SOURCE OF WEALTH: Loomis, Sayles & Company
FUNDING AREAS: Mental Illness
OVERVIEW: Dan and RoseMary Fuss conduct their philanthropy through the Tommy Fuss Fund, a private foundation established by the family in memory of their son to promote medical research into mental illnesses. Available tax filings indicate that the fund awarded around $1.5 million in grants in 2018.
BACKGROUND: Daniel J. Fuss has a B.S. and an MBA from Marquette University. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1958 and held the rank of lieutenant. He joined Loomis, Sayles & Company in 1976, where he is vice chairman of the board.
ISSUES:
MENTAL ILLNESS: Fuss and RoseMary lost their son, Thomas, at 17 to suicide. As Fuss puts it, “We can’t bring Tommy back, but we can find out whatever information might be useful for people working in this area [of mental illness in adolescents].” The couple has since been laser-focused on mental health advocacy, starting the Tommy Fuss Fund in memory of their son. The Tommy Fuss Team, meanwhile, participates annually in the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The Tommy Fuss Team works with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, colleagues, and others in the community “to encourage individuals to seek help for themselves or those they love and to keep our young people safe.”
The Fusses established and supported the Tommy Fuss Center at Boston Children’s Hospital to understand, diagnose, and treat young children at risk for mental illness. They also support McLean Hospital, a psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
OTHER: RoseMary Fuss is a trustee emeritus of Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts. The college is home to the RoseMary B. Fuss Center for Research on Aging and Intergenerational Relations and the RoseMary B. Fuss Teaching and Learning Center.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the Fusses’ mental health giving to continue.
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