The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
Encyclopedia
The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are a group of charitable foundations established by American
industrialist Arthur Vining Davis
, onetime Alcoa
president and Florida
land developer
.
in 1965. The first foundation was merged into the second in 2001. Since 1997 the foundations have been headed by Davis' great-nephew
, J.H. Dow Davis. In 2005, the slogan "Dedicated to Strengthening America's Future through Education" was introduced to the foundations.
Davis' charge to the trustees was that they fund programs that would "strengthen the nation's future," with the nation in question being his native United States. For this reason, the single restriction on the grants is that they are to be made only within the United States and its possessions
(such as Guam
or the Northern Mariana Islands
). The foundations presently directs its funding into five basic categories: secondary education
, private higher education
, graduate
theological
education, health care
, and public television.
The foundations' main offices are located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist Arthur Vining Davis
Arthur Vining Davis
Arthur Vining Davis was an American industrialist and philanthropist.-Early history:Arthur Vining Davis was born in Sharon, Massachusetts, the son of Perley B. Davis, a Congregational minister, and Mary Frances...
, onetime Alcoa
Alcoa
Alcoa Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 31 countries...
president and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
land developer
Land development
Land development refers to altering the landscape in any number of ways such as:* changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing...
.
History
The original Arthur Vining Davis Foundation was created in 1952 by Davis during his lifetime; the second and third foundations were established by Davis' willWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
in 1965. The first foundation was merged into the second in 2001. Since 1997 the foundations have been headed by Davis' great-nephew
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
, J.H. Dow Davis. In 2005, the slogan "Dedicated to Strengthening America's Future through Education" was introduced to the foundations.
Davis' charge to the trustees was that they fund programs that would "strengthen the nation's future," with the nation in question being his native United States. For this reason, the single restriction on the grants is that they are to be made only within the United States and its possessions
Insular area
An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States...
(such as Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
or the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
). The foundations presently directs its funding into five basic categories: secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
, private higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, graduate
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
education, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, and public television.
The foundations' main offices are located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.