SOURCE OF WEALTH: Quellos Group, BlackRock, Sahsen Ventures
FUNDING AREAS: Education, Youth and Families, Life Sciences, Social Justice, Environment
OVERVIEW: Bryan and Christine White conduct philanthropy through the Sahsen Foundation, which according to available tax filings, awarded $1.7 million in grants in 2018. However, the foundation’s grantmaking is opaque; the family has set up a donor advised fund with Vanguard Charitable.
BACKGROUND: Bryan White graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematical economics from Pomona College and went on to receive a MBA in accounting and finance from University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He was a senior consultant at PwC, and co-founded Quellos Group in Seattle in 1994. He was a managing director at BlackRock and then founded Sahsen Ventures.
SAHSEN VENTURES & FOUNDATION: Bryan White founded Sahsen Ventures in 2016 to “pollinate and nurture mission-driven enterprises that support the Earth and all its inhabitants.” Sahsen makes investments in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations with an emphasis on “technology and biotechnology that hold the promise to help resolve some the world’s most pressing issues.” Sahsen funds work related to education, youth and families, life sciences, social justice, and the environment.
Bryan and his wife Christine conduct philanthropy through the Sahsen Foundation, which awarded about $1.5 million in a recent year. However, the foundation’s grantmaking lacks transparency. The family has set up a donor advised fund with Vanguard Charitable. White serves on the board of his alma mater Pomona College, as well as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Friends of Camp Gallagher. White is also on the advisory board of Institute of Protein Design at University of Washington.
LOOKING FORWARD: White has said that much of his work is voluntary. Perhaps his foundation will be a little more accessible down the line.
CONTACT:
Sahsen Foundation
1420 5th Ave., No. 4100
Seattle, WA 98101
