FUND PROFILE

Hancock & Julia Banning Endowment for K-12 Education

The Hancock & Julia Banning Endowment is a Fund for Pasadena that supports PCF’s grantmaking in education, reflecting Bill and Judy Banning’s lifelong commitment to learning and community enrichment.

OVERVIEW

About the Fund

The Hancock & Julia Banning Endowment supports Pasadena Community Foundation’s grantmaking in the area of education. This is a Fund for Pasadena, which benefits local organizations working to sustain and uplift our community.

Detail shot of an Art Deco-style building showing detailed friezes and brickwork

Judy (Julia) grew up in Pasadena and attended Westridge School, the University of California, Berkeley, and California Institute of the Arts. Throughout her life, Judy was active in philanthropic organizations, including the Junior League, the UC Irvine Arboretum, and Planned Parenthood. She was also a docent at Huntington Gardens. Her personal passion was floral design.

Bill (Hancock) was a third-generation descendant of Phineas Banning, the founder of the Port of Los Angeles. He served in the United States Navy during World War II, during which he flew F6F Hellcats in the South Pacific. Shortly after Bill returned from combat overseas in 1945, he met Judy at a Christmas party. It was love at first sight, and Bill and Judy were married for 65 years. They lived in South Pasadena until 1958, moved to Santa Monica, and eventually to Balboa in 2005.

Bill passed away in 2014, and Judy passed away in April, 2016. Bill and Judy were lifelong supporters of education. In 2015, Judy created an endowment at PCF – the Hancock & Julia Banning Endowment for K-12 Education – to support our community’s educational organizations in perpetuity.

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