John and Ginger Sall
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: SAS Institute
FUNDING AREAS: Health, Education, Environment, and Community Development
OVERVIEW: John and Ginger Sall, signatories to the Giving Pledge, support STEM education. Through the Sall Family Foundation, they’ve also invested in health and the environment.
BACKGROUND: John Sall is the co-founder and executive vice president of the largest privately held software company in the world, SAS Institute Inc., but he still thinks of himself as no more than a "statistical software developer.
Ginger Sall received her B.A. in physics from Rice University, and then studied biostatistics at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. Sall is an accomplished computer scientist who has worked as a systems programmer, software developer, technical consultant and statistical software trainer. As the co-founder and director of the Sall Family Foundation, she is passionate about health and nutrition for mothers and children, as well as conservation and the environment. Her 35-year membership of La Leche League speakers to her passion for mothers by helping them to breastfeed. From 2000 to 2001, Sall also served as La Leche League’s board chair. She also serves on the World Wildlife Fund-U.S. Board of Directors.
ISSUES:
ENVIRONMENT: The Sall Family Foundation is a longtime supporter of the Nature Conservancy and the couple even served on the organization's board of governors for nine years. They are also staunch supporters of the World Wildlife Fund and Environmental Defense Fund. SAS has also supported Duke University, where Sall's wife sits on the board of advisors for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.
HEALTH & HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS: The family invests in the Pan American Health Organization, which mobilizes partnerships to improve health and quality of life in the Americas, working with government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
The couple has steadily supported CARE USA, an organization that provides disaster relief and fights poverty throughout the world. Ginger serves on the boards of CARE USA and CARE International. Other grantees have included Kickstart International, Hope Through Health, and Possible Health, an NGO "that delivers healthcare vis-à-vis public-private partnership agreements with the Government of Nepal."
EDUCATION: The Salls co-founded Cary Academy in 1996. The Cary Academy is a private school that integrates technology into its entire curriculum to prepare students for the 21st century. The school features smaller class sizes and emphasizes the use of technology in the classroom as a part of its strong focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Upon enrollment, students are issued tablet computers. Before tablets, they were given laptops. The school's model has been adopted by a number of schools throughout North Carolina.
In addition, through SAS, Sall has guided the donations of tens of millions of dollars into education programs throughout North Carolina. These programs include the Triangle High Five, which supports "the development and sustainability of professional learning communities within the North Carolina Triangle Region and across the state."
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the family to continue with their established interests.
CONTACT:
For general information, contact the Sall Family Foundation at info@sallfamily.org. Grants are by invitation only.
