Pew Charitable Trusts

The Pew Charitable Trusts consists of seven individual trusts established by the children of Sun Oil Company founder Joseph Newton Pew (1886-1963) and his wife Mary Anderson Pew. It's predecessor, the Pew Memorial Foundation was founded by J . Howard Pew (1882-1971), Mary Ethel Pew (1884-1979), J. N. Pew, Jr. (1886-1963) and Mabel Pew Myrin (1889-1972) in 1948 to honor their parents.

From the description of Pew Family and Trust History Records, 1912-1991 (bulk, 1932-1991). (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 84560547

The Pew Charitable Trusts consist of seven individual trusts established by the children of Sun Company founder Joseph Newton Pew and his wife Mary Anderson Pew. It is the successor to The Pew Memorial Foundation established in 1948. At its first board meeting, the trustees established four areas of giving: scientific, charitable, religious and educational. In 1970, when the Internal Revenue Service adopted a rule that required foundations to make donations equal to 5% of the moving monthly average value of their investments, the foundation increased its grant making activities and professionalized its staff. In 1988, Rebecca Rimel was named Executive Director, and the Trusts restructured its program areas to reflect the priorities of the Board and Executive Director.

From the description of Grant products reports, 1988-2002. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 80027069

The Pew Charitable Trusts is comprised of seven trusts established by members of the Pew family, founders of the Sun Oil Company. The Pew Charitable Trusts began as the Pew Memorial Foundation in 1948 as a tribute to Joseph Newton and Mary Anderson Pew, patriarch and matriarch of the Pew clan. Trusts formed subsequently were the Pew Memorial Trust (established 1956), the Mary Anderson Trust and the J. Howard Pew Freedom Trust (both established 1957); the J. N. Pew Charitable Trust (established 1963), the Knollbrook Trust (established 1965 and named for the home of J. Howard Pew); the Mabel Pew Myrin Trust (established 1957 and activated 1972); and the Medical Trust (established 1979 in honor of Mary Ethel Pew).

From the description of Founding Documents and Related Records, 1956-1986. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 78356530

The Pew Charitable Trusts are a major philanthropic organization based in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Pew Memorial Foundation, predecessor of the Pew Charitable Trusts, was organized on May 15, 1948, by J. Howard Pew, Joseph Newton Pew, Jr., Mary Ethel Pew and Mable Pew Myrin. The Pew family possessed one of the leading industrial fortunes in Pennsylvania, based upon the Sun Oil Company, founded by Joseph Newton Pew, Sr., in the late 19th century.

The Pew Memorial Foundation was endowed with 880,000 shares of Sun Company stock. At its first meeting, the board of directors designated four areas of giving: scientific, charitable, religious, and educational. In 1949 the Foundation inaugurated a program to assist historically black colleges. Subsequently, it has made large donations to Cornell University, the Hoover Institution, Bucknell University, Grove City College (J. Howard Pew's alma mater), Dickinson College and Ursinus College. These grants provided support for fellowships and chaired professorships in science and engineering, as well as for programs designed to explore the relationship between public policy and free market economics.

Between 1956 and 1970, the Pew Charitable Trusts were administered by the Glenmede Trust Company. When J. Howard Pew and his sister, Mabel Pew Myrin, died in 1971, the Trusts diversified their portfolio in response to government regulation and began issuing grants which were valued at 5 per cent of the market value of its investments. By 1975 this total had risen to $33 million per year. This profoundly changed the nature of the Trusts, and in the 1970s it hired a professional staff and formalized its grant application procedures.

Traditionally, the Trusts, now America's second largest private foundation, have concentrated their resources in the Philadelphia region, assisting secondary schools, libraries, seminaries and hospitals. In recent years, however, they have adopted a proactive approach to grantmaking. They now initiate programs and identify agencies capable of implementing them. In the 1980s Pew launched two new programs, the Health Policy and the Biomedical Scholar Programs. These initiatives have funded important work in medical education, biochemistry, AIDS research, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.

From the description of Agency history record. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 82501795