Paul Growald is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the Growald Family Fund with his wife, Eileen Rockefeller Growald. He served in the first gubernatorial administration of California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and has supported a number of left-of-center and environmentalist causes through his foundation and his public activism.

Career

Growald studied Political Science, earning a B.A. from Northwestern University and also earning a M.A. in Urban Studies from Occidental College. ¹

Growald founded an organization called The Food Bank, which later became the Second Harvest Food Bank based in San Jose, California. ² The organization distributes food to those in need by collecting surplus food as well as “non-marketable produce” and canned goods. ³ While serving as the Director of The Food Bank, Growald was one of the first members of the public appointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture in 1977 by Governor Jerry Brown (D). ⁴

Growald was also a donor and board member of the California League of Conservation Voters, an organization promoting candidates that support left-of-center environmentalist policies. In the late 1990s, Paul founded the Pollinator Partnership, an organization promoting the health of animal pollinators. ⁵ He currently is the group’s chairman emeritus. ⁶

Later, Growald and his wife founded the Growald Family Fund, an organization focused on advancing a left-of-center environmentalist agenda, in 2007. ⁷ In 2018, the Growald Family Fund received more than $11 million in contributions and grants. The organization distributed grants to a number of organizations advancing left-of-center missions, such as $25,000 to the Power Shift Network and $100,000 to the World Wildlife Fund. ⁸

Personal Life

Growald is married to Eileen Rockefeller Growald, the great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., the founder of Standard Oil Company,⁹ and the daughter of David Rockefeller, a banker who controlled Chase Manhattan bank for more than a decade. ¹⁰

Political Activities

Politically, Growald has contributed to a number of left-of-center candidates and PACs including more than $25,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes and Swing Left, as well as a variety of federal Democratic candidates. ¹¹

Governor Jerry Brown (D) appointed him to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture in 1977. ¹²

1. “About Us.” About Us – Growald Family Fund. Accessed March 26, 2020. https://growaldfamilyfund.org/about-us/.
2. “Paul J. Growald.” The New School at Commonweal, December 14, 2007. https://tns.commonweal.org/podcasts/paul-j-growald/#.Xoo-NS2ZORs.
3. About Us.” About Us – Growald Family Fund. Accessed March 26, 2020. https://growaldfamilyfund.org/about-us/.
4. “Brown Names Riverside Woman to Advisory Board.” San Bernardino Sun, March 30, 1977.
5. “About Us.” Pollinator.org. Accessed March 26, 2020. https://www.pollinator.org/about.
6. “About Us.” Pollinator.org. Accessed March 26, 2020. https://www.pollinator.org/about#about-team.
7. “About Us.” About Us – Growald Family Fund. Accessed March 27, 2020. https://growaldfamilyfund.org/about-us/.
8. Growald Family Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/464/209/2018-464209325-10b1ae8a-F.pdf
9. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “John D. Rockefeller.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, inc., December 17, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-D-Rockefeller.
10. Kandell, Jonathan. “David Rockefeller, Philanthropist and Head of Chase Manhattan, Dies at 101.” The New York Times. The New York Times, March 20, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/business/david-rockefeller-dead-chase-manhattan-banker.html.
11. “Browse Individual Contributions Paul Growald.” FEC.gov. Accessed March 28, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=paul+growald&two_year_transaction_period=2012.
12. “Brown Names Riverside Woman to Advisory Board.” San Bernardino Sun, March 30, 1977.