A Friends Foundation Trust

A Friends Foundation Trust is a family-governed private charitable trust established in 1964 (ruling date: July 1964) and operated through a dual-governance structure that defines how every funding decision is made. Bank of America N.A. serves as the corporate trustee and is compensated $120,000–$134,000 annually for fiduciary and administrative functions. Amy C. Hubbard holds the President role and is compensated $56,000–$70,000 per year. The board of managers is the Hubbard family: L. Evans Hubbard (Chairman), Linda C. Hubbard, and Michael Hubbard, all uncompensated. Understanding this structure is critical: funding decisions originate from the family, not from a professional program staff. There is no grants manager to cultivate, no relationship officer to call. The pathway to funding runs through the Hubbards directly.

The foundation's IRS filings restrict eligible purposes to four categories: health, education, religion, and youth activities. In practice, these are interpreted broadly. Grantees include science museums (Orlando Science Center, $500,000 cumulative), food banks (Second Harvest), military veteran support organizations (Warrior-Scholar Project, Headstrong Project), performing arts organizations (Orlando Philharmonic), and humane societies (Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society) — all funded under some combination of these four pillars.

Geographic alignment is non-negotiable. Grantmaking is concentrated in three places the Hubbard family has personal ties to: Central Florida (especially the Orlando metro, where civic ties to institutions like Camp Boggy Creek, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, and the Orlando Science Center are evident), the Cashiers-Highlands-Glenville corridor of western North Carolina (a wealthy mountain resort community where the grantee density suggests a second home or long-term community connection), and San Juan, Puerto Rico (where Amy Hubbard is currently based and where Puerto Rican education organizations — Instituto Nueva Escuela, Robinson School, Multisensory Reading Centers of PR — are heavily funded).

For first-time applicants, the realistic entry point is a letter of request — a brief, direct letter. The foundation has no active website (afriends.org currently redirects to an unrelated service), no online application portal, and no published deadline. Applications may be submitted year-round. The typical relationship arc moves from an initial letter to a modest first grant, then to repeat funding over multiple consecutive years as the relationship deepens.

Across 128 total grants tracked in the foundation's historical database, A Friends Foundation Trust has distributed $2,511,900, yielding an average of $19,624 per grant. The median grant is $10,000, and the standard range for most grantees runs $5,000–$50,000. The most recent complete tax year (FY2024) shows $929,590 distributed across 45 grants, an average of $20,657 per grant — consistent with the multi-year trend.

One outlier dominates the portfolio: the Orlando Science Center has received $500,000 cumulatively across three grant cycles (approximately $167,000 per grant), representing roughly 20% of all tracked giving. Excluding this anchor relationship, the effective median for the broader grantee pool is closer to $15,000–$20,000. Second-tier relationships — Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico ($158,800 over three grants), Instituto Nueva Escuela ($140,000), Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau NC ($98,000) — cluster in the $45,000–$160,000 cumulative range. Most organizations receive $10,000–$40,000 total across their grantee history.

Annual giving by fiscal year: $300,500 (FY2011) → $338,500 (FY2013) → $479,664 (FY2019) → $719,699 (FY2020) → $960,150 (FY2022) → $591,600 (FY2023) → $929,590 (FY2024). Giving has more than doubled since 2011, tracking the endowment's growth from $8.2M to $18M+. The FY2023 dip correlates directly with net investment income falling to $727,510 that year (from $1,127,769 in FY2022), confirming that annual payout reflects portfolio performance.

Geographic distribution (by grant count, 128 total): Florida 52 grants (~41%), North Carolina 25 grants (~20%), Puerto Rico 22 grants (~17%), DC 6 grants (~5%), Connecticut 3 grants, California 3 grants, Georgia 3 grants, Massachusetts 3 grants, Missouri 3 grants, Virginia 3 grants.

Program area breakdown (estimated by grantee character): education and youth development ~45%; health and human services ~25%; arts and culture ~15%; community infrastructure and religion ~10%; veterans and military ~5%. Nearly 100% of grants are designated general operating support, reflecting a consistent philosophy of trusting grantee leadership.

The foundation's database returned no direct peer matches. The following comparison draws on publicly available IRS data and third-party foundation profiles to contextualize A Friends Foundation Trust within its three primary operating geographies. Asset and giving figures for comparison foundations are approximate based on published profiles.

A Friends Foundation Trust is substantially smaller than the dominant community and public foundations operating across its three geographic markets. Its practical advantage for grantees is structural: decision-making is concentrated in a small family board, meaning a well-timed letter of request can lead to repeat multi-year funding without navigating committee review cycles or competitive RFP processes. Community foundations in the same geography typically require online applications, quarterly deadlines, and competitive selection. The trust's near-universal reliance on general operating support also distinguishes it sharply — organizations constrained by program-restricted funders often find that general operating grants from smaller private trusts like this one provide the flexible capital that sustains operations.

No press releases, media coverage, or public announcements specific to A Friends Foundation Trust were identified for 2025–2026. The foundation maintains a minimal public presence: its registered website (afriends.org) currently redirects to an unrelated service, no social media accounts were identified, and no news index entries appear in the research databases queried.

The most recent verified grantmaking data comes from IRS 990 filings and third-party aggregators. In FY2024, the foundation awarded 45 grants totaling $929,590, with the largest single grant of $200,000 going to the Orlando Science Center. Grantmakers.io reports a further expansion in the FY2025 tax year, with an estimated 54 grants and approximately $974,000 in total distributions — a modest but meaningful increase in volume and dollar commitments.

Leadership has been stable across all available filings. Amy C. Hubbard has served as President continuously, with compensation growing from $30,000 (FY2020) to $70,000 (FY2023), reflecting the foundation's expansion. L. Evans Hubbard remains Chairman. Bank of America N.A.'s trustee compensation has similarly grown to $134,493 in the most recent available filing.

The foundation's asset base has grown steadily: from $8.3M (FY2012) to $16.1M (FY2020) to an estimated $18–24M (FY2023–2025). This growth derives entirely from investment returns — no new contributions have been received in recent years, confirming this as a closed endowment funded at establishment. No succession plans, strategic pivots, or new program priorities have been publicly disclosed.

Because A Friends Foundation Trust operates without a website, online portal, or formal deadline, the application process requires a more direct and relationship-oriented approach than most institutional funders. The following tips are specific to this funder's observable practices.

Lead with geography in the first sentence. The Hubbard family funds where they live, vacation, and maintain community roots. If your organization is based in the Orlando metro, the Cashiers-Highlands mountains of western North Carolina, or the San Juan Puerto Rico area, state that prominently. Geographic alignment is effectively a threshold criterion — organizations outside these corridors are rarely funded regardless of mission quality.

Use the charter language exactly. The foundation's IRS restriction states: 'funds must be used for one of the following purposes: health, education, religion, youth activities.' At least one of these four terms should appear explicitly in your first paragraph. The Orlando Philharmonic is funded as education; Boys & Girls Clubs as youth activities; Camp Boggy Creek as health. Connect your work to the charter even if your mission spans categories.

Write a genuine letter, not a boilerplate proposal. One to two pages is ideal. The letter of request format signals that this funder values clarity and directness over comprehensive documentation. Lead with who you are and what you do, connect to the charter purpose and geography, state your request amount clearly, and close with a brief statement of organizational health. Attachments (990, budget, 501(c)(3) letter) are appropriate but supplemental.

Request general operating support. The entire grantee portfolio is general operating. Requests for project-restricted or capital funds are structurally misaligned with how this funder gives. General operating language — 'to support core operations of our organization' — is the correct framing.

Calibrate the ask: $10,000–$25,000 for a first request. The foundation's median grant is $10,000 and average is ~$20,000. Opening requests above $50,000 are out of pattern for first-time applicants. Demonstrate discipline in your ask — it signals organizational maturity and realistic expectations.

Call before writing. The foundation's contact number is (212) 852-3049. Inquiring whether the foundation is currently accepting unsolicited letters from organizations like yours is courteous, practical, and signals genuine intent. Note whether you reach a Bank of America trust officer or the family directly.

Plan for a multi-year trajectory. The most effective grantees appear in three consecutive grant cycles. First-year grants are often modest ($5,000–$15,000); meaningful funding ($30,000–$50,000+) tends to come after sustained relationships. Frame your initial request as the beginning of a partnership.