LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Wallis Annenberg Legacy Foundation today announced a $10 million gift supporting four signature initiatives that reflect the vision and legacy projects of its late founder, Wallis Annenberg, who dedicated her life to creating spaces, access, and opportunities that enrich communities, foster civic partnerships, and protect the world we share. The gift is the Legacy Foundation’s first major philanthropic initiative since Wallis’ passing in late July and builds on nearly 15 years of the Legacy Foundation’s work under her hands-on direction to ensure that support for her projects and initiatives would endure and expand beyond her lifetime.
The $10 million will be distributed across the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica; student internships at Wallis Annenberg Hall at the University of Southern California; free and low-cost performances for underserved audiences at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills; and the Wildlife Crossing Fund in Agoura Hills.
At Wallis Annenberg’s direction, the Legacy Foundation will also continue to support two of the Foundation’s flagship projects: the Wallis Annenberg GenSpace, which provides community and resources for older adults, and the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, a cutting-edge animal adoption center with educational and community programming.
“As we continue to mourn the loss of Wallis Annenberg, we are also celebrating her life by ensuring the places and causes she loved most remain strong and vibrant,” said the Legacy Foundation’s Board of Directors. “Since the Legacy Foundation’s founding in 2011, we have worked alongside Wallis to bring her philanthropic vision to life. With this first major gift since her passing, the board is honored to carry forward the work we began together by expanding the Legacy Foundation’s work and investing in the initiatives she held closest to her heart.”
Together, these gifts and ongoing commitments demonstrate the breadth of Wallis’s philanthropic passions and the Legacy Foundation’s resolve to follow her directions and ensure her vision continues to thrive for generations to come.
The Legacy Foundation grantees also reflected on the significance of the Foundation’s support:
- Annenberg Community Beach House: “The Annenberg Community Beach House is a place where the city of Santa Monica welcomes everyone, every day,” said Beach House Manager Nan Friedman. “Wallis’ vision and generosity lives on through the Legacy Foundation, and this gift will help the city ensure the Beach House continues to welcome community members and visitors from all over the world to the coast for generations, with programs and spaces that make the California shoreline accessible to all.”
- Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts: “Wallis championed the power of the arts to inspire and connect, which is exactly what The Wallis does,” said Robert van Leer, CEO and Executive Director of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. “With each passing day, we continue to honor her vision, not only by expanding programming but by bringing world-class performances to audiences who might otherwise never experience them. This gift from the Legacy Foundation will help us continue that mission.”
- Wallis Annenberg Hall at USC: “Wallis believed deeply in preparing the next generation of journalists and communicators,” said Willow Bay, Dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “This generous gift continues her legacy of innovative support, and ensures our students will continue to gain the vital skills and experience they need to tell stories with integrity, connect communities, and lead their field in a rapidly changing world.”
- Wildlife Crossing Fund: “The Wildlife Crossing Fund stands as a testament to Wallis’ visionary leadership in conservation,” said Beth Pratt, Founder & CEO of the Wildlife Crossing Fund. “Wallis helped found the organization because she wanted to continue the legacy of the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing and help advance more connectivity projects in California and beyond. We are honored to be named among the beneficiaries of the Legacy Foundation’s first major gift since her passing.”
- Wallis Annenberg GenSpace: “Wallis believed that aging should be reimagined as a chapter of opportunity and growth,” said Christopher J. Leech, Director of GenSpace. “The Legacy Foundation has championed GenSpace from the beginning, and their ongoing support will allow us to keep expanding programs that fight isolation, foster learning, and help older adults thrive, just as she envisioned.”
- Wallis Annenberg PetSpace: “Wallis had an extraordinary love for animals and a belief in the healing bond between people and pets,” said Allison Cardona, Director of the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. “The Legacy Foundation has been with PetSpace since its launch, and we are grateful for their commitment to help us deepen that mission, connecting more families with animals in need and expanding programs that reflect her compassion and care.”
“The Wallis Annenberg Legacy Foundation exists to carry Wallis’s values into the future, ensuring that her signature projects remain strong and dynamic in Los Angeles and beyond,” said Aradhna Oliphant, Chief Operations and Strategy Officer for the Legacy Foundation. “As we look ahead, we will build on the mission she set forth by advancing the initiatives she championed and expanding the Legacy Foundation’s impact in line with the vision she left us. Wallis believed that philanthropy should be bold, generous, and inclusive, and it is in that spirit that we will continue her work.”
For more information about the Wallis Annenberg Legacy Foundation and its work, please visit www.walf.org.
About the Wallis Annenberg Legacy Foundation
Established by Wallis Annenberg in 2011, the Wallis Annenberg Legacy Foundation advances groundbreaking ideas and initiatives in aging and longevity, conservation, animal welfare, education, the arts, community access, and civic partnerships. As directed by Wallis, the Legacy Foundation stewards world-class initiatives and spaces that expand opportunity, inspire compassion, and bring people together so communities and ideas can thrive for generations to come.
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SOURCE Wallis Annenberg Legacy Foundation
