Joyce Foundation facts for kids
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| Named after | The Joyce family |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1948 |
| Founder | Beatrice Joyce Kean |
| Type | Non-operating private foundation |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) organization |
| Focus | Education, environment, employment, culture, democracy, and gun-violence prevention |
| Location | |
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Area served
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Great Lakes region, U.S. |
| Method | Grants |
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Key people
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Julie Morita, president |
| Endowment | $1.24 billion |
The Joyce Foundation is a special kind of organization called a private foundation. It is located in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2025, the foundation had about $1.24 billion to help with its work.
A former U.S. President, Barack Obama, was part of the foundation's board of directors from 1994 to 2002. The Joyce Foundation is well-known for supporting efforts to reduce gun violence.
The Foundation's Beginnings
The Joyce Foundation was started in 1948 by Beatrice Joyce Kean. She lived in Chicago and was the only heir of David Joyce, a very successful businessman. David Joyce made his money in the lumber industry. This included owning forests, sawmills, and places that sold building materials across the Midwest, Louisiana, and Texas.
When the foundation first began, it had a modest amount of money. However, after Beatrice Joyce Kean passed away in 1972, she left nearly $100 million to the foundation. This made it much larger and able to do more good work.
Leaders of the Foundation
Over the years, several important people have led the Joyce Foundation. Charles U. Daly, who used to work for President John F. Kennedy, was the president for eight years. After him, Craig Kennedy took over in 1986.
Deborah Leff, a lawyer who worked for civil rights, became president in 1992 and served until 1999. Then, Paula DiPerna became president in 1999. In 2002, Ellen S. Alberding became the seventh president of the organization. As mentioned earlier, former U.S. President Barack Obama was on the foundation's board of directors from 1994 until 2002.
Working to Prevent Gun Violence
The Joyce Foundation is one of the few private foundations that looks at ideas and research about how to prevent gun violence. The foundation gives out grants, which are like special funds, to projects that aim to make firearms less accessible. This helps to reduce gun violence. Since 1993, the Joyce Foundation has spent more than $54 million on over 100 grants that support efforts to control firearms.
