About Us

Ernesto Rocco and Richard Davies have established the Rocco-Davies Foundation in 2022 to support two causes that are very important to them: Support of the visual and performing arts and LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention. 

Richard and Ernesto have been art enthusiasts for a long time. 

Founders of the Los Angeles Music Center (one of the nation’s largest performing arts centers that includes the following venues: Ahmanson Theater, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl and the Ford Amphitheater). We continue to support the Music Center not only with cash donations but also helping them raise awareness of the incredible programs they have for children arts education. 

Creators of a significant collection of visual art: The Rocco-Davies Collection is intended to be shared with the public and used for initiatives in education with focus on young adult developing their knowledge of art from an early age. Ernesto has curated the Collection with pieces from ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire all the way to living artists. We are in the process acquiring some more pieces to "fill the gaps" and developing and printing a book with the Collection so we can offer pieces to be shared by museums and galleries around the world as well as offering private showings in association with museums abroad.  

We have also been motivated by The Trevor Project Statement: "You deserve a welcoming, loving world and so do the people you care about", teenagers dealing with sexual identity often have suicide thoughts due to the overwhelming home and/or school environment they are in. A lot of it is just fear of the uncertain, of how they will be accepted if they exposed their sexual identity to their family and friends. More often than we wish they choose suicide and the family or friends reaction that they were fearing was just a fear. We believe a large number of those suicides are preventable and we would like to have our Foundation help achieve that prevention with love and support. 

So with the hope of creating a long lasting legacy in philanthropy with these two issues in the center of its cause, we have kick started the Foundation with a substantial asset contribution to the Foundation in December of 2022 as initial seed with a pledge to increase our donation in the next few years.