“If We Could Get Rid of Prejudice and Bigotry ...”

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Leaving the world a more peaceful place is the goal of Robert and Jane Toll, who focus their giving on the next generation.

Robert Toll is a founder of Toll Brothers, a construction company based in Horsham, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia. Started in 1967, it’s now one of the largest home builders in America.

The centerpiece of their giving, Jane Toll said, is their support of Seeds of Peace, a camp in Maine that brings together kids across lines of conflict and difference to help them understand one another.

“We couldn’t affect the older generation, but maybe we could do something if we started younger,” she said.

Seeds of Peace was founded in 1993 by journalist John Wallach. In addition to its signature camp, the group offers year-round leadership programs and an international education program that helps alumni of the camp lead change in their home countries.

The Maine summer camp mostly functions like an average camp. Kids swim in the lake, put on talent shows, and play sports. What’s unusual is that for 115 minutes a day, campers engage one another directly in small-group dialogue sessions organized by conflict region.

Ambitious Goal

Wallach originally envisioned the camp as the place where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be solved with future leaders coming from the program, said Jason Drucker, development consultant.

The Tolls, who are Jewish, met Wallach in the early 1990s; they spend summers on the same lake in Otisfield, Me. Robert Toll attended a camp on the property as a child.

“I met John, and I immediately fell in love with this idea of peace being made,” Jane said. She and her husband were deeply inspired by Wallach’s ability to identify problems and find solutions.

“If we could get rid of the prejudice and bigotry, and then they would grow up to have better policy,” she said.

“They were instantly captivated by his vision,” said executive director Leslie Adelson Lewin.

Wallach died from cancer in 2002 at age 59.

Seeds of Peace

Getting Involved

Like many other donors, the Tolls like to build strong personal connections with the charities they support. They help run galas and speak regularly with fellow board members. However, the Tolls take their work with the camp a step further than most donors.

Jane Toll can often be spotted riding her bike through camp assessing the buildings, seeing where the family’s expertise in home building can come in handy.

She once found a shy camper rehearsing for a talent show, belting out “La Boheme,” and took her under her wing. Jane stayed in touch with the camper for years and found ways for her to see the opera in person, said Adelson Lewin.

“She knows what it means to nurture,” Adelson Lewin says.

Jane Toll worked as a teacher for many years and in 1990 started a program through Say Yes to Education to fund 60 inner city kids from third grade through college. That background gives her an advantage when working with the campers, says Drucker.

“She brings her heart and her head to the game,” he says.

The programs offered have evolved along with alumni. Now programs include life after camp — leadership workshops, networking opportunities, and professional programs with tracks focused on journalism and education. Many campers have gone on to work in international development, others work as journalists or in business.

Focus on Inequality

Several years ago, the Tolls took a strategic-philanthropy workshop. Before the workshop, Jane said, their giving was not very thoughtful. During the workshop, they wrote a mission statement. After some back and forth, they decided on: “Our philanthropy will be always about eliminating economic inequality and education.”

In 2006, the couple made a $10 million donation to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Half of the money established a scholarship program, and the rest went to help graduates pay off their law-school debts. Robert is a 1966 graduate of the law school.

Last year, the Tolls doubled their support to Seeds of Peace to $4 million and asked other board members to do the same in a push to raise $25 million. Most of the board made three- to five-year pledges.

The Tolls have a net worth of about $1 billion. In May, they signed the Giving Pledge, citing it as “a meaningful platform” from which their five children could practice their philanthropy.

They plan to give away 75 percent of their wealth and leave 25 percent to their children, who have their own foundation focused on affordable housing, although they also give to Seeds of Peace.

“I think Seeds is just nearest and dearest,” Jane said. “At this point we see it. These kids are really doing what we wanted them to do, and our children are involved.”

Clarification: A previous version of this article said the Seeds of Peace camp brings kids of different religions together. It brings kids together to bridge a variety of conflicts and differences. The article has also been changed to make clear that the leadership programs are year-round. The total amount Seeds of Peace aimed to raise last year has also been updated.