About The Owen L. Coon Foundation

Owen L. Coon wrote the following philosophical statement after World War II, at the launch of the Foundation. It remains relevant and applicable to the current Foundation and provides a basis for its focus and values. 

“The prime objective of the Founder in setting up this organization in 1946 was, of course, to make the greatest contribution to society with the funds available for chosen activities. 

There are countless ways of helping people, of improving conditions, of promoting worthy causes, of extending financial aid to worthwhile movements.  Obviously, no foundation can embrace them all.  A field or fields must first be found and activities within those fields must then be determined.

Ever since the dawn of civilization there has been a place and a need for philanthropic giving. By this is not meant the mere scattering of money to those who may ask for it, or the granting of doles to those whose hands are outstretched ready to receive.

The Owen L. Coon Foundation feels that philanthropy should be broader than that.  It should be constructive. The hungry must be fed, the sick hospitalized, of course, and the destitute must have shelter and clothing.  Agencies established for the relief of such cases deserve all the assistance that can be given them. 

A modern foundation, however, can look beyond this kind of work and carve out for itself a program in some field where it feels that service is not being adequately rendered. It can then set up its own pattern for attaining its goals and can, through these services, seek to coordinate present activities, or to render direct services in giving people better opportunities for a good life, better preparation for the battles which they themselves are to fight if they are to be of value to society and to themselves.” 

Source: The Owen L. Coon Foundation. Statement of Policy.  January 1948. Pages 2-3.

Owen L. Coon’s legacy includes an enduring wellspring of values passed down through generation after generation of Coon family descendents.  These cornerstone beliefs are guideposts for life decisions and help shape everyday action.  They have been preserved through oral traditions and are shared by all branches of the family tree.

These values also have guided the Foundation’s work since its inception.  They are reflected in the grants awarded through the decades and in the Foundation’s ongoing support of the community.

Today, the Foundation Board of Directors institutionalizes these guiding tenets into a formal statement of values.  The words draw substantially on Owen L. Coon’s words recorded in early Foundation documents. 

The Board will continue to use them to guide Foundation operation.  They are evident in the Foundation’s goals, in the way in which the Board members work together, in what we look for in funding proposals, in how we assess our grant-making impact, and in what we hope to promote in Evanston and the Chicago metropolitan area. 

•   Generosity. “The only thing that lasts is what one does for others.”

•   Ingenuity. Support “high minded individuals” who show innovation and creativity in their fields.

•   Service.  Always think of others first and take on the responsibility to make an impact in the community.

•   Dedication. Any problem can be solved if one has sufficient determination, commitment to integrity, and “straight thinking.”

•   Social Recognition.  Recognize social service, not individual honor.  Public acknowledgement should be given to those who have paved the way for others to reach their potential.