Ray Foundation, Inc. supports educational organizations whose programs develop life skills such as self-discipline, self-confidence and ownership of one’s own decisions. The skills that are developed during flight training can enable students to achieve success throughout their life.
James C. Ray and his wife, Joan, founded Ray Foundation, Inc. in 1963.
The initial mission of Ray Foundation was support for organizations dealing with substance abuse issues. The growing drug culture of the 1960’s was a truly devastating situation for so many young Americans, including some of their own children. For many years Ray Foundation grants were directed towards rehabilitation programs, unfortunately with mixed results. In the 1980’s James and Joan determined another way Ray Foundation could help with the drug addiction issue was to support programs which help youngsters avoid drugs in the first place. Programs should provide an opportunity for youth to tackle a demanding, yet rewarding, endeavor to learn self-discipline and develop self-confidence and self-esteem. Both avid aviators, they realized an opportunity to do just that lay in flight training. That mission remains to this day. Sadly, Joan Ray passed away in 1988, but not before early investments in that mission showed great promise.
Ray Foundation, Inc. strives to fund grants to organizations with a focus on aviation that give the youth of America the opportunity to develop the life skills and drive for success that were instilled in our founder during his US Army Air Corps training.
Welcome to Ray Foundation, Inc.
Founded in 1963
Ray Foundation, Inc. supports programs and organizations, primarily within the field of aviation, that develop life skills such as honesty, work ethic, self-confidence and self-discipline in young adults. Our founders, James C. and Joan L. Ray, felt that with these personal attributes, a person can truly be free to pursue their dreams and succeed in life.
Ray Foundation, Inc. takes an active role in developing the programs of our grant recipients. By defining goals and performance metrics, we ensure the highest possible “Return on Philanthropic Investment” (RPI). Our measure of RPI includes several variables of the traditional financial sense, such as efficiency, balance sheet and income statement metrics. We also take into consideration many factors familiar to venture capital investors such as timing, positioning, scale and scope, business plan and confidence in management. Often unquantifiable in numbers, these factors are the critical “Right Stuff” to help ensure success.
