FUND PROFILE

Richard & Nancy Esbenshade Endowment

The Richard & Nancy Esbenshade Endowment supports PCF’s grantmaking in Youth & Education, reflecting the couple’s deep commitment to Pasadena’s public schools and student programs. With decades of civic and philanthropic engagement, the Esbenshades built a legacy rooted in community, service, and opportunity for future generations.

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OVERVIEW

About the Fund

The Richard and Nancy Esbenshade Endowment is a PCF Endowment Builder Fund that supports organizations in PCF’s Impact Area of Youth & Education in the Pasadena area.

Richard and Nancy Esbenshade were married 63 years and spent more than 50 years together in Pasadena before Richard’s death in September, 2021 at the age of 92. An Ashland, Ohio native, Richard attended Stanford University and then served in the US Army before attending Harvard Law School on the G.I. Bill. Nancy attended Northwestern University and later the Simmons School of Social Work in Boston. Richard and Nancy were married in her hometown of Lima, Ohio in 1958, and soon moved to Los Angeles. Richard then began his career as an attorney, and in 1962, he helped start the firm of Munger, Tolles & Hills (now Munger, Tolles & Olson).

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The couple eventually had five children, and each attended Pasadena public schools, with four of them graduating from Blair High School. Nancy was very involved in the PTA, and she and Richard actively supported the school yearbook and sports programs, among others.

As the children grew, Nancy spent many years serving as a City of Pasadena Field Representative for District 6 under Bill Bogaard and Bill Cathey. She was instrumental in helping establish the city’s recycling program. The couple travelled extensively, reaching all seven continents and countries too numerous to list. In 1990, the first of their 11 grandchildren arrived; they loved visiting the children across the country and treating each to a solo-with-grandparents bonding trip.

Supporting charitable causes in the Greater Pasadena area was a priority for Nancy and Richard, and they were especially committed to organizations that supported youth and education, including Pasadena Educational Foundation, Hillsides, and Families Forward Learning Center. Their endowment with Pasadena Community Foundation will support grants to organizations in the greater Pasadena area whose missions are centered on youth and education.

Grantmaking Impact

Through this fund, PCF has been able to

Provide sustained and flexible funding
Offer consistent financial support for our local grantmaking programs throughout Greater Pasadena
Enhance community programs
Empower organizations to expand their services and reach more individuals in need
Direct resources when and where they are needed most, respond quickly to emerging needs, and fill funding gaps that restricted gifts can’t cover.

Contact Us

For more information about PCF giving opportunities, please contact
Pasadena Community Foundation
301 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 810
Pasadena, CA., 91101
626.796.2097
pcfstaff@pasadenacf.org

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