SOURCE OF WEALTH: Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas
FUNDING AREAS: Policy, Human Services & Humanitarian, Education, Arts & Culture, Health, Environment, Religious
OVERVIEW: Lee and Juliet Folger conduct their philanthropy through the Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, which according to available tax filings, gave away nearly $5.3 million from 2017 to 2018. The Folger family’s philanthropy covers a range of interests, primarily along the eastern seaboard.
BACKGROUND: Lee Meritt Folger has an A.B. from Harvard University (1956). He joined Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas, an investment service in Washington D.C., in the late 1950s, and serves as chairman of the board.
ISSUES:
POLICY: The couple have supported Brookings Institution, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Peterson Institute for International Economics. Folger’s father, John, was once U.S. ambassador to Belgium and chair of the Republican National Finance Committee.
HUMAN SERVICES & HUMANITARIAN: Grantees include Doctors Without Borders USA, Cross International Aid, and Community of Hope, whose mission is to “create opportunities for low-income families in Washington, DC.”
EDUCATION: Folger supports alma mater Harvard, home to the Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History. The couple has supported Harvard University Fairbanks Center, Harvard University Asia Center, and other Harvard outfits.
Other grantees include D.C. Preparatory Academy, Gateway School, and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
ARTS & CULTURE: Grantees include Edith Wharton Restoration, Inc., Foundation for Art & Preservation in Embassies, Peabody Essex Museum, the Smithsonian Institution and various outfits within it, as well as the National Gallery of Art, which has received millions for art acquisition. The family has supported the Folger Shakespeare Library.
HEALTH: The Folgers have supported Georgetown University Hospital and MedStar- Georgetown Medical Center.
ENVIRONMENT: Grantees include Panthera Corporation and Wild Entrust International, which “supports research and conservation initiatives for as many threatened large carnivore species as possible.”
RELIGIOUS: The family has supported local institutions St. John’s Church and Washington National Cathedral.
LOOKING FORWARD: The Folgers run a robust philanthropic operation. Expect this to continue.
CONTACT:
The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund
1320 Old Chain Bridge Rd., Ste. 425
McLean, VA 22101
Telephone: (703) 847-1350
