Mission Statement

JLF_Mission-9-30-14.pdf (click to download)

The John Larsen Foundation is a private grant-making organization with a mission to better the lives of individuals and families, both traditional and non-traditional.  Our program priorities derive from the active, passionate involvement of family board members in their own communities. The foundation’s primary areas of focus are as follows:

Arts and Humanities

Because we believe that the arts lead the way in human development, we seek to ensure a future for excellence in art, music and performance by providing scholarships and educational opportunities, underwriting performances and funding operating expenses and endowments.

Community Enhancement

We place a strong priority on the betterment of the communities in which we live. We support libraries, community centers, farmers markets, playgrounds, parks, public art, historic preservation, community gardens and other public amenities.

Education

In that the future of our civilization will some day rest with today’s children, we support education at all levels. We support innovative programs in curriculum design that focus on building self esteem through competency. We seek to foster community and family involvement in education and to encourage the replication of excellence in existing programs.

Environment

We believe in the conservation and preservation of our natural environment. We seek to insure the protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat, the careful use of water resources, shoreline, woods and wetlands, and the perpetuation of hunting and fishing.

Human Rights

We celebrate the diversity of the human race and seek to foster respect, dignity and appreciation for all.  We support human rights for everyone and are especially concerned with the struggle for equality of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons.

Human Services

We believe that the strength of a society can be measured by how it cares for its most vulnerable citizens. We seek to provide stability and hope for the following people: the elderly, at-risk children and youth as well as persons suffering from chemical dependency, homelessness, hunger, abuse, neglect, exploitation and crime. We are interested in projects that provide support to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, match children with responsible adults, and promote tolerance, understanding and peaceful/sustainable conflict resolution.