Great Oaks Foundation

The Great Oaks Foundation is a family-managed private foundation controlled by the Fogelman family of Memphis, Tennessee. With $27.8 million in assets and $1.3 million in annual giving (2024), it operates without staff, offices, or a functional website — the domain greatoaksfoundation.com is parked and serves only advertising code. This means there is no application portal, no published guidelines, and no public-facing grant process.

The foundation explicitly states it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations," which means unsolicited proposals are not accepted through any formal channel. However, 990 data shows a 12% new-applicant funding rate, indicating that the trustees do occasionally fund organizations not previously in the portfolio — likely through personal networks and community connections.

The Fogelman family connection is the essential context for any approach. Robert F. Fogelman II and Catherine S. Fogelman serve as trustees alongside Fran Hyde. The Fogelman name is prominent in Memphis real estate, development, and philanthropy, with deep ties to the Memphis Jewish community, higher education (particularly Kenyon College, Brown University, Colby College, and Middlebury College), and cultural institutions. Any successful approach to this foundation will run through personal relationships with the Fogelman family or through organizations they already support.

The most viable path for a new grantee is to secure an introduction through an existing grantee organization — particularly the Memphis Jewish Federation, Memphis Jewish Community Center, or one of the New England liberal arts colleges the family supports. A cold letter to the foundation address at 744 S White Station Rd, Memphis, TN 38117 is unlikely to succeed without a prior relational connection.

The Great Oaks Foundation has undergone a dramatic financial transformation in recent years. Assets grew from approximately $1.4 million in 2020 to $27.8 million in 2024, driven by a massive contribution influx — the 2024 filing shows $20.3 million in contributions against total revenue of $19.5 million. This suggests a major wealth transfer or estate event that substantially recapitalized the foundation. Total giving followed: from $360,550 (2020) and $356,200 (2021) to $794,500 (2022) and then $1,323,000 (2024).

The 2024 grant portfolio reveals two distinct tiers. At the top sits a single $1,000,000 grant to Massachusetts General Hospital — by far the largest award and representing 75.6% of total giving. The remaining 21 grants averaged approximately $15,381 each, with a median of $9,000 and a range of $5,000 to $75,000. This bimodal distribution suggests the MGH grant reflects a personal philanthropic priority (possibly a health-related gift), while the balance of the portfolio represents ongoing annual support for institutions in the trustees' lives.

The grant portfolio clusters into four clear categories: (1) Jewish community institutions in Memphis ($125,000 to Memphis Jewish Federation, $16,200 to Memphis Jewish Community Center); (2) elite liberal arts colleges and universities (Brown, Colby, Kenyon, Middlebury, Duke Fuqua); (3) Memphis-area education and civic institutions (University of Memphis, Memphis University School, Church of the Holy Communion); and (4) national cultural and outdoor organizations (San Francisco Ballet, NOLS, Delta Waterfowl, Olympic Club Foundation).

Grant counts have been volatile — 21 in 2020, 26 in 2021, 11 in 2022, 23 in 2023, 22 in 2024 — but the asset infusion and rising total giving suggest the foundation is now entering a new phase of significantly higher annual distributions. If the foundation maintains a 5% payout rate on $27.8 million in assets, annual giving could stabilize around $1.4 million.

The Great Oaks Foundation sits in the mid-tier of Memphis-area private foundations by asset size, though its recent recapitalization to $27.8 million places it above many long-established family foundations in the region. The table below compares Great Oaks to peer foundations in Tennessee with broadly similar asset ranges and grantmaking profiles.

Key differentiators: Great Oaks is unusual among Memphis foundations for its national geographic footprint — most Tennessee family foundations concentrate giving within the state or region. The Fogelman family's connections to New England colleges, California cultural institutions, and the Memphis Jewish community create a dispersed portfolio that has more in common with a coastal donor-advised fund than a typical Southern family foundation. Its per-grant median of $9,000 (excluding the MGH outlier) is modest relative to peers, but the recent asset surge may shift this upward.

The most significant recent development for the Great Oaks Foundation is the massive recapitalization visible in the 2024 990-PF filing. Total assets jumped from approximately $9.97 million (as reported in earlier filings) to $27.8 million, driven by $20.3 million in contributions received during the fiscal year. This represents either a major inter vivos gift from a Fogelman family member or an estate transfer, and it fundamentally changes the foundation's grantmaking capacity.

In 2024, the foundation made 22 grants totaling $1,323,000 — its highest annual giving on record. The single largest grant was $1,000,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital, a new recipient not visible in prior year filings at this scale, suggesting a health-related philanthropic commitment. The Olympic Club Foundation received $75,000, and St. Mary's School received $60,000 — both notably higher than the foundation's typical $5,000–$25,000 range.

Continued support for Memphis Jewish community institutions ($125,000 to Memphis Jewish Federation, $16,200 to Memphis Jewish Community Center) and elite higher education (Brown, Colby, Kenyon, Middlebury at $10,000–$25,000 each) maintained the foundation's established pattern. The Arkansas Community Foundation appeared for the first time at $25,000, indicating modest geographic expansion.

The foundation's website (greatoaksfoundation.com) is non-functional — the domain serves only advertising tracking code, with no organizational content on any page. This is consistent with a foundation run entirely by family trustees without paid staff, where all grantmaking decisions flow through personal relationships rather than institutional processes.

The Great Oaks Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Its website is non-functional, and the foundation has stated on public filings that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations." There is no application form, no published deadline, and no grant portal. Accordingly, standard application advice does not apply. Instead, the following strategies may create pathways to consideration:

1. Build a relationship with a current grantee. The most reliable path is through an organization the foundation already funds. The Memphis Jewish Federation, Memphis Jewish Community Center, and the New England colleges (Brown, Colby, Kenyon, Middlebury) are long-standing recipients. If your organization collaborates with any of these, ask a senior leader there to make an introduction to the Fogelman family.

2. Engage through Memphis Jewish community networks. The foundation's giving pattern strongly centers on Memphis Jewish institutions. Organizations working in Jewish education, community services, or interfaith partnerships in the Memphis area are the most natural fit for new grantee consideration.

3. Send a brief letter of introduction, not a full proposal. If you have a tangential connection, a one-page letter to the foundation at 744 S White Station Rd, Memphis, TN 38117 introducing your organization and its alignment with the family's interests is more appropriate than a formal grant application. Keep it personal and concise.

4. Align with the trustees' known interests. The grant portfolio reveals clear personal passions: elite higher education, Jewish communal life, outdoor and athletic organizations (NOLS, Delta Waterfowl, Olympic Club, 3M Track Club), and the arts (San Francisco Ballet, Bechtler Museum of Art). Proposals that align with these specific interests are more likely to gain attention than generic charitable appeals.

5. Do not expect large grants on first funding. Excluding the MGH outlier, first-time grants typically fall in the $5,000–$10,000 range. Position your ask modestly and build the relationship over time.