The Richard W. Goldman Family Foundation was founded in 2012 in loving memory of Richard Walter Goldman by his children: Daniel, William, and Alice.

Born in 1947, Rick Goldman relocated from California to the East Coast, ultimately settling in Washington, DC with his wife Susan and their children. He began a legal career in public service as an assistant United States attorney and then transitioned to private practice as a litigator, always maintaining an interest in and a concern for his community. In particular, Rick considered inequality, poverty, and criminal justice to be pressing societal issues, and he focused much of his philanthropic efforts in those areas. Throughout his life, he led by example, instilling in his children the values of generosity, kindness, and empathy, as well as a charitable spirit. The foundation is a tribute to his life and legacy.

The foundation also honors the life of one of its founders, William S. Goldman, who passed away in July 2017. Bill was an accomplished professor and historian who taught international studies at the University of San Francisco as an assistant professor. He was also a dedicated advocate for the disadvantaged and a philanthropist whose work reflected his deeply-held values. In addition to his work with this foundation, Bill was the treasurer of the board of directors for the New Israel Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering civil rights and democracy in Israel, and the president of the board of directors for the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, a family foundation that supports economic security, education, Jewish life, and the arts in the Bay Area. Bill volunteered as a pilot with Angel Flight West, flying 13 missions, after he became involved in the organization in 2013, to transport critically ill adults and children to receive medical treatment. Above all, Bill was a devoted, father, husband, brother, son, and uncle. We strive for the foundation to help advance the values by which he lived.