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Longwood Foundation
Pierre S. du Pont established the Longwood Foundation in 1937, channeling wealth from the DuPont chemical enterprise into a Wilmington-based charitable...
Longwood Foundation
Pierre S. du Pont established the Longwood Foundation in 1937, channeling wealth from the DuPont chemical enterprise into a Wilmington-based charitable vehicle. The foundation is led today by President Eleuthere I. du Pont II and Chairman Charles L. Copeland, both members of the founding family. It concentrates its mission on strengthening nonprofits in Delaware and the Kennett Square area of Pennsylvania. Longwood's deployment model integrates grantmaking to regional nonprofits with a portfolio of directly held real assets and operating properties. The foundation maintains distinct positions in Longwood Gardens, the horticultural display at 1001 Longwood Road, and the Community Education Building at 1200 N. French Street in Wilmington. It also holds separate accounts based in the city. The foundation's co-investment activity includes support for the Reinventing Delaware program alongside the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation, reflecting a growth-capital posture toward civic infrastructure. Governance sits with the President and a board that includes family trustee Gerret Van S. Copeland. While total assets under management are not publicly disclosed, the foundation's physical footprint and multiple standalone accounts signal a structured, long-horizon asset base. Operationally, recent years show the foundation deepening its Reinventing Delaware partnership, channeling capital into leadership development and capacity building for local nonprofits. Longwood is structurally distinct for operating significant cultural and commercial real estate directly, rather than through external fund commitments. Its model integrates a public garden, commercial property, and mission-aligned grantmaking under a single trust — an architecture shaped by founder Pierre S. du Pont's preference for tangible legacy over pure financial allocation.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1937
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Wilmington
Corporate office
Wilmington, DE, United States
Additional offices
Kennett Square, PA, United States
Principals
Eleuthere I. du Pont II
President
Charles L. Copeland
Chairman and Trustee
Gerret Van S. Copeland
Trustee
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Longwood Foundation?
President Eleuthere I. du Pont II oversees the foundation's deployment, with Chairman and Trustee Charles L. Copeland also engaged in governance. Gerret Van S. Copeland serves as an additional family trustee. The foundation does not publicly disclose a separate investment committee structure.
How does Longwood Foundation source proprietary deal flow?
Longwood concentrates on Delaware and the Kennett Square area of Pennsylvania, sourcing opportunities through deep local relationships with nonprofits and civic partners. It co-invests alongside the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation on civic capacity-building programs such as Reinventing Delaware, which creates a pipeline of regionally-focused initiatives.
Is Longwood Foundation structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
Longwood is a charitable foundation and endowment, not a venture firm. It blends traditional grantmaking with direct ownership of real assets — including Longwood Gardens and the Community Education Building — rather than pursuing venture-style returns. Its growth-capital strategy applies to civic infrastructure and nonprofit capacity, not for-profit enterprise scaling.
What real assets does Longwood Foundation hold directly?
The foundation directly owns Longwood Gardens at 1001 Longwood Road in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and the Community Education Building at 1200 N. French Street in Wilmington, Delaware. It also maintains separate accounts based in Wilmington. These holdings represent a core component of Longwood's balance sheet alongside its grantmaking activities.
How is Longwood Foundation related to the DuPont family?
The foundation was created by Pierre S. du Pont in 1937, funded by wealth from the DuPont chemical company. Current leadership includes members of the du Pont family — Eleuthere I. du Pont II serves as President, while Charles L. Copeland and Gerret Van S. Copeland hold board positions. The foundation remains family-governed.
Does Longwood Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Longwood's known posture is direct ownership of assets and direct grantmaking, supplemented by co-investments with aligned foundations like the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation. It does not publicly market itself as an allocator to external fund vehicles. Its separate accounts and real estate are held directly.
Where does Longwood Foundation's underlying wealth come from?
The foundation's wealth originated with Pierre S. du Pont, a scion of the DuPont chemical company whose fortune funded the 1937 establishment. The du Pont family's industrial base in Delaware provided the initial corpus, which the foundation has sustained through nearly nine decades of regional deployment.
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