What is The Pale Blue Dot Foundation?

In 2019, co-founders Kirsten Oulton and Michael Barontseff wanted to organize their charitable giving efforts into a more structured framework that would support the needs of their friends and family, and continue benefiting those charities beyond their deaths. With that in mind, they created The Pale Blue Dot Foundation, a charitable giving program that would allow them to shape their legacy to meet their philanthropic objectives.

What is a charitable giving program?

  • It is a consolidation of the family’s charitable giving in a single account.

  • It confers tax advantages, providing an immediate tax receipt for donations and avoiding taxes on capital gains on gifts of appreciated securities.

  • It provides growth opportunities for donations, to allow the selected charities to receive more over time.

  • It allows for flexibility in the number and types of charities supported each year.

  • It grants donors the ability to give anonymously, be recognized in their own nam, or be acknowledged in the name of the fund (The Pale Blue Dot Foundation).

  • It involves family and friends in the philanthropic decision-making, now and in the future, allowing for the selection of successors to carry on our charitable giving goals.

What types of charities does the foundation support?

The foundation splits its donations each year into two categories:

  1. Environmental causes. If the Earth is where we make our stand, then efforts must be made to preserve the only world we’ve ever known. While the charities vary each year, they are strongly interested our oceans (shark and ray conservation; marine protected areas; solar energy; fossil fuel divestiture; plastic reduction); and
  2. Social causes. People who are suffering find it hard to protect the planet that gave us birth. As a result, the foundation devotes the second portion of its donations to making life better for people at home and around the world. Charities include hospices, cancer care, education for girls, and gender equality.

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Kirsten Oulton
Kirsten OultonCo-Founder
Kirsten Oulton is passionate about environmental causes, particularly shark and ray conservation.
Michael Barontseff
Michael BarontseffCo-Founder
Michael is an avid electric car enthusiast and volunteers at the Ian Anderson Hospice.