Our Story
The BAND Foundation is a private philanthropy established and led by the Lapham family. (BAND is an acronym of the first names of our founding members.) To capitalize the foundation, we opted in 2014 to sell a piece of artwork we had owned for over a century. Jeanne (Spring) by Edouard Manet is a gorgeous depiction of a young Parisian woman surrounded by lush foliage and is widely regarded as the greatest success of the artist’s career. Fittingly, and in the best possible outcome we could have hoped for, the painting was purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles where it is publicly displayed. As the original source for BAND’s endowment, Jeanne – and the joy it gives to so many – inspires us to seek through our grantmaking to help create a more beautiful and wondrous world.
Our work draws heavily on the memory of two immediate family members who died suddenly and unexpectedly eighteen months apart and who left a deep impact on those they encountered.
Anthony (Tony) Lapham (1936-2006) was a distinguished lawyer who served as general counsel to the Central Intelligence Agency in addition to his long career in private practice. A passionate outdoorsman and conservationist, Tony treasured wildlife, wild places and the people dedicated to protecting them. He was a director of numerous conservation organizations, helping to found the Environmental Defense Fund in the early 1970s and chairing American Rivers at the time of his death. Tony was widely respected and loved for his intellect, integrity, fairness, and humor. His spirit infuses everything we do.
Henry Lapham (2003-2008), Tony’s eldest grandchild, was a curious, joyful and overwhelmingly kind little boy. He touched an extraordinary number of people before epilepsy suddenly and unexpectedly ended his all-too-short life. Our grantmaking seeks to honor the way Henry lived and create a legacy befitting the person he would have become.
While acknowledging the wide number of causes worthy of philanthropic support, we have chosen to focus on nature conservation and epilepsy care. In addition to the direct connections to Tony and Henry, these are areas where the challenges are urgent, where the foundation’s trustees have deep professional expertise and where we can make the most meaningful difference.