C Herman And Mary Virginia Terry

The C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Family Foundation is a relationship-driven, invitation-only private funder undergoing a generational transformation. Founded by the late C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry — longtime Jacksonville civic leaders who died in 1998 and 2022, respectively — the foundation accumulated the bulk of its assets through a $155.27 million bequest received in fiscal year 2023, catapulting it from a $4.4 million foundation to one with over $163 million in assets (and reported total assets of $287 million per current filings). This makes it one of the largest private foundations in Northeast Florida.

The foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited grant applications. The trustees — led by President Betsy Cox (the Terrys' niece and a Jacksonville attorney) and Executive Vice President Kathleen Shaw (formerly of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, with 20+ years of experience) — are actively defining a new grantmaking strategy for the post-bequest era. Every grant in their documented history flows from pre-existing relationships with Jacksonville's civic and philanthropic leadership networks.

The giving philosophy rooted in the Terrys' personal priorities is evident across their grantee list: human services in Northeast Florida (Sulzbacher Center at $100,000, Hubbard House, United Way, Renewing Dignity), arts and culture (WJCT, Jacksonville Symphony), children's programs (Camp Boggy Creek, Pace Center for Girls, Dreams Come True), healthcare (Shriners, St. Jude, Volunteers in Medicine, See International), and higher education (Jacksonville University, University of Georgia). Relationship tenure is valued highly — the Terry family's support for Jacksonville University spans 42 consecutive years.

The foundation operates on two parallel tracks: routine community grants of $500-$100,000 to Jacksonville nonprofits, and periodic major institutional gifts in the seven-to-eight-figure range tied to naming opportunities, capital campaigns, and endowment structures. Under new professional leadership, the trend is clearly toward larger, fewer, more strategically named investments that carry the Terry legacy forward. First-time applicants should send a concise organizational overview to info@theterryfoundation.org — this is the only official pathway the foundation has disclosed.

The foundation's grantmaking data reveals a striking bifurcation between community-level giving and major institutional investment. The 27 documented grants from fiscal year 2022 total $370,450 — an average gift of $13,720 — with a range spanning from $200 (The Inn Ministry) to $100,000 (Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless). The median grant sits near $10,000. This community grant tier captures the Terrys' broad civic generosity but represents only a fraction of total philanthropic output.

Total giving reached $747,197 in FY2023 and $426,237 in FY2022 per 990 filings, but out-of-990 major institutional gifts dwarf these figures: $3 million to the Jacksonville Symphony (April 2025), cumulative support exceeding $5 million for Jacksonville University across 42 years, and $17 million in commitments to the University of Georgia in 2024 alone ($2M to the School of Medicine plus a $15M endowment for the Risk Management and Insurance Program). These institutional gifts are negotiated directly and typically tied to naming rights or endowment structures.

Geographically, 81% of documented grants (22 of 27) go to Florida organizations, with the remainder spanning CA, AR, GA, NY, and TN — largely reflecting national humanitarian causes (Doctors Without Borders at $2,500, Wounded Warriors at $5,000, Heifer International at $500) rather than regional expansion. The University of Georgia exception is driven by Herman Terry's personal institutional connection.

Program area breakdown from the grantee roster: human services is the plurality (Sulzbacher, United Way, Hubbard House, Renewing Dignity, PACE Center for Girls — approximately 35% of community grant dollars), followed by youth/children's causes (Camp Boggy Creek, Boy Scouts, Young Life, Dreams Come True), arts and media (WJCT $25,000, Jacksonville Symphony, Jacksonville Children's Chorus), healthcare (Shriners, St. Jude, Volunteers in Medicine, See International), and education (Jacksonville University, Tiger Academy).

Historically, annual grants paid ranged from $380,000-$475,000 during 2011-2015 before an unexplained gap (2019-2021 show $0 in grants paid). The FY2023 bequest fundamentally changes the equation: with 5% payout requirements on $163M+ in assets, the foundation is now obligated to distribute $8+ million annually — a dramatic expansion of capacity that virtually ensures new programmatic investment in coming years.

The table below compares the Terry Family Foundation to similarly sized Florida-based family foundations and the dominant community funder in its primary geography.

The Terry Family Foundation's recent asset growth places it squarely in the same tier as the Dunn and Spurlino foundations — major Florida family foundations with similar invitation-only approaches and deep community roots. The key distinction for grant seekers is the Terry Foundation's pronounced bias toward long-term relationship partnerships and named institutional gifts over the more transactional annual grant cycles seen at peer foundations. Crucially, EVP Kathleen Shaw's prior tenure at the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida creates a natural institutional bridge — organizations with established profiles at the Community Foundation may have indirect lines into Terry Foundation conversations. The Terry Foundation's 5%+ payout mandate on a $163M+ asset base means significant new grantmaking capacity is structurally required in the coming years, making it more likely that the foundation will formalize new programs or open limited application windows.

The Terry Family Foundation has been unusually visible in 2024-2025 as it begins deploying the $155.27 million bequest received after Mary Virginia Terry's 2022 death. Four major developments define the current moment.

On April 24, 2025, the foundation awarded a $3 million gift to the Jacksonville Symphony, bringing cumulative giving to $6.3 million. The grant funds the Pops Series expansion and renovations to Jacoby Symphony Hall — with the main level renamed for the foundation. Foundation President Betsy Cox stated the Terrys 'believed that the Jacksonville Symphony was a vital investment in the northeast Florida community.'

In November 2025, Jacksonville University unveiled the Terry Family Foundation Anatomage Lab, a 3D anatomy and virtual dissection system for nursing and health science students — the latest chapter in a 42-year philanthropic partnership bringing cumulative JU giving above $5 million.

In 2024, the foundation committed a combined $17 million to the University of Georgia: $2 million to the School of Medicine and a $15 million endowment naming the Risk Management and Insurance Program at the Terry College of Business — the largest known single gift in the foundation's history and a clear signal that Herman Terry's UGA legacy will remain a top giving priority.

On the leadership front, Kathleen Shaw was named EVP (bringing 20+ years from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida) and Betsy Cox was named President — both appointments formalizing governance following the founding generation's passing and positioning the foundation to manage its dramatically expanded asset base with professional discipline.

The single most important reality about the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Family Foundation: it does not accept unsolicited grant applications, and every documented dollar flows from relationships cultivated over years or decades. No cold proposal, however well-written, will be reviewed. This requires a fundamentally different approach from most foundation fundraising.

The foundation has opened one formal awareness pathway: a brief organizational overview submitted to info@theterryfoundation.org. Keep this to 1-2 paragraphs covering mission, primary programs, measurable community impact, and your annual operating budget range. Do not attach financials, proposals, or budgets. The goal of this submission is awareness, not immediate consideration — think of it as registering for a future conversation.

Timing is strategically important. The foundation is in active transition as new leadership (EVP Kathleen Shaw, President Betsy Cox) formalizes its post-bequest grantmaking strategy. Organizations that establish genuine visibility now — before that strategy crystallizes — have the best chance of being written into the new framework. Watch theterryfoundation.org and Florida Trend for any signals about new open-grant cycles.

Geographic alignment is non-negotiable. 81% of documented grants go to Jacksonville and Northeast Florida organizations. Out-of-region applicants need a compelling Jacksonville connection — community impact, Terry family personal ties, or a genuine Northeast Florida presence.

For organizations seeking major gifts ($500,000 and above), capital campaign or endowment opportunities with naming potential are the clearest match with recent giving patterns. The foundation's seven-figure gifts — Symphony Hall main level, Anatomage Lab, UGA Risk Management Program — all involve permanent naming. Organizations with capital campaigns should frame naming opportunities explicitly in any preliminary communication.

Build visibility through Jacksonville's civic network. Engagement with current grantees — Jacksonville Symphony, WJCT, Sulzbacher Center, Jacksonville University, Camp Boggy Creek — creates indirect pathways to trustee attention. Serving on joint committees and attending events connected to these organizations increases your organization's presence in the Terry Foundation's consideration set. EVP Shaw's Community Foundation background means organizations with strong profiles at CF for Northeast Florida have a natural institutional bridge.