Howard F. Ahmanson (1906-1968) and Dorothy Grannis (1907-1979) launched the Ahmanson Foundation in 1952. During his youth Howard founded HF Ahmanson & Co, an insurance company that soon spread throughout California. Both were active in the cultural life of Los Angeles, being early contributors to the Los Angeles County Museum and the California Museum of Science and Industry. After Howard Ahmanson's death in 1968, the foundation has been dedicated to funding cultural projects.