The Federal Judicial Center Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation that Congress established to receive gifts to support the work of the Center. The Foundation has sole authority to decide whether to accept gifts, and thereby to determine the suitability of would-be donors. The Foundation may not accept gifts earmarked for projects that have not previously been approved by the Center’s Board, and the Center has sole control over the design and conduct of activities supported by donations.
The Foundation is governed by a seven-person board appointed by the Chief Justice, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. No Foundation board member may be a judge. Foundation Board members at the close of 2023 were:
James M. Wagstaffe, San Francisco, C.A., Chair
Hon. Rebecca Love Kourlis, (Ret.) Denver, C.O.
Peter A. Kraus, Dallas, T.X.
Blake D. Morant, Washington, D.C.
John B. White, Jr., Spartanburg, S.C.
Elizabeth J. Cabraser, San Francisco, C.A.
(Vacant)
In creating the Foundation, Congress directed that in its annual report the Center describe the purposes for which Foundation gifts were used in the reporting year. The Center used the following Foundation gifts in 2023:
- Funds from the Electronic Discovery Institute paid the travel expenses for judges to attend a program on discovery.