It all began with Martha…
The Nature Defense Foundation's initial source of inspiration came from a philanthropic legacy started by Martha Alexander Gerbode in 1964 when she founded the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation in memory of her son, Alexander. The Gerbode Foundation’s purpose was to support the arts, education, environmental conservation, public health and civil rights in the Bay Area and Hawaii. Martha's granddaughter, Sarah Shaw, has the privilege to carry on in Martha's philanthropic spirit through the Nature Defense Foundation, founded by Sarah in 2015.
“A woman driven by an internal sense of social responsibility, her influence is still felt in this changing world. Those who felt her presence knew she was important for the future generations and their survival. She was a humanitarian familiar with feeling the need to respond to her conscience in order to be at peace. She was, for her time, a “radical” in search of the meaning of life, with a social awareness which helped her to respond to the needs of society.”
- Maryanna Stockholm, Martha's Daughter
Martha Gerbode
