Irene Schnaus

Irene Schnaus Charitable Fund

An unrestricted endowment established as a bequest by Irene Schnaus will continue to meet the changing needs of our community far into the future.

Irene’s legacy, marked with the same generous and savvy qualities we remember her for, meets needs from animal welfare to the arts, education and community development.

In the 1940s, Irene went to work for a San Francisco stock broker and quickly developed a knack for spotting quality stocks. After strategically building her own portfolio and realizing significant gains, she eventually settled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada with her husband Alfred. They lived quietly and modestly, vacationing in a cabin near the Flathead River in Montana.

After Alfred’s death, Irene made two important giving decisions: she donated the Montana cabin and its 80 acres to the Nature Conservancy, and she planned a bequest to the Placer Community Foundation. After her death in 1996 at the age of 101, her $2 million bequest established a fund unrestricted by designations or limitations. Today, the flexible endowed fund supports animal welfare, the environment, education, the arts, children and youth, community development, health and human services.

Irene is remembered for her savvy investments and uncommon generosity, qualities that mark her legacy as well.