Sunshine Lady Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Sunshine Lady Foundation supports prison education programs throughout the United States.
IP TAKE: The Sunshine Lady Foundation’s higher education in prison program grant recipient have been larger organizations, but its micro grants have gone to smaller groups. Despite its founder’s death in 2020, this foundation still has backing from a member of the Buffett family, so grantmaking may ramp up in the future. Unfortunately, this small, focused funder is not accessible at this time, but interested grantseekers should email the Sunshine Lady Foundation with inquiries at info@sunshineladyfoundation.org.
PROFILE: The Sunshine Lady Foundation was established in 1996 by the late Doris Buffett, the sister of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The foundation invests in “organizations and programs dedicated to providing opportunities for the advancement of education, well-being and new life choices for disadvantaged people with special empathy for the working poor and families in crisis.” Its current giving priority centers around College Degree Programs in Prison.
Grants for Criminal Justice and Higher Education
The Sunshine Lady Foundation’s grantmaking focuses on “higher education in prison programs that provide on-site, for-credit programs that lead to the completion of a postsecondary credential (degree, certification or licensure), either during incarceration or post-incarceration and reentry programs in the community that prioritize and provide support for the continuation of postsecondary education.” The prison program supports two- and four-year colleges for inmates and parolees of federal and state prisons and correctional facilities in the U.S. It awards both Program Grants and Micro Grants. Program grants are either annual- or multi-year. Micro Grants are one-time only awards of $250 - $2,500 that “support the often unpredictable needs of programs, staff and students during the year.”
Grantees include the Prison University Project of San Quentin, California and the Louisiana Parole Project. The foundation’s domestic violence initiative supports high education programs and scholarships for victims and survivors. Grants have gone to programs at Clemson University, North Carolina State University and Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, among others.
Important Grant Details:
The Sunshine Lady Foundation made about $7.5 million in grants in a recent year. Grants are generally awarded in amounts up to $500,000. This funder supports a broad range of organizations working in its area of interest; its prison education grantees tend to be large prison education or university programs. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s news page or its recent tax filings.
This funder does not accept unsolicited grant applications and requires grantseekers to first complete an initial eligibility screening. Interested grantseekers may read the foundation's criteria and eligibility here and email the foundation with inquiries at info@sunshineladyfoundation.org.
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