Building On a Tradition of Innovative Thinking and Measurable Results
The John & Janice Wyatt Foundation was founded in July 2018 by John and his wife, Jan, after a successful career in designing, building, and scaling technology companies. Having raised a family and witnessed the educational disparities among youth in the public school system, John and Jan established this philanthropic initiative with the goal of leveling the playing field – through education – for disadvantaged children. The Wyatt family believe that, by creating equity for the whole child, these kids ultimately will have the best chance to succeed in school and thus become strong, contributing citizens in our communities.
The Foundation’s five key principles to affect this positive change are: Excellence; Community & Family; Tolerance; Justice & Fairness; and Self-Reliance. Through this lens, the Foundation will look to achieve collective impacts in the targeted localities by acting as a grantmaker in collaborative, engaged communities. We work with partners to develop or enhance evidence-based solutions to complex problems, measure impact, and then evaluate and adjust, as needed.
We currently work in three distinct geographical service areas: Dorchester County, MD; Fairfax County, VA; and Winchester, VA. As the Foundation continues to make investments and evaluate program outcomes, we may look to scale out successful activities more broadly across the region.