The
Nicholas
Endowment
seeks to enrich our community by supporting the performing and visual arts, assisting in the advancement of science and education, and engaging other charities.
About The Endowment
Established in 2002 by Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III and Stacey Nicholas, The Nicholas Endowment was created with the vision of enabling individuals to reach their full potential in today’s society. As a private foundation, The Nicholas Endowment is dedicated to providing support to charitable organizations that exemplify its mission and vision. Our objective is to enable these organizations to build their programs and strengthen their infrastructure to more effectively deliver charitable services.
The mission of The Nicholas Endowment is to enrich our community and the world by supporting the performing and visual arts, assisting in the advancement of science and education, and engaging other charities to make a difference in people’s lives. We accomplish our mission by partnering with other charitable organizations, being attentive to their programs, providing leadership, direction and accountability, and giving meaningful support to selected causes.
Trustees
A group of dedicated volunteers committed to assisting community leading non-profits fulfill their missions.
Claudia B. Sangster, JD
Trustee and Chair
Claudia B. Sangster, JD
Trustee and Chair
Claudia Sangster is the Founder and President of C.Sangster LLC. She has more than 35 years of experience working with wealthy individuals and families to design and implement their estate, philanthropic, family governance and education strategies. Ms. Sangster recently retired from her position at Northern Trust as a Senior Vice President and Director of Family Education and Governance where she led the firm’s advisory capabilities in financial education, family decision-making, and relationships around money and wealth.
Claudia collaborates with clients, their advisors in identifying and establishing appropriate educational programs and governance structures for multi-generational families in order to prepare family members to steward wealth, to enhance family unity and to help sustain all aspects of the family’s capital - financial, intellectual, human and social. She works with families to create their legacy of wisdom, wealth and giving through multiple generations.
She is the former President and Board member of the Pepperdine Legacy Partners at Pepperdine University, a Life Associate of Pepperdine University, Former Board member of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, Emeritus Advisory Board member of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, Board Chair and Trustee of The Nicholas Endowment, and former President and current member the Los Angeles Council for Charitable Giving (formerly the Planned Giving Round Table of Southern California. Claudia is a faculty member for the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies for California State University, Long Beach. She is a Founding Partner of LA Social Venture Partners and served as a volunteer Board Chair and Director.
Claudia B. Sangster, JD
Trustee and Chair
Claudia B. Sangster, JD
Trustee and Chair
Claudia Sangster is the Founder and President of C.Sangster LLC. She has more than 35 years of experience working with wealthy individuals and families to design and implement their estate, philanthropic, family governance and education strategies. Ms. Sangster recently retired from her position at Northern Trust as a Senior Vice President and Director of Family Education and Governance where she led the firm’s advisory capabilities in financial education, family decision-making, and relationships around money and wealth.
Claudia collaborates with clients, their advisors in identifying and establishing appropriate educational programs and governance structures for multi-generational families in order to prepare family members to steward wealth, to enhance family unity and to help sustain all aspects of the family’s capital - financial, intellectual, human and social. She works with families to create their legacy of wisdom, wealth and giving through multiple generations.
She is the former President and Board member of the Pepperdine Legacy Partners at Pepperdine University, a Life Associate of Pepperdine University, Former Board member of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, Emeritus Advisory Board member of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, Board Chair and Trustee of The Nicholas Endowment, and former President and current member the Los Angeles Council for Charitable Giving (formerly the Planned Giving Round Table of Southern California. Claudia is a faculty member for the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies for California State University, Long Beach. She is a Founding Partner of LA Social Venture Partners and served as a volunteer Board Chair and Director.
Daniel T. Stetson
Trustee and Executive Director
is the Executive Director and a trustee of The Nicholas Endowment. In these roles, Dan works to provide support to the charitable organizations that exemplify its mission and vision. Dan also currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Community Engagement Panel for the decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. This panel was convened by Southern California Edison to serve as a conduit for public information and community involvement.
Dan served as President and CEO of the Ocean Institute from 2005-2015, after having joined the Institute in 1992. During his tenure the Institute rose to national prominence and received numerous awards including the Inaugural Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence and two awards from the National Science Foundation. Immediately prior to his tenure at the Ocean Institute, Dan consulted for the law firm of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro representing a foreign shipping company involved in an oil spill incident. Dan managed the compensation process for over 2,000 claimants from the largest oil spill in the LA Harbor’s history.
Dan earned a BA from UC Santa Barbara and a MBA from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). In 2007, as part of CSUF College of Business and Economics’ 50th Year Anniversary Celebration, he was recognized as one of their top 100 alumni with their “Alumni at The Top Award.” Together with Roxanne, his wife of 34 years, Dan is an avid diver, sailor and tennis player.
Daniel T. Stetson
Trustee and Executive Director
Daniel T. Stetson
Trustee and Executive Director
Daniel T. Stetson
Trustee and Executive Director
is the Executive Director and a trustee of the Nicholas Endowment. In these roles, Dan works to provide support to the charitable organizations that exemplify its mission and vision. Dan also currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Community Engagement Panel for the decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. This panel was convened by Southern California Edison to serve as a conduit for public information and community involvement.
Dan served as President and CEO of the Ocean Institute from 2005-2015, after having joined the Institute in 1992. During his tenure the Institute rose to national prominence and received numerous awards including the Inaugural Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence and two awards from the National Science Foundation. Immediately prior to his tenure at the Ocean Institute, Dan consulted for the law firm of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro representing a foreign shipping company involved in an oil spill incident. Dan managed the compensation process for over 2,000 claimants from the largest oil spill in the LA Harbor’s history.
Dan earned a BA from UC Santa Barbara and a MBA from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). In 2007, as part of CSUF College of Business and Economics’ 50th Year Anniversary Celebration, he was recognized as one of their top 100 alumni with their “Alumni at The Top Award.” Together with Roxanne, his wife of 34 years, Dan is an avid diver, sailor and tennis player.
Paula Tomei
Trustee
Paula Tomei
Trustee
Paula Tomei (Managing Director) is responsible for the overall administration of SCR and has been managing director since 1994 and a member of the SCR staff since 1979. She is a past president of the board of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for theatre. In addition, she served as treasurer of TCG, vice president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and as a member of the LORT Negotiating Committee for industry-wide union agreements. She represents SCR at national conferences of TCG and LORT and served as a theatre panelist and site visitor for the National Endowment of the Arts and California Arts Council.
Paula’s teaching background includes a graduate class in non-profit management at UC Irvine (UCI) and as a guest lecturer in the graduate school of business at Stanford University. She was appointed by the chancellor to UCI’s Community Arts Council and serves on the Dean’s Leadership Society Executive Committee for the School of Social Sciences at UCI. She is also on the board of Arts Orange County, the county-wide arts council, and the board of The Nicholas Endowment.
Paula graduated from UCI with a degree in economics and pursued an additional course of study in theatre and dance. In March 2017, she received the Mayor’s Award from the City of Costa Mesa for her contributions to the arts community. In 2018, she received the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award from Arts Orange County. In 2019, she was awarded UCI’s Distinguished Alumna in the School of Social Sciences at the Lauds & Laurels Celebration.
Paula Tomei
Trustee
Paula Tomei (Managing Director) is responsible for the overall administration of SCR and has been managing director since 1994 and a member of the SCR staff since 1979. She is a past president of the board of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for theatre. In addition, she served as treasurer of TCG, vice president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and as a member of the LORT Negotiating Committee for industry-wide union agreements. She represents SCR at national conferences of TCG and LORT and served as a theatre panelist and site visitor for the National Endowment of the Arts and California Arts Council.
Paula Tomei
Trustee
Claudia collaborates with clients, their advisors in identifying and establishing appropriate educational programs and governance structures for multi-generational families in order to prepare family members to steward wealth, to enhance family unity and to help sustain all aspects of the family’s capital - financial, intellectual, human and social. She works with families to create their legacy of wisdom, wealth and giving through multiple generations.
She is the former President and Board member of the Pepperdine Legacy Partners at Pepperdine University, a Life Associate of Pepperdine University, Former Board member of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, Emeritus Advisory Board member of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, Board Chair and Trustee of The Nicholas Endowment, and former President and current member the Los Angeles Council for Charitable Giving (formerly the Planned Giving Round Table of Southern California. Claudia is a faculty member for the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies for California State University, Long Beach. She is a Founding Partner of LA Social Venture Partners and served as a volunteer Board Chair and Director.
Robert Feller
Trustee, Chairman of the Investment Committee
Robert Feller is a Principal of RDF Advisors LLC which provides investment advisory services for a family office and serves as the General Partner for a series of private funds.
Previously, Mr. Feller spent over 20 years working in senior roles with leading asset management and alternative investment firms.
Mr. Feller earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
He is actively involved in supporting environmental organizations and improving public education.
Robert Feller
Trustee, Chairman of the Investment Committee
Robert Feller
Trustee, Chairman of the Investment Committee
Robert Feller is a Principal of RDF Advisors LLC which provides investment advisory services for a family office and serves as the General Partner for a series of private funds.
Previously, Mr. Feller spent over 20 years working in senior roles with leading asset management and alternative investment firms.
Robert Feller
Trustee, Chairman of the Investment Committee
Mr. Feller earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
He is actively involved in supporting environmental organizations and improving public education.
Supported Organizations
Only pre-selected organizations are eligible for grant consideration. The Nicholas Endowment is honored to provide meaningful support to the following organizations:
