The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

David and Lucile’s philanthropic natures were evident before the realization of the Packard Foundation itself. They met at Stanford, where Lucile volunteered at a home for children with tuberculosis. David’s belief that “management has a responsibility to its employees, to its customers, and to the community at large” was at the core of his business acumen, with HP pioneering socially responsible management concepts such as flexible working hours and catastrophic medical coverage. As HP grew from a garage-based electronics shop to a world-leading organization, their values remained reflected in their ethos of socially responsible private business. Lucile’s longstanding interest in children’s causes led her to becoming chair of the board of the Children’s Health Council, where she worked intimately with the Stanford Convalescent Home where she had previously volunteered.

Based on this, the foundation’s mission is to improve the lives of children, enable creative pursuit of science, advance reproductive health, and conserve and restore the earth's natural systems. It has five main program areas: Children, Families, and Communities; Conservation and Science; Population and Reproductive Health; Local Grantmaking; and Organizational Effectiveness. Through these program areas, the foundation provides grants to not-for-profit organizations around the world for social, cultural, and environmental change. The foundation’s impacts include supporting 20 innovative scientists and engineers every year through the Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering, investing in climate solutions such as clean energy, sustainable transportation, and forest conservation, and promoting high-quality early learning for children from low-income families and advancing reproductive health and rights around the world. It also donated $40 million for the construction of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, which is now part of Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, providing care for children with various health conditions. 

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has made significant contributions to society through its philanthropy, grants, and investments for many years. Since its inception, it has become one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Beyond the foundation’s direct positive societal and environmental impact, its Organizational Effectiveness program has had far-reaching indirect benefits on children, families, communities, and the planet, by helping NGOs improve their organizational capacity and enhance the effectiveness of their programs through leadership development, financial sustainability, evaluation practices, and strategic communications programs.

Contributor: Dion McDougal