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Wallis Annenberg '13 Contributor Since 2013

Chairman of the Board | Annenberg Foundation

Biography:

A visionary who strives to improve the well-being of people and communities throughout the world, Wallis Annenberg has spent much of her life focused on philanthropy dedicated to education, communications, arts and culture, medical research, animal welfare, social justice and environmental stewardship.

Her keen vision for philanthropy furthers the Annenberg Foundation’s core values of openness, accessibility, fairness and relationship building.

Since assuming chairmanship of the Foundation in 2009, Wallis has overseen the distribution of more than $595 million to over 2,181 organizations. Prior to that, Wallis directed the Los Angeles office of the Foundation in giving nearly half a billion dollars to over 1,000 organizations. Complementing this wide and high impact grantmaking are special projects and initiatives that push the boundaries of traditional philanthropy while serving the Los Angeles community.

Wallis’ commitment to building community space can be seen through the creation of the Annenberg Community Beach House, located on the grounds of the former Marion Davies estate at 415 Pacific Coast Highway; the innovative Universally-Accessible Treehouse project in Torrance, California; and The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in the historic Beverly Hills Post Office. To strengthen the Los Angeles nonprofit community, executive professional development and technical assistance is offered several times a year, free of charge, through Annenberg Alchemy and Project Grantsmanship. In 2009, the Foundation opened the Annenberg Space for Photography, a state-of-the-art photographic print and digital gallery that is open to the public year-round, free of charge.

Wallis is the longest serving trustee at the University of Southern California and has been honored by numerous organizations such as the Americans for the Arts, the Shoah Foundation, and the California African American Museum.

She serves on a number of boards including the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the California Science Center; the Music Center, Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County; the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Based in Los Angeles, Wallis is the proud mother of four children and five grandchildren.

Thought Leadership By Wallis:

The Future of Philanthropy by Wallis Annenberg

I’ve spent a great deal of my life as a philanthropist. I believe very deeply that when you’re fortunate...
By Wallis Annenberg | Annenberg Foundation