Ad Impact

Ad Impact is a private, trustee-directed foundation established in June 2017 and headquartered at 990 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 1602, Sarasota, FL. It operates as a pure conduit for the personal philanthropic priorities of President A.G. Lafley — the former Chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble, one of the most recognizable names in American corporate history — alongside his wife and Vice President Diana Shaheen and director David Payne. All three serve without compensation, reinforcing that this is a mission-driven personal vehicle rather than a professionally staffed institution.

The foundation's stated mission is straightforwardly transactional: distribute charitable grants to 501(c)(3) public charities. What it actually funds in practice is a precise reflection of Lafley's biography. He chaired the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (2004-2010), investing $2.5 billion in downtown Cincinnati. He is a Hamilton College alumnus (Class of 1969). He co-founded the Bay Park Conservancy in Sarasota. Diana Shaheen serves as the Conservancy's COO. These commitments are not incidental to the foundation's strategy — they are its strategy.

There is no public application portal, published RFP, or formal guidelines. IRS records classify Ad Impact as 'preselected only,' and searches of the foundation's network confirm no grant-seeker-facing materials exist. This is not a competitive grants program — it is a personal philanthropic vehicle.

The path to a grant runs exclusively through trustee relationships. For organizations in Sarasota's civic ecosystem, proximity to the Bay Park Conservancy or Gulf Coast Community Foundation network is the most natural pipeline. For higher education institutions, Hamilton College's alumni network is the relevant point of entry. For healthcare organizations in Sarasota or Rochester MN, introductions through Mayo Clinic's donor network or Sarasota Memorial's leadership circle are appropriate starting points.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation's 'Impact Plus DAF' relationship is structurally significant: Ad Impact has channeled $8.78 million through Gulf Coast CF across three recorded grants, using it as an administrative intermediary for Florida grantmaking. Gulf Coast CF's program staff and advisors are therefore embedded in Ad Impact's priority-setting process, making that organization an essential first step for any Sarasota-area applicant.

Ad Impact has grown its grantmaking substantially since inception. Total grants paid increased from $1.23 million in fiscal year 2019 to $3.34 million in 2023 — a 171% increase over four years — with 2024 data showing approximately $3.38 million distributed across 4 discrete grants. Foundation assets grew even more dramatically, from $44.8 million (2019) to $91.6 million (2024), a 104% increase driven by large contributions received (over $30 million in aggregate between 2019 and 2021) and strong investment returns.

Grant sizes are large by private foundation standards. The 2024 range runs from $101,000 (Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation) to $2.0 million (Hamilton College), with a median of approximately $629,000. The average across all 6 identified unique grantees is $2.02 million — heavily skewed by Gulf Coast Community Foundation's three DAF contributions totaling $8.78 million. When those DAF grants are excluded, direct operational grants to individual nonprofits range from roughly $100,000 to $2 million.

Geographically, Florida dominates at an estimated 62% of cumulative giving (including Gulf Coast CF DAF contributions). New York (Hamilton College) accounts for approximately 27%, and Minnesota (Mayo Clinic) 11%. No grants outside these three states have been documented in the foundation's 7-year history.

By program area, the portfolio breaks down approximately as: higher education 37% (Hamilton College), civic and community infrastructure 36% (Bay Park Conservancy and Gulf Coast CF DAF), healthcare 13% (Mayo Clinic and Sarasota Memorial), and arts/culture 5% (Westcoast Black Theater Troupe). A residual 9% is unattributable from public records.

Net investment income varied from $927,000 (2022) to $3.7 million (2020), indicating active endowment management. The IRS 5% minimum distribution requirement, applied to $91.6 million in assets, implies a floor of approximately $4.6 million in annual qualifying distributions — suggesting grantmaking may need to increase modestly in coming years or be supplemented through administrative expenses.

Ad Impact sits in a cohort of private grantmaking foundations with approximately $91-92 million in assets as of the most recent filings. All five peers are classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking) but diverge significantly in focus areas, geographic reach, accessibility, and staffing models.

Ad Impact's giving ratio of approximately 3.7% of assets annually is modestly below peer norms and below the IRS 5% threshold — suggesting grant totals may increase in future years. Unlike the Degenstein Foundation, which reportedly accepts letters of inquiry, Ad Impact does not. Its trustee-led model most closely resembles the Jonathan Logan and McCance foundations, where access depends entirely on personal connections to the founding family rather than competitive merit. The concentrated geography (three cities) distinguishes Ad Impact from all listed peers, which generally operate with broader geographic mandates. For organizations operating specifically in Sarasota, Clinton NY, or Rochester MN, Ad Impact is more geographically targeted — and therefore more relevant — than any of its asset-equivalent peers.

The most recently documented grant cycle (fiscal year 2024) reflects both continuity and modest expansion. Hamilton College received $2.0 million — the largest single 2024 grant — split across three named purposes: an Innovation Center, the Class of 1969 Challenge (explicitly named for A.G. Lafley's graduation year, confirming this is alumni-driven), and a basketball endowment. This multi-purpose structure is the most granular grant description in the foundation's public record, suggesting a deepening institutional relationship.

Bay Park Conservancy received $757,000 in 2024. Lafley co-founded this Sarasota waterfront park project, which converted 53 acres of city-owned bayfront land into a public amenity. Diana Shaheen serves as its COO. This is effectively a personal passion project of both trustees, making it the most reliably recurring recipient in the portfolio.

Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) received $501,000 in general support, maintaining a multi-year relationship. And Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation's $101,000 grant marks what may be a new ongoing relationship in local community medicine.

In earlier years (2020-2022), Westcoast Black Theater Troupe — a professional Black theater company based in Sarasota — received grants totaling $601,310, making it the only arts and cultural equity grantee in the portfolio. Gulf Coast Community Foundation received three grants labeled 'IMPACT PLUS DAF' totaling $8.78 million across the foundation's history, representing by far the largest cumulative relationship. No leadership changes, press releases, or public announcements from Ad Impact itself were identified in searches through April 2026. The foundation maintains no media presence and has issued no public statements.

Because Ad Impact accepts no unsolicited proposals and operates as a preselected-only trustee-directed foundation, traditional grant-writing skills are secondary to relationship intelligence. The following tips are specific to the realistic pathway toward Ad Impact consideration.

Map your institutional connection to A.G. Lafley before any outreach. Lafley graduated Hamilton College (Class of 1969), rose through Procter & Gamble to become chairman and CEO, chaired the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (2004-2010), and relocated to Sarasota where he co-founded the Bay Park Conservancy. If your organization intersects with any of these nodes — Hamilton alumni, P&G corporate alumni, Cincinnati urban development networks, Sarasota civic leadership — document and leverage that connection explicitly.

Enter the Gulf Coast Community Foundation ecosystem first. Gulf Coast CF administers Ad Impact's 'Impact Plus DAF' and has received $8.78 million in that role. Gulf Coast CF's program officers are structurally connected to Ad Impact's priorities. Becoming a Gulf Coast CF grantee, attending their community events, or partnering with their initiatives is the most credible pipeline available to Sarasota-area organizations.

Align your narrative with capital and institutional legacy, not program delivery. Every documented Ad Impact grantee is either a capital project (Innovation Center, Bay Park Conservancy), an endowment (basketball endowment, Class of 1969 Challenge), or general operating support for a major institution (Mayo Clinic, Sarasota Memorial). Direct service programs, social safety net work, and issue-area advocacy are not represented. Frame your work in terms of lasting civic or institutional infrastructure.

Approach Diana Shaheen for Sarasota-based organizations. As COO of Bay Park Conservancy and VP/Secretary of Ad Impact, Shaheen is the most operationally active trustee and the most accessible contact for organizations in the local civic ecosystem. A relevant programmatic connection to the Conservancy is the most natural opening.

Correct the contact record before outreach. The website listed in IRS records (adimpact.com) is an unrelated political advertising company. The foundation's actual mailing address is 990 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 1602, Sarasota, FL 34236. The listed phone (513) 241-3111) is a Cincinnati area code and may not be actively monitored. Written correspondence to the Sarasota address is the most reliable formal channel.

Timing: The foundation makes 3-4 grants annually with no published deadlines. Grant decisions appear to be made on a rolling or year-end basis. There is no application window to target.