SOURCE OF WEALTH: Babcock & Brown
FUNDING AREAS: Environment, Health & Human Services, Education, Arts & Culture
OVERVIEW: Rick Koffey and Barbara Thrasher move their philanthropy through the Thrasher Koffey Foundation, which according to available tax filings, gave away around $115,000 in 2017. The couple have an interest in the environment. Another cause is medical research, particular cancer, driven in part by personal forces. The Northwest serves as an important region of giving.
BACKGROUND: Rick Koffey graduated from Cornell University in 1966 and received his J.D. from Columbia Law School. He was a lawyer with Dewey. Ballantine, Bushby. Palmer & Wood. He went on to become a managing director and partner of Babcock & Brown LP, a global investment and advisory firm that went into liquidation last decade.
ISSUES:
ENVIRONMENT: Barbara served for more than a decade on the board of Wood River Land Trust, which the family steadily support. The couple have a passion for skiing. Other grantees have included Environmental Resource Center, Teller Wildlife Refuge, Big Sur Land Trust, and Santa Lucia Conservancy.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: The family is heavily involved with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to the Joel Meyers Endowment Scholarship, which funds infectious disease researchers early in their careers. Barbara’s late husband, Joel Meyers was an infectious disease pioneer who passed from colon cancer in his 40s. Other grantees have included Montage Hospital Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Hunger Coalition, and Meals on Wheels.
EDUCATION: Koffey supports his school Columbia Law School. Other grantees have included Monterey Peninsula College Foundation and Little Sisters Fund, which “helps economically disadvantaged Nepalese girls to become empowered leaders through education, mentoring, and community support.”
OTHER: Barbara is a founder, past president, and emeritus board member of the Wood River Women’s Foundation, which “engages women in the power of collective giving.” The couple supports this organization as well as other women’s outfits like Washington Women’s Foundation. The couple also support arts institutions like de Young Museum, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, and and SFJAZZ.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the family’s varied grantmaking to continue.
CONTACT:
The Trasher Koffey Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the couple but below is an address:
Thrasher Koffey Foundation
2125 First Avenue 801
Seattle, WA 98121
