The American Tradition of Philanthropy

America is by far the most generous nation on earth. No other country comes close to our level of support for global relief efforts. As individuals we give generously, even when times are tough. Foundations hold a vital role in this all-American success story, but few people know how foundations are formed. Each private foundation is as unique as the individual who created it.

Bill Daniels, founder of the Daniels Fund, is one such individual.

Bill Daniels at the University of Colorado School of Law, 1986

Widely regarded as the innovator and dealmaker who established the cable television industry, Bill was much more than a successful business leader; he was concerned with the well-being of others, and treated all people with the same dignity and respect.

He grew up during a period of uncertainty in an America facing great challenge, much like today. He was nine when the Great Depression began...old enough to recognize and appreciate his parents’ struggles to provide for their four children. He grew up quickly during this time, forming many of the core principles that would guide his entire life. He would go on to become a highly decorated aircraft carrier-based fighter pilot during World War II and the Korean Conflict. Like many members of the Greatest Generation, he returned home grateful to be alive, and quietly returned to business. 


No one could have predicted the future about to unfold.

In 1952, Bill was operating a small insurance company in Casper, Wyoming. Returning to Casper after visiting his family in Hobbs, New Mexico, Bill encountered television for the first time during a stop in Denver. He was captivated, and he wanted to see more TV in Casper. But he learned that many small towns did not have access to this amazing invention. However, he did see business opportunity by recognizing people would be willing to pay to receive TV in their homes. This realization marked the launch of the cable television industry, and a transformation of the entire telecommunications industry.

It also put Bill on the path to becoming a billionaire.

Bill believed that honesty and integrity were his most valuable business assets. He always insisted on doing the right thing over profit or power. In his mind, compromising your ethics was always a losing proposition in the long run, no matter how great the immediate gain. He established a profit-sharing plan for his associates to reward them for their hard work and dedication. These qualities earned him tremendous respect and loyalty in the cable industry and throughout the business world.

The entrepreneurial spirit that helped Bill achieve success in his business and personal life was also evident in his philanthropy.

In 1987, he established Young Americans Bank to teach youth how to handle bank accounts and personal finance through hands-on experience, enabling them to prosper in our free enterprise system. Concerned that lapses in business ethics would undermine free enterprise, he worked with the University of Denver to integrate ethics, values, and social responsibility into the business school curriculum. The school was named the Daniels College of Business in 1994. In the late 1990’s, Bill funded the 35,000 square-foot Daniels Children’s Pavilion, which provides a four-day program for children whose parents are in recovery at the Betty Ford Center.

When when he died in the year 2000, Bill’s legacy was made permanent as his estate—valued at over $1 billion—transferred to the Daniels Fund. The Daniels Fund, a private foundation, operates the Daniels Fund Grants Program and the Daniels Fund Scholarship Program benefiting the citizens of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Over the past ten years the Daniels Fund has awarded some $450 million in grants to outstanding nonprofit organizations, and college scholarships to deserving students. As a result of skilled and careful governance, the assets of the foundation have grown to over $1.2 billion.

Foundations are born from business leaders like Bill Daniels who are dedicated to improving the lives of people in the community. From large foundations to small donor-advised funds, it is the freedom and opportunity we enjoy as Americans that creates business success, and in turn, prompts concerned individuals and corporations to invest in their communities by establishing foundations that respond to crucial needs.

Foundations and nonprofits work tirelessly with the public and private sectors to support those who have been challenged in these troubled times. In communities across the nation, people continue to give as generously as they can. And philanthropy will continue working to embrace, inspire, and educate people throughout the community...and those yet to come.

Linda Childears is president and chief executive officer of the Daniels Fund. For more information, visit www.DanielsFund.org

Recalling the Life and Legacy of Betty Ford

By Linda Childears

President & CEO

Betty Ford, who died on July 8 at the age of 93, brought grace and dignity to her role as First Lady during one of the most difficult times in our nation’s history. Her courage in publicly addressing her struggles with alcoholism led to the establishment of the Betty Ford Center and helped redefine the way that alcoholism and drug abuse treatment programs are viewed in America.

Bill Daniels entered the Betty Ford Center in 1985. He would later credit the treatment he received for alcoholism with saving his life.  Because he was successful, Betty Ford appointed him to the board, and over the years he would refer a number of people to her center—people with either drinking or drug problems.

Bill said that if the staff at the center could help him he was convinced they could help others as well.  He became one of the center’s biggest supporters, and this only deepened his relationship with both Betty and President Gerald Ford.

In his typical style, Bill Daniels introduced his friend Betty when she was named the recipient of the prestigious "Samaritan Institute Award" (The video linked at the top of this page includes her moving acceptance speech).

In “Relentless,” a book about Bill Daniels’ life, President and Betty Ford recall their friendship with Bill.

“Bill and I got closer after he went to the Betty Ford Center and became a member of the board,” said President Ford.  “He was there seven or eight times a year for the meetings.  Bill and I always gravitated together before dinner and talked politics.  He was a combination of a brilliant businessman and a humanitarian.  What did he say all the time?  It was ‘You don’t make a reputation by what you earn but by what you give.’  He had that unique balance.”

“I’ve heard that Bill credited the center with saving his life,” recalled Betty Ford. “Well, a lot of people do that, and I always tell them that we’re glad we could be of help, but actually they saved their own lives because they came to the center and made the effort to turn their lives over.  We can offer the program to them, but they have to do the work.”

At the end of the 1990s, a major donation from Bill led to the construction of the Daniels Children’s Pavilion on the Betty Ford campus.  The building houses the cafeteria and workout facilities, as well as many administrative offices. The heart of the building is a wing where the Children’s Program takes place.

The Betty Ford Center website describes the mission of the program:

“The program helps kids whose parents are in treatment at the Betty Ford Center learn about addiction through age-appropriate activities so they realize that the disease is not their fault, they are not alone, and they are not to blame. Children talk openly in the safe, supportive atmosphere and are encouraged to express their feelings about this cunning, baffling disease. The Children’s Program is a safe haven of help, hope, and healing.”

The Daniels Fund continues Bill Daniels’ legacy of support for the Betty Ford Center Children’s Program by providing funding to deliver the program in Colorado. The Betty Ford Center's Children's Program truly lifts the burden of sorrow and confusion from children over their parent’s addiction.

On behalf of the board and staff of the Daniels Fund, we offer the Ford family and our friends at the Betty Ford Center our most sincere condolences.

Daniels Fund Website

By Linda Childears
President and CEO
Daniels Fund

Bill Daniels was a visionary business leader who had a gift for seeing the potential in new technologies. In a video produced in 1993 for one of his cable systems based in Carlsbad, California, he shared his vision for the future of the telecommunications industry:

Each day brings us closer to a merger of the cable television, telephone, and computer industries… Simply viewing television or speaking over the telephone will not meet the public’s demand in the world of tomorrow… Access to vast databanks, picture phones, bill-paying capacities, video on demand, and computer capacity will be possible.

We think that Bill Daniels would be delighted to know that, in designing the new Daniels Fund website, we had to be sure that it would display properly on a smartphone. All of his predictions have come true and I know that he would say, “The best is yet to come.”

While our primary goal in designing the new site was to provide helpful information to nonprofits applying for grants, and students applying for scholarships, we also wanted to show the amazing impact that Bill Daniels’ legacy is having in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as programs with a national impact.

To accomplish this goal, we designed impact maps and stories for both our grants and scholarship programs. The maps show that we have awarded more than $300 million in grants, and more than $78 million in scholarships since the Daniels Fund was established in the year 2000. However, our goal went beyond providing numbers; through “impact stories” we hope to share real-life accounts of how Bill Daniels’ legacy is changing lives and impacting communities across our region.

We also incorporated videos that provide additional information about our grants and scholarship programs. For example, each of the funding areas in our grants section includes a video from a Daniels Fund board member describing why that area was important to Bill Daniels. In one instance, board member Jim Nicholson explains why support for persons with disabilities was important to Bill Daniels (see Disabilities).

Meeting space at the Daniels Fund is available at no charge to nonprofit organizations. There are approximately 130 meetings each month, drawing more than 25,000 guests to our building each year. To make it easier for our guests to schedule meetings, we have incorporated an online reservation form into our new website, making it even easier for organizers to schedule meetings.

Our media section allows visitors to stay current on recent news about the Daniels Fund. Our Facebook and Twitter groups are also available to those who like receiving information through social media.

Each day we are reminded of Bill Daniels’ incredible generosity, his sincere interest in helping people achieve their potential, and his unwavering commitment to the highest standard of values and ethics. We look forward to sharing with you through this new website how his legacy continues to impact lives and communities across our region.

Like Bill Daniels, we believe each day offers boundless promise and possibilities and look forward to carrying on his legacy of “making life better, one individual at a time” far into the future.