Philanthropy
Lynda Resnick, along with her husband Stewart, have been listed among the nation’s top philanthropists according to Forbes and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.[21][22] The Resnicks have given $2.5 billion to causes primarily focused on communities where their employees live and work, such as California’s Central Valley, as well as efforts to combat global climate change.[23] The New York Times recognized Lynda Resnick as “the driving force behind the couple’s charitable efforts.”[24] Their community investments include funding for education, healthcare, affordable housing and infrastructure.[25][24]
The Resnicks founded and continue to support Wonderful College Prep Academy, two public charter schools in Lost Hills and Delano, California. These schools serve 2,400 TK-12 students.[26][27] Roughly 70% of students go on to college, many the first in their families to do so.[22]
The Resnicks' Wonderful Company also sponsors dual enrollment programs at Ag Prep. This offers students at seven high schools in the Central Valley on-the-job training for careers in areas including agriculture, education and healthcare.[28][29]
The Resnicks support research related to global climate change. The Resnicks $750 million 2019 pledge to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was at the time the largest ever for research into environmental sustainability and the second-largest gift to a U.S. academic institution.[30] They have given $100 million to other universities as well.[31]
They directed $10 million to relief efforts amid the 2025 Los Angeles fires.[32] At the University of California, Los Angeles, the Resnicks and their foundation support a Food Law and Policy Center,[33] and the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.[34] In February 2026, Resnick and her husband donated $100 million to UCLA Health to fund the expansion of the neuropsychiatric hospital and mental health campus.[35] Other donations include $70 million to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art [36] and a $30 million gift to the Hammer Museum[37] to build a new cultural center.[38]
In California’s wine country, the Resnicks supported the construction of the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In 2024, the university announced that the Resnicks are funding a new center on campus to support first-generation college students.[39][40]
In Fiji, the Resnick owned FIJI Water, through its foundation, funds local infrastructure, community health centers, classrooms, teacher housing, bus shelters, student walking paths and disaster recovery efforts.[41][42][43][44]
As an Aspen Institute trustee, Resnick and her company sponsor the annual Aspen Action Forum, a global convening of leaders from business, government and non-profits.[45] They also funded the Center for Herbert Bayer Studies on the institute’s campus, creating the first permanent museum for the Bauhaus artist.[46]
Fortune also cited the Resnick-led philanthropy in naming the company to its list of the “100 Best Places to Work” in 2024 and 2025.[47]
