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Carrie Morgridge

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Carrie Morgridge
Born1967 (age 56–57)[1][2]
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Philanthropist, author
Years active15+
Websitemorgridgefamilyfoundation.org

Carrie Morgridge (born 1967) is an American philanthropist and author. She is vice-president of the Morgridge Family Foundation, funded by an annual grant from John P. and Tashia Morgridge's TOSA Foundation. The foundation's contributions have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars,[1] with a particular focus on improving education, as well as health, the arts and the environment.[3][4] Her book Every Gift Matters advocated the idea that even small gifts can have a big impact if done properly.[5][6]

Early life

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Morgridge grew up in a low-income family in Santa Barbara, California.[1] She worked at a grocery store and learned to "pinch pennies," as her family was living "paycheck-to-paycheck".[7][2] She graduated summa cum laude from the International Academy of Design and Technology. Her first marriage ended quickly; she was married and divorced by age 21. She owned and sold a chain of tanning salons in California and was credited[by whom?] as being a "savvy businesswoman". In addition, she finished eleven Ironman Triathlon competitions. In 1991 she married John Morgridge, the son of Cisco Systems former CEO John Morgridge.[1]

Morgridge Family Foundation

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Morgridge Family Foundation gave $8 million to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Morgridge learned the basics of philanthropy while working at the Aspen Valley Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.[1] She and her husband founded the nonprofit Morgridge Family Foundation in 2008.[7] The foundation is funded by an annual grant from John P. and Tashia Morgridge's TOSA Foundation, established by Morgridge's parents-in-law.[1]

While the Morgridge Family Foundation contributes to 185 projects per year, a few of them are what Morgridge calls "mega-gifts".[1] For example, the foundation contributed $15 million to National Jewish Health, a Denver-based medical research facility.[1] In appreciation of that gift in 2013, National Jewish Health established the Morgridge Educational Campus, which includes the Morgridge Academy for chronically ill children, and the Morgridge Fellowship Program. The foundation gave $4 million to the Mile High United Way Morgridge Center for Community Change.[1] The foundation also gave $10 million to the University of Denver to establish the Morgridge College of Education.[1] It donated $8 million to Denver Museum of Nature and Science, which was described in the Denver Post as being the largest bequest in the museum's 109-year history.[8] It gave $3.5 million to create the Denver School of Science and Technology.[1] A major project the foundation has sponsored is "Share Fair Nation" which trains teachers to use new classroom technologies such as whiteboards,[1] and which brings teachers together so they can share their teaching strategies.[9] The foundation donated substantially to Colorado Mountain College.[10]

In June 2022, the Morgridge Family Foundation made a significant contribution of $3 million to the Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences, specifically designated for use at the CSU spur campus located in Denver.[11] In September of the same year, the foundation donated another $3 million towards the construction and establishment of the Morgridge Strength and Performance Lab at Plymouth State University. This facility, with a total project cost of $4 million, was officially inaugurated to provide resources and research opportunities in the field of strength and performance.[12][13]

In November 2022, the Morgridge Family Foundation, launched the Child Welfare Initiative, a $1.4 million program focusing on advancing research and professional training in the U.S. child welfare sector.[14] With a focus on preserving familial units, the initiative is collaborating with relevant organizations and experts, and is funding both the Colorado Research & Implementation Science Team and nationwide training accelerators developed with social-design firm MindSpark. The project addresses potential shortcomings in the current child welfare system, including its potential adverse impacts on education and mental health.[14]

Author

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Morgridge claims that one of the hardest tasks of being a philanthropist is rejecting requests.[2] She believes in teaching students to be generous, creating youth philanthropy clubs, and was quoted as saying that "small gifts, given properly, do matter."[15] This was a prominent idea in her book Every Gift Matters.[10][16] According to The New York Times, the foundation typically gives gifts to major programs that last only three years.[3] As a philanthropist, she likes to meet beneficiaries in person.[17] She prefers to contribute to projects which involve "something new", such as interactive classroom whiteboards and laptops and other technologies for the classroom.[18]

As I got to know Carrie, I realized just how passionate she is about education, and just how much she and the foundation have done for a large variety of educational programs.

— Jane Goodall, primatologist, 2015[1]

Morgridge was a recipient of Urban Legend Award (2015);[1] Frances Wisebart Jacobs award (2010);[19] Urban Peak (2015);[20] Hope Award (2015);[21] and Josef Korbel Humanitarian Award (2016).[22] and the National Jewish Health Arthur B. Lorber Award for Distinguished Service, the institution's highest honor.

In June 2023, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Education by the University of Denver and served as the graduate commencement ceremony speaker for that year.[23]

Morgridge and her husband have two children. She lives in Florida and Colorado.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Davidson, Joanne (June 17, 2015). "Need a few million dollars, 10,000 digital whiteboards or a shipment of sheep hearts? Don't ask for them". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Pinsker, Beth (June 30, 2016). "Q&A: Cisco's Morgridge family follows life lessons in giving away fortune". Reuters. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Sullivan, Paul (March 25, 2016). "The Art of Saying No as a Philanthropist: Carrie Morgridge, vice president of the Morgridge Family Foundation, which connects donors with programs that match their preferences for giving". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...Carrie Morgridge, … often makes three-year gifts to groups working in education, health, the arts and the environment....
  4. ^ Rosen, Alicia (August 27, 2015). "Brooklyn writer featured in latest 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  5. ^ Glazer, Emily (June 1, 2015). "10 Beach Books from J.P. Morgan's Summer Reading List". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  6. ^ "Every Gift Matters: How Your Passion Can Change the World". Publishers Weekly. May 5, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ... informative road-map to making every donation count. … Morgridge dispels the myth that corporate donations outweigh the amount given by individuals …
  7. ^ a b "Interview with Carrie and John Morgridge: These enthusiastic donors believe every gift matters". Philanthropy Magazine. Winter 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016 – via Philanthropy Roundtable. ...Carrie's childhood in Santa Barbara... pinching pennies … focused on education and worker training. … started our own foundation in 2008.
  8. ^ Robles, Yesenia (February 1, 2010). "Denver Museum of Nature & Science gets largest donation ever". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has received an $8 million gift, the largest donation in its 109-year history...
  9. ^ Ham, Rachel (August 21, 2015). "Share Fair Nation chooses Irmo High School as site of 20th educator, community event". Cola Daily. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...Share Fair... brought together thousands of educators for the purpose of sharing best practices...
  10. ^ a b Thatcher, Elise (June 30, 2015). "Doing philanthropy the right way-- donations large and small". Aspen Public Radio. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...Former residents Carrie and John Morgridge have their names on a lot of buildings, including the Colorado Mountain College campus in Aspen and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science...
  11. ^ Kennedy, Tiana (2022-06-06). "Morgridge Family Foundation gifts $3M to CSU Spur and College of Agricultural Sciences". Colorado State University - Source.
  12. ^ Sullivan, Adam (2022-09-01). "New Plymouth State University lab focuses on fine-tuning human body". WCAX.
  13. ^ "Plymouth State dedicates $4 million Morgridge Strength and Performance Lab". NH Business Review. 2022-09-07.
  14. ^ a b "Foundation Launches Initiative to 'Disrupt' Child Welfare". The Imprint. 2022-11-30.
  15. ^ Benson, Brian (February 25, 2016). "Foundation for MetroWest spring breakfast set for April 28 in Wellesley". Metro West Daily News. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  16. ^ Robehmed, Natalie (November 2, 2015). "Wall Street Book Clubs: What Traders Are Reading Now". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...6. Every Gift Matters: How Your Passion Can Change the World by Carrie Morgridge and John Perry...
  17. ^ Mento, Maria Di (May 4, 2015). "Work Weekends? This Committed Donor Wants to Know". Philanthropy.com. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...A Personal Touch: Carrie Morgridge says meeting beneficiaries … helps fuel her giving. … sunny disposition. The high-energy, high net-worth philanthropist....
  18. ^ Hicks, L. Wayne (August 1, 2014). "More on the cover story: Who got money from the Morgridges?". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...Modern education demands modern technology ...."I want to be on that cutting edge of starting something new," said Carrie Morgridge... "I want to invest in a new project, a new program, a new something..."
  19. ^ Davidson, Joanne (October 14, 2010). "Overcoming adversity theme of leadership event". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 15, 2016. ...the luncheon also was the occasion to present the Frances Wisebart Jacobs Award to Carrie Morgridge …
  20. ^ "A runway show under the highway benefits Urban Peak". The Denver Post. August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  21. ^ Animal Rescue Foundation, Hope Award -- Carrie Morgridge -- Philanthropist and Author, Retrieved August 15, 2016
  22. ^ "Tickets Available to Korbel Dinner". University of Denver. August 10, 2016. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  23. ^ "Commencement Speaker Carrie Morgridge Leaves 2023 Graduates With Message of 'Common Sense'". University of Denver. 2023-06-09.
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