Malone Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Malone Family Foundation provides academic merit- and need-based scholarships to students at a consortium of 50 independent secondary schools. It also supports research on giftedness and gifted education.
IP TAKE: This is a fairly accessible and transparent funder that directs most of its financial support to its extensive scholarship endowment program and consortium of 50 high-functioning independent secondary schools. It does not make grants in the traditional sense and is unlikely to support K-12 schools or academic programs operating outside consortium.
Additionally, it does not accept unsolicited applications or requests for funding, and, indeed, rarely supports groups not within its nationwide Malone Schools Network. Really, the only exception to this is the occassional gift to organizations located within the foundation’s home community of Englewood, Colorado. However, these grants are internally selected and not subject to an application process. It invites those with general questions or concerns to reach out via email.
PROFILE: The Malone Family Foundation was founded in 1997 by Dr. John C. Malone, a media executive best known as the former CEO of Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI), and his family. John Malone got a B.A. in electrical engineering and economics from Yale, an M.S. in industrial engineering from Johns Hopkins and an M.S. from NYU. He also holds a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins. He worked at Bell Labs, McKinsey & Company, and Tele-Communications Inc. Malone is also the largest individual landowner in the country.
Based in Englewood, Colorado, this foundation aims to “improve access to quality education—particularly at the secondary school level—for gifted students who lack the financial resources to best develop their talents.” The foundation runs an extensive high school scholarship program and supports research on giftedness and gifted education.
Grants for K-12 Education
Since its inception in 2000, the Malone Scholars Program has provided endowments for merit- and need-based scholarships at what has become a consortium of 49 independent secondary schools and one college program for high school-aged girls. Together these endowments help over 100 gifted students study at independent schools each year. The foundation also supported the development of Stanford University Online High School, a rigorous secondary education program that serves gifted students in the U.S. and abroad, and research initiatives on gifted education at Stanford, Northwestern and other universities in the U.S.
Beyond its scholarship and education programs, Malone also makes occasional grants to a number of organizations in the Colorado’s K-12 and higher education spaces. These grantees include millions in support annually to Mary S Peake Fellowship, Colorado State University, and Denver School of Science and Technology. Johns Hopkins University received tens of millions over the years.
Grants for Higher Education
Malone's philanthropy in this area prioritizes the founder’s alma maters. Yale has received tens of millions. In 2000, Malone gave $24 million for the construction of Yale's Daniel L. Malone Engineering Center, named in honor of his father. In 2011, Yale School of Engineering and Applied Sciences received a $50 million gift. John's Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering has also received $30 million.
Another site of philanthropy for Malone is Colorado, where he and his wife gave $42.5 million to Colorado State University to fund regenerative medicine in animals and eventually human beings. In 2013, the Malones gave $6 million to Colorado State to establish the Leslie A. Malone Presidential Chair in Equine Sports Medicine. The couple own horse ranches in various parts of the country.
Grants for Community Development, Arts, and Public Health
While it does not appear have a stated funding program to which grantseekers can apply, the foundation does have a history of supporting local groups in the Englewood, Colorado area, including to the Craig Hospital Foundation, Rocky Mountain Human Services, and the Colorado Symphony Association.
Grants for Environmental Conservation
Malone, the largest individual landowner in the United States, has used some of his estimated 2.2 million acres of land for various conservation and preservation efforts. Malone has said that all the land the couple owns will go into the Malone Family Trust, to be preserved forever as open space.
Important Grant Details:
A list of funded schools is available on the Malone Foundation Website. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. General inquiries may be made to the foundation via email.
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