The Fuller Foundation

The Fuller Foundation

The Fuller Foundation was established in 1987 as an independent philanthropic organization to support Fuller Theological Seminary. Dasha Thomas serves as Executive Director, while Robert J. Ceremsak Jr., formerly of Farallon Capital Management, chairs the board and holds the interim executive director role. The board also includes Danny Villanueva, a partner at Rustic Canyon/Fontis Partners, and Jody Vanderwel of Michigan Capital Network Venture Funds, embedding direct institutional investment experience into governance. The foundation deploys capital across a deliberately broad mandate spanning private equity, credit, event-driven hedge fund strategies, and real estate. It operates several Delaware-domiciled fund vehicles including Fuller Private Equity Fund, Fuller Credit Fund, and Fuller Event Driven Fund, indicating a willingness to invest directly alongside external managers rather than purely through fund-of-funds. On the real asset side, the foundation holds direct property interests in Pasadena including the Fuller Foundation Headquarters, Ford Place, Jubilee Apartments, and mixed-use holdings through CGF Properties and CEF Properties. The foundation also accepts cryptocurrency donations. Total assets under management are approximately $200 million. The foundation employs a lean team structure and operates under the marketing brand FaithWise Advisors in partnership with FIMC. In addition to its core investment activities, the foundation maintains a recognition society for estate-plan donors, the Grace and Charles Fuller Legacy Circle, and holds membership in Exponent Philanthropy, an association for leanly staffed foundations. Bill Hwang, founder of Archegos Capital and a former seminary trustee, donated $14 million to the foundation, representing a significant historical capital inflow. The foundation's structural distinction lies in its dual identity: it manages certain endowment funds designated to support Fuller Theological Seminary and provides advancement support services, and also functions as a donor-advised fund sponsor for external philanthropists. This creates a blended capital base where seminary endowment assets sit alongside individually directed charitable accounts, all managed through a single investment platform. The arrangement generates a permanent capital base from the seminary relationship while allowing the foundation to attract and deploy philanthropic capital from a broader donor pool.