycle=16.
20. Bigelow, Catherine. “Opera, Odes to Getty.” San Francisco Chronicle. October 1, 2017. Read at: https://www.pressreader.com/usa/san-francisco-chronicle-late-edition/20171001/283334702487426.
21. Vadum, Matthew. “The “Vast Left-wing Conspiracy”.” Capital Research Center. October 6, 2014. Accessed October 13, 2017. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-vast-left-wing-conspiracy-george-soross-democracy-alliance-remains-a-potent-force-in-the-2014-elections/.