{{Notability, Companies, date=July 2020
The Sunnen Foundation is a
charitable foundation
A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable act ...
which was established by
machinery
A machine is a physical system using power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecule ...
manufacturer
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...
Joseph Sunnen
Joseph Sunnen (June 16, 1897–April 1979) was an American machinery manufacturer, and founder of the Sunnen Foundation.
Biography
Sunnen was born in the coal mining town of Thayer, Illinois. He left school in the 7th grade to help on the family ...
in 1953. The foundation is managed by a board of trustees made up of Sunnen family members and company employees. Michael Haughey is president and Matt Kreider is chairman of Sunnen Products, and Sunnen Foundation assets were estimated in 2007 to be valued at $16 million. The foundation makes 10 to 20 grants a year, totaling over $600,000. The Foundation is financed by earnings on investments rather than by company money.
Joe Sunnen established his Maplewood-based firm in 1924. It has been involved in a number of charitable projects, including the transformation of the
Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...
'
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
in 1946, and has awarded grants to various groups throughout the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
such as its approximately $75,000-$100,000 yearly grant to
Catholics for a Free Choice
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
to fund their ''Abortion in Good Faith'' series, which totaled $1,091,700 to 199 Grants are usually awarded to organizations in the
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
region, with about $250,000 a year going to groups in the Maplewood- Richmond Heights area. The foundation has been particularly generous to the YMCA, and is strongly committed to funding projects that promote
First Amendment rights
The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws that regulate an establishment of religion, or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the f ...
,
reproductive rights
Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:
Reproductive rights rest on t ...
and youth services, such as the Missouri
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) is an abortion rights organization founded in 1973 by clergy and lay leaders from mainline denominations and faith traditions to create an interfaith organization following ''Roe v. Wade'', t ...
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million spe ...
Planned Parenthood
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
Sunnen Foundation
{{Notability, Companies, date=July 2020
The Sunnen Foundation is a charitable foundation which was established by machinery manufacturer Joseph Sunnen in 1953. The foundation is managed by a board of trustees made up of Sunnen family members and c ...