Doris Buffett
Born 1928 · Age 98
American philanthropist, founder of the Sunshine Lady Foundation, the Letters Foundation (with Warren Buffett), and the Learning By Giving Foundation; known as a 'retail philanthropist' who sought to give away her fortune to help individuals in crisis and fund experiential philanthropy in higher education.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Omaha, Nebraska
Doris Eleanor Buffett was born to Howard Homan Buffett and Leila (Stahl) Buffett in Omaha.
Family moves to Fredericksburg, VA / Washington, DC area
Her father Howard ran for Congress and the family relocated from Omaha to Fredericksburg, Virginia and later to Washington, DC; Doris fell in love with the Fredericksburg area.
Attended Woodrow Wilson High School
Doris attended and completed her high school education at Woodrow Wilson High School in the Fredericksburg/Washington area.
Became a mother (first child Robin)
Doris became a mother for the first time in the 1950s; her daughter Robin was born (decade given in sources).
Worked as a first-grade teacher (period)
At various points in her life Doris served as a first-grade teacher (career role referenced in biographies).
Raising three children and moved back to Virginia
During the 1960s Doris focused on raising her three children and moved back to Virginia from Omaha.
Became a grandmother
At the end of the 1970s Doris became a grandmother when her daughter Robin gave birth to Alexander.
Antic: fled to England in nun's habit
Anecdote from the 1980s: Doris borrowed a friend's credit cards and ID and fled to England in a nun's habit — part of family recollections of her adventurous side.
Lost most of her money in 1987 stock crash
Like many, Doris lost a large portion of her savings in the Black Monday/1987 stock market crash and had to rebuild financially.
Rented rooms to regain financial stability
In the aftermath of the 1987 crash, Doris rented rooms in her home to work back toward stability.
Inherited Berkshire Hathaway stock from family trust
Doris inherited Berkshire Hathaway stock from a family trust in 1996 and thereafter dedicated her life to giving it away.
Founded the Sunshine Lady Foundation
Doris established the Sunshine Lady Foundation (1996) to make direct, often small grants to people in need and fund programs such as prison education and scholarships.
Established Women's Independence Scholarship Program (WISP)
Doris launched the WISP to provide financial and other support to survivors of intimate partner violence pursuing higher education.
Sunshine Lady Foundation helps thousands
Throughout the 1990s–2000s the Sunshine Lady Foundation provided grants to help children attend camp and college, support battered women, and fund prison education programs.
Learning by Giving course begins at Davidson College (program origin)
The experiential philanthropy course that became Learning By Giving began at Davidson College in 2003; students distributed real money to local nonprofits.
Survived two cancer diagnoses (2000s)
During the 2000s Doris battled and survived two bouts of cancer, which reinforced her commitment to philanthropy.
Began answering letters to Warren Buffett; Letters Program begins
After Warren announced his giving plans, people wrote him for help; in 2006 Doris began responding to the letters and the Letters Foundation of last resort took shape.
Funded university-in-prison programs; UMaine/UMA prison programs began
Doris funded prison-education programs (examples include grants that helped launch the University of Maine at Augusta college program in the Maine State Prison).
Letters Foundation (formalized activity)
Doris and Warren Buffett formalized responding to humanitarian letters and created the Letters Foundation as a safety-net grants program.
Profiled in major press ('The Other Buffett')
The Wall Street Journal and other major outlets profiled Doris' philanthropic approach; the 2007 WSJ piece highlighted her 'retail philanthropy.'
Endowed WISP with $30 million
Doris endowed the Women's Independence Scholarship Program with $30 million in 2008, creating the Doris Buffett Independent Scholar grant and making WISP its own organization.
Major support for FRAXA (challenge grants >$3M)
Doris supported FRAXA in the 2000s and donated over $3 million in challenge grants to the organization supporting grassroots research.
Published memoir 'Giving It All Away: The Doris Buffett Story'
At the urging of family and friends Doris published a book in 2010 detailing her philanthropic journey.
Major pledge: $3M to bring Educare to Maine (catalytic gift)
Doris pledged $3 million toward a $9 million investment to bring an Educare school to central Maine (opened 2010), seeding early childhood education in the state.
Sunshine Lady Foundation scale: thousands helped
By the 2010s the Sunshine Lady Foundation had assisted thousands of children, battered women, incarcerated students and others via direct grants and program funding.
Established the Learning By Giving Foundation
Doris formally established the Learning By Giving Foundation (2011) to promote experiential philanthropy courses at colleges; students award real grants at semester's end.
Supported first Auburn prison graduating class (CPEP) & attended graduation
Doris supported the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) and posed with the first graduating class at Auburn prison in 2012; she regularly attended prison graduations.
Attended Sing Sing graduation despite travel challenges
Doris often attended prison graduations (e.g., Sing Sing) demonstrating hands-on commitment to prison education programs she funded.
Moved to Boston to be closer to family / medical care
Doris relocated to Boston in 2016 to be nearer family and to receive treatment related to cognitive health concerns.
WISP milestone: $35M awarded to 2,000 women by 2016
By 2016 the Women's Independence Scholarship Program had awarded more than $35 million to roughly 2,000 women survivors pursuing education.
Moved residency to Boston for family/health
Doris moved her primary residence to Boston in 2016 to be near family and to obtain medical treatment for cognitive issues.
Published 'Letters to Doris' and Alzheimer's diagnosis publicized
Doris released a second book, Letters to Doris, in December 2018. Around this period (2018) her Alzheimer's diagnosis and related foundation disputes were reported.
Reported Alzheimer's diagnosis
Media reported Doris had Alzheimer's disease (reports in 2018); this spurred family/foundation discussions about stewardship and legacy.
Lifetime giving reported (estimates vary)
Public sources report Doris gave away large portions of her wealth: Wikipedia references ~$100M given to needy individuals; other nonprofit sources note she gave more than $200M over her life. Exact totals vary.
Legacy: prison education and WISP continued impact
Doris' philanthropic legacy includes sustained college-in-prison programs, the WISP scholarships, Educare investments, and Learning By Giving courses continuing after her death.
Died at home in Rockport, Maine
Doris Buffett passed away peacefully on August 4, 2020, at her Maine home, aged 92.
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