Home Is Where The Heart Is

Established by Ted Waitt in 1993, the Waitt Foundation has donated over $118 million to non-profit and charitable organizations, with almost half of those funds—$61 million—dedicated to community-building and violence prevention efforts at the local level.

Past–Present–Future Approach

Employing an innovative “past-present-future” perspective, the foundation examines the root causes of community problems, reviews the best practices used to address them, and then implements promising solutions for the future based on the latest research and methodologies.

Siouxland Philanthropy

The Waitt Foundation’s legacy of giving began in the Siouxland region of Iowa, where Ted was born. Over the years, the foundation has contributed in excess of $19 million to support education, recreation, social services, technology and the arts in the tri-state area, including the:

Artist's rendering of the Gateway Interactive exhibit at the new Sioux City Public Museum ~ Retiring in 2005, Ted Waitt was the co-founder, former chairman & CEO of Gateway, Inc.

- Siouxland Heritage Foundation — To build a new Sioux City Public Museum that will bring history alive by engaging visitors with state-of-the-art technology, interactive hands-on displays and awe-inspiring presentations…

- United Way of Siouxland — To help fund health and human services programs supporting everyone who lives and works in northwest Iowa, northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota…

- Food Bank of Siouxland — To support feeding programs to nourish those who need a helping hand—the needy, the ill and children…

- Saturday in the Park — To create one of the Midwest’s premiere cultural events with an annual festival focusing on quality music, activities, food and refreshments…

Other partners includedthe Boy’s Club of Sioux City—devoted to helping boys reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens—and the Center for Siouxland, a resource hub linking people with needs to people with solutions.

Courtesy Violence Prevention Fund

Violence Prevention

Committed to breaking the cycle of violence in homes, schools and communities, the Waitt Foundation has focused since its earliest days on preventing violence by changing the social norms that accept violence as a normal part of life. In 2005, Ted founded the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention (WIVP) in 2005 as an operating unit of the Waitt Foundation. Led by Executive Director Cindy Waitt, the WIVP is the only private foundation in America focused solely on primary prevention.

Learn more now about the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention and its many projects to combat gender violence, school bullying and workplace violence.

San Diego Philanthropy

Moving to San Diego in 1999 presented the Waitt Foundation with the perfect opportunity to broaden its philanthropic goals and extend its reach using its now proven “past-present-future” model of problem solving—understand the root of the problem, evaluate what’s currently being done and investigate new solutions. Over the last decade, the foundation has awarded more than $38 million to a variety of far-reaching community initiatives in the greater San Diego area, ranging from programs that fill basic human needs to those that help us discover our past and prepare for a better future, such as:

- CONNECT — To inspire innovation with a game-changing platform that brings together all the business partners within the community to share ideas and offer tangible assistance…

- Alpha Project — To provide shelter for over 1,000 different men and women in the San Diego area during the coldest months of the year…

- Copper Age Exhibit – To glimpse the evolution of human society from 6,000 years ago during the Copper Age, or Chalcolithic Period, to the present day…

- Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit – To showcase what are widely acknowledged to be among humanity’s greatest archaeological treasures…

San Diego Food Bank

Other recent San Diego initiatives involve community support for urgent human needs: the San Diego Food Bank, providing meals for those less fortunate during the holiday season; Meals-on-Wheels of Greater San Diego, providing thousands of no-cost meals for the elderly throughout the year; and the Salvation Army of San Diego, serving men, women, and children with immediate and urgent needs.

We are proud to be a part of these great organizations.