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FUND PROFILE

Sunny Stevenson Endowment for Arts & Culture

The Sunny Stevenson Endowment for Arts & Culture supports Pasadena Community Foundation’s grantmaking in arts and culture. Established by her family, the fund honors Sunny’s lifelong dedication to storytelling, education, and enriching Pasadena’s cultural landscape.

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OVERVIEW

About the Fund

The family of Margaret “Sunny” Stevenson has established the Sunny Stevenson Endowment for Arts & Culture in honor of her lifetime commitment to supporting arts and culture in Pasadena.

Sunny was born in Pasadena in 1924. She attended Pasadena schools and graduated from Pasadena Junior College. In August 1945, upon her graduation from Pomona College, she joined a program to bring new schoolteachers to Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. She traveled on the last war-time crossing to Hawaii, where she subsequently taught for five years. In the 1950’s, she returned to Pasadena to teach kindergarten through second grade at Washington, Lincoln, and Willard Elementary Schools until her retirement in 1990.

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An elderly woman sits in a rocking chair holding a storybook while she reads, a child is in front of her listening

A Legacy of Stories, Art, and Culture

Sunny had a passion for arts, culture, and the history of Pasadena. She was a founding member of the Pacific Asia Museum and was very active there for the rest of her life. She was also a long-time supporter of the Pasadena Museum of History and was thrilled to have her family’s history displayed as part of the museum’s Family Stories exhibition, which celebrated the different ethnic cultures that built Pasadena.

Sunny combined her dedication to children with her passion for arts and culture to become a storyteller to children at both museums. She used her 1,000+ book collection of children’s stories from around the world to entertain and educate children. She was a masterful storyteller who shared her passion with children and adults. It was her biggest joy to share stories that expanded her audience’s world.

In 2021, Sunny passed away at age 97. Her endowment creates a lasting legacy to support her passion for children, art, and culture.

Grantmaking Impact

Through this fund, PCF has been able to

  • Provide sustained funding
  • Offer consistent financial support for local nonprofits addressing arts education and cultural enrichment.
  • Enhance community programs
  • Empower organizations to expand their services and reach more individuals in need.
  • Promote long-Term solutions
  • Invest in programs that not only provide immediate relief but also work towards sustainable solutions for access to arts and culture.

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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