In 1983, Len Sargent incorporated the Cinnabar Foundation, intending it to be an organization-in-waiting, one that he someday would endow with the proceeds from the eventual sale of his ranch. Until then, Len figured he would continue donating to his favorite nonprofits on a personal basis. Thus, in 1985 the three-person board of directors (Len, Phil Tawney, and Jim Posewitz) met to allocate a relatively small amount of money. The whole process revolved around three days of elk hunting and an hour or two of Cinnabar board business. The board made two grants, totaling $1,123.

    The next year, Jim remembers how “Len told us that he had put a substantial amount of money into the Foundation since he saw no reason for us to have all the fun after he was gone.” From that first $1 million, the Sargents quickly built the corpus. The Cinnabar Foundation’s capacity to contribute has grown since the Sargents’ passing due to like-minded individuals and grants from other foundations.

    In 2010, the Foundation reviewed 131 applications and awarded grants to 78 applicants. In addition, the board set aside $15,000 for Tawney Bonus Grants and earmarked $5,000 for the Len and Sandy Sargent Stewardship Award. The total amount allocated for granting and awards was $350,000.