"You haven't learned how to live until
you've learned how to give."
- Kirk Douglas
"Giving is actually selfish. You always
get back more than you give."
- Anne Douglas
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OUR MISSION

The Douglas Foundation partners with organizations committed to providing more equitable access to education, healthcare, and the arts.

Guided by the charitable goals of its founders, Anne and Kirk Douglas, the Foundation is particularly focused on improving the lives of children and women in California.

“As long as we have the
capacity to give, we are alive.”

- Kirk Douglas

History of the Founders

In his youth, poverty was all too familiar to Kirk Douglas. Born Issur Danielovitch, Kirk was the son of illiterate immigrants who migrated from Russia early in the 20th century to seek a better life. On the other hand, Anne Douglas (born Hanelore Marx) was born into privilege in Hannover, Germany, until the Second World War divided her family and turned privilege into hardship.

Anne and Kirk were destined to find one another and, in so doing, created a powerful union that lasted nearly 70 years. Through Kirk’s success in the film industry, Anne and Kirk found themselves enjoying the benefits of celebrity but wanting something more. They wanted to give back, not only in thanks for their blessings, but as a means of teaching their children and grandchildren the lessons they learned about the power and joy of giving. While Kirk passed away in 2020 at the age of 103 and Anne passed a year later, the Douglas’s commitment to using their good fortune to enrich the lives of others lives on through the Douglas Foundation.

"Caring is sharing."

-Anne Douglas

HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION

The Douglas Foundation was founded in 1964 by Anne and Kirk Douglas. The principal goal of the Foundation was and continues to be making education, healthcare, and the arts more accessible to the citizens of California. Since its inception, the Foundation has granted more than $118,000,000 to more than 200 organizations to advance that goal.

"Obey the voice within -
it commands us to give of ourselves and help others."

-Kirk Douglas

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Preserving and growing the Anne and Kirk Douglas philanthropic legacy

MICHAEL DOUGLAS | Trustee
JIM GREENBAUM
| Trustee
STUART KORSHAK
| Trustee
ANITA ROSENSTEIN
| Board President
ARNOLD ROSENSTEIN | Board Vice President

KIM MOREY | Foundation Administrator 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Preserving and growing the Anne and Kirk Douglas philanthropic legacy

MICHAEL DOUGLAS
Trustee

JIM GREENBAUM
Trustee

STUART KORSHAK
Trustee

ANITA ROSENSTEIN
Board President

ARNOLD ROSENSTEIN
Board Vice President

KIM MOREY
Foundation Administrator 

FOUNDATION'S IMPACT

TRANSFORMING LIVES

$118 MILLION + 200 PARTNERS =

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES TRANSFORMED

The Douglas Foundation has awarded more than $118,000,000 to more than 200 effective non-profit partners working to make access to education, healthcare and the arts more equitable.

The Foundation supports organizations that provide or enhance quality educational experiences for the less advantaged members of the communities they serve.

We are dedicated to supporting organizations that help children, women and families live healthier lives.

Understanding that the arts educate, entertain, and are a vehicle for social change, we support organizations engaged in making the arts accessible to everyone.

The douglas archive is available now!