HISTORY

Willard Lincoln Eccles was born on February 12, 1909 to the pioneering industrialist David Eccles and his wife Ellen Stoddard Eccles. The youngest of nine children, Willard spent his childhood in Logan, Utah before moving east to attend Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. After graduation, Willard returned to Utah to join his brothers George and Marriner in the operation of First Security Corporation (now Wells Fargo), a bank their father was instrumental in founding.

Willard married Ruth Pierpont in the summer of 1930. The couple settled in Ogden, the location of First Security’s headquarters, and remained pillars of their local community for more than 50 years.

The couple had two daughters, Barbara and Susan, and instilled in them their deeply-held values of community and philanthropy. Through Willard and Ruth’s enduring dedication to a plethora of charitable organizations and civic institutions, this foundation was born. Established in perpetuity, The Willard L. and Ruth P. Eccles Foundation serves as a beacon of enduring support for the causes Willard and Ruth held so dear.

MISSION

The Willard L. & Ruth P. Eccles Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations serving the Western United States with an emphasis on Oregon that have demonstrated their commitment to the care and stewardship of the natural world, animal welfare, the education of children and the pursuit of basic scientific research directed to both medical and non-medical pursuits.