In 1998, James N. Gamble founded the Ayrshire Foundation with his two daughters and their husbands in order to broaden the scope of their established family giving.

Since its inception, the foundation has distributed approximately one million dollars per year in gifts ranging in size from several thousand to several hundred thousand.

Originally broad in its mission, the foundation has gradually focused its funding in five areas: opportunities for youth; science and the environment; healthcare; services for the elderly and disabled; and community culture.