Saul Zaentz was a media entrepreneur in the music and film industry. He built the largest independent jazz record label in the world, Fantasy Records and, through the Saul Zaentz Company, became a prominent independent film producer. His creative activities in film resulted in 34 Academy Award nominations, the award of 22 Hollywood Oscars for those involved in the filmmaking process, including three for Best Picture. Zaentz’s renowned works include the films One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, The English Patient and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Mr. Zaentz died in 2014.
Founded in 1997, the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation works to improve outcomes for poor and vulnerable minority citizens in the United States. The Foundation is deeply committed to creating standards of fairness and a level playing field for those living in poverty and adversity by supporting equal treatment through high quality early childhood learning and improving K-12 and college graduation rates. In this regard, the Foundation supports innovations in scientific teaching methods and best practices.
