The Pomeroy Family Endowment is a field of interest endowment that supports PCF’s local grantmaking in the area of arts and culture.
A native of San Francisco, Dr. Elizabeth Pomeroy came to Southern California during her high school years. She graduated from Stanford and then earned a PhD in English from UCLA. Her family boasts three generations of Bruins; Elizabeth’s son has a UCLA law school degree and her eldest granddaughter recently graduated with her BA.
A Pasadena resident since 1975, Dr. Pomeroy established the Pomeroy Family Endowment in 2023 to represent her love of education and the arts, something her two adult children and four grandchildren share. “I’ve seen how an arts education can be a foundation for life skills and creativity in life in general: My daughter was a dance major in college and my son a music major. Our whole family supports the arts in various ways, and we would like this to continue through the Pomeroy Family Endowment.”
A Tireless Advocate for Public Education
Dr. Pomeroy’s career has centered on education. She was an English teacher for many years at Pasadena City College and held teaching positions at UCLA, UC Irvine, and California State University Los Angeles. Positions at The Huntington Library and the W. M. Keck Foundation also formed part of her professional career. She also found time to participate in countless other organizations, including the Sierra Club, with a focus on conservation and being an outings leader; Pasadena City Commissions (Recreation and Parks; Library); and other civic and arts groups.
Pasadena-area residents may recognize Dr. Pomeroy for her 13-year tenure on the Board of Education of the Pasadena Unified School District – a position she retired in 2022. She was known as a tireless advocate for public education and an inspiration for her community. “My children got such a good start in these (PUSD) schools, and I’ve found a good challenge and much joy in working to help public education succeed.”
She remains dedicated to the student body of PUSD as a volunteer with Reading Partners at Jackson Elementary School (where her UCLA-grad granddaughter is now the site coordinator). Reading Partners is a one-to-one reading tutoring program that bolsters reading skills for students in kindergarten through third grade.
The Power of Endowment
Endowments are the cornerstone of PCF’s mission to build hometown legacies. The corpus of each endowed fund is invested with PCF’s portfolio for long-term growth. Each year, the endowments generate the funds that support PCF’s local grantmaking, which enriches the arts community, protects our environment, provides health care and critical social services, and bolsters public education in Pasadena. Endowments are permanent legacies for our community; these funds will continue to grow and provide philanthropic support forever. Learn more.
Created December 2023