Joyce Foundation

---

title: "Joyce Foundation" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["non-profit-organizations-based-in-chicago", "foundations-based-in-the-united-states"] description: "American charitable foundation" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Foundation" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American charitable foundation ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox organization"]

Field	Value
name	Joyce Foundation
named_after	The Joyce family
image	File:Joyce Foundation logo.jpg
formation
founder	Beatrice Joyce Kean
type	Non-operating private foundation
status	501(c)(3) organization
focus	Education, environment, employment, culture, democracy, and gun-violence prevention
location	Chicago, Illinois
method	Grants
area_served	Great Lakes region, U.S.
endowment	$1.24 billion
key_people	Julie Morita, president
website
::

| name = Joyce Foundation | named_after = The Joyce family | image = File:Joyce Foundation logo.jpg | caption = | formation = | founder = Beatrice Joyce Kean | founding_location = | type = Non-operating private foundation | status = 501(c)(3) organization | focus = Education, environment, employment, culture, democracy, and gun-violence prevention | headquarters = | location = Chicago, Illinois | method = Grants | area_served = Great Lakes region, U.S. | endowment = $1.24 billion | key_people = Julie Morita, president | num_employees = | secessions = | affiliations = | website =

The Joyce Foundation is a non-operating private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2025, it had assets of approximately $1.24 billion.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama served on the foundation's board of directors from 1994 through 2002. The Joyce Foundation is notable for its support of gun control measures.

History

The Joyce Foundation was established in 1948 by Beatrice Joyce Kean of Chicago. She was the sole heir of David Joyce, a lumber executive and industrialist from Clinton, Iowa. The family wealth came from the lumber industry, including family-owned timberlands, plywood and saw mills, and wholesale and retail building material distribution facilities located in the Midwest, Louisiana, and Texas. The Foundation was modestly endowed until Kean's death in 1972, when she bequeathed it nearly $100 million.

Charles U. Daly, a former aide to President John F. Kennedy, served as president of the Foundation for eight years. He was succeeded by Craig Kennedy in 1986. DiPerna was succeeded in 2002 by Ellen S. Alberding, the organization's seventh president. Former U.S. President Barack Obama served on the foundation's board of directors from 1994 through 2002.

The Joyce Foundation is one of the few private foundations that considers gun violence related research proposals. Joyce distributes grants designed to prevent gun violence by reducing the accessibility of firearms. Since 1993, the Joyce Foundation spent over $54 million on over 100 grants that favor gun control.

References

References

1. Andrea Highbie. (December 9, 1997). "Faces: Cleaning up The Midwest". New York Times.
2. (9 May 2013). "Joyce Foundation - Nonprofit Explorer".
3. (April 19, 2008). "Obama linked to gun control efforts". Politico.
4. (May 2007). "Joyce Foundation". Philanthropy Roundtable.
5. Kathleen Teltsch. (April 13, 1986). "Grant Assists in Schooling After Moves". New York Times.
6. Jady Hsin. (June 2007). "Joyce Foundation". Philanthropy Magazine.
7. Jeff Borden. (January 23, 1999). "People". Crain's Chicago Business.
8. (January 10, 2002). "Joyce Foundation names new president". Chicago Tribune.
9. (January 14, 2015). "Why the CDC still isn't researching gun violence, despite the ban being lifted two years ago". Washington Post.
10. (January 22, 2011). "The Joyce Foundation: the anti-NRA". Crain's Chicago Business.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::