• About Us

    History

    Established in 1992, the Remmer Family Foundation, Inc. is a private charitable foundation committed to making grants to qualifying 501(c)3 tax-exempt organizations that are aligned with our mission. From 2000 until ~2013, the Foundation concentrated on applications from organizations located in Jacksonville, Florida. In recent years however, the Foundation has expanded its funding area with an intentional focus on the geographic locales of family members which includes, Florida, Montana and New England. At the same time, the mission of the Foundation was revised to include a broader range of family members in a shared agenda of grant making. As grantmaking guidelines consistent with the new mission are developed and implemented, the Remmer Family Foundation philanthropy will broaden both its geographic and topical scope.

    Mission

    The Remmer Family Foundation is committed to provide opportunities to make a difference in communities, regionally and globally.

    With compassion and integrity we are focused on achieving these goals:

    • Reduce poverty for women and youth by helping disadvantaged adolescent and pre-adolescent girls take ownership of their lives.
    • Create a level playing field through innovative programs in education, training and support.
    • Encourage environmental stewardship with a focus on improving the sustainability of the world’s fisheries.

  • Leadership Team

    Anne Remmer Cole, Ellen Remmer, Susan Remmer Ryzewic and Steven Fox give their time, and philanthropic support, providing leadership and advisory guidance to the Foundation.

    Anne Remmer Cole

    Secretary

    Anne Remmer Cole has devoted her career to education and teaching. She is a reading specialist at Montana State University Billings where she teaches and helps run the Academic Support Center. Before that, she spent eight years as the Executive Director for the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools where she worked diligently to encourage excellence in education, and she taught elementary school for many years. As Chair of EHR Investments, she helped guide her family’s business. Actively involved in making her community a better place, she has served on a variety of boards.

     

    Currently she is a Director of Interfaith Hospitality Network and President of Cottonwood Park Foundation. She has also served on the Women’s Foundation of Montana, YWCA, and the Mathile Family Foundation. An avid tennis player and gardener, she lives in Billings, Montana, with her husband Bill.

    Ellen Remmer

    President

    Ellen Remmer is a champion for philanthropy, impact investing and social change. She is a Senior Partner at The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a philanthropic advisory firm that works around the globe to help donors achieve lasting social and environmental change, and Co-Founder of Invest for Better, an organization aimed at mobilizing women to activate their investment capital for good.


    In addition to serving as the President of the Remmer Family Foundation Ellen serves on the Board of Prosperity Catalyst, a nonprofit organization that launches women-led businesses in conflict-ridden countries, the Board of the Maine Nature Conservancy, and a member of the Oxfam Leadership Council. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and lives in Boston, MA

    Susan Remmer Ryzewic

    Treasurer & Girls' Committee Chair

    Susan Remmer Ryzewic, Ph.D. is a dynamic and recognized leader and an analytical, intuitive, and compassionate problem solver, who is respected in her family, her community, and in business and philanthropic communities. Susan is committed to providing guidance to family enterprise leaders, next generation successors, individuals and organizations to help them address and navigate challenging situations, transitions and organizational changes. She actively embraces life, working and playing hard while striving for meaning and excellence and is persistent in the face of adversity.

    Steven Fox

    Environmental Committee Chair

    Steven Fox, is CEO at ThinkImpact in Boston Massachusetts, which seeks to empower experiential education programs that catalyze social innovation and entrepreneurship. Steven is a member of the Foundation's Leadership team since 2016 and he currently serve's as Chairman of the Environmental Committee. Steven is passionate about rebuilding sustainable fisheries and has encouraged the Foundation to supported a diverse set of fishery programs that are both global and regional. He is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies, U. of London and the University of Richmond.

  • Programs and Guidelines

    Grantmaking Programs and Guidelines

    Programs

    SUPPORTING GIRLS’ PROGRAMS

     

    The Remmer Family Foundation funds new and existing programs which strengthen girls’ self-esteem, confidence and capability, helping them make good choices in their lives.

    We look for programs with the following qualities:

    • Builds on girls’ strengths, preventing barriers that limit their opportunities.
    • Focuses on girls, ages 9 to 15.
    • Addresses girls’ needs in the context of their family and their community.
    • Challenges girls, promotes leadership skills and capability, enabling them to experience the satisfaction of their achievements.
    • Demonstrates awareness of and commitment to diversity (class, race, culture).

     

    ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

     

    The Remmer Family Foundation encourages environmental stewardship with a focus on improving the sustainability of the world’s fisheries. Environmental Stewardship grants range from $5,000 – $20,000 and are 1 year grants.

    We look for programs with the following qualities:

    • Organizations that engage and educate communities around the protection and management of threatened fisheries
    • Opportunity to make a measurable difference within five years
    • Strong Leadership

    Multi-year awards will be subject to a thorough annual review of the grantee’s demonstrated performance. For 3 year grants, the 3rd year is typically a challenge grant, requiring the organization to raise 50% of the needed funds from an alternative source.

    Application Procedure

    The Remmer Family Foundation reviews grant applications and award grants twice yearly. Proposals are by invitation only.

     

    If you have been invited by the Foundation to submit a proposal, you will have received information on how to apply. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.

     

    To assure that your application is complete, it is important to review the application requirements prior to developing the proposal.

     

    The application includes the following areas:

    • Mission, Goals, and History of the Organization.
    • Rationale/Need addressed in the proposal.
    • Objectives of proposal and demonstration of approach for reaching the objectives.
    • Implementation plan and timeline.
    • Success indicators, and approach for evaluating/assessing success.
    • Organization and project budgets.
    • Other possible sources of funding.
    • Financial statements.

    Grant Recipient Reporting Requirements

    Grant recipients are required to submit bi-annual reports on January 15th and July 15th.

     

    This report, to be five pages only, needs to include the following information:
    Progress made in achieving the goals outlined in the proposal, challenges faced in achieving the goals, a work plan for the future, major changes in goals or work plans, and accounting for the grant money spent.

     

    The report should be submitted to Ballentine Partners via Michelle Harrison at mharrison@ballentinepartners.com.

  • Grantmaking

    First Coast Girls Initiative

    The Remmer Family Foundation co-founded and continues to support the First Coast Girls Initiative, FCGI, which provides education and support to organizations who work with girls.

    2021 Grant Activity

    Girls' Committee Grants:

    • Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center, $10,000
    • Empowerment Resources, $10,000
    • First Coast Girls Initiative, $10,000
    • Generation W, $10,000
    • Girls on The Run, $10,000
    • Invest in Girls, $10,000
    • Junior Achievement of North Florida, $10,000
    • Science Club for Girls, $10,000
    Environmental Committee Grants:
    • Environmental Defense Fund, $15,000
    • Marine Stewardship Council, $15,000
    • Millennium Campus Network, $50,000
    • The Nature Conservancy: Maine, $15,000
    • The Nature Conservancy: Montana, $10,000
    • The Pew Charitable Trusts, $15,000

  • Contact Us

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