Hamoui Foundation

The Hamoui Foundation is a tightly controlled private family foundation founded in 2010 by Omar Hamoui — founder and CEO of AdMob, acquired by Google in 2010 — and his wife Omaima Salous. With $14.5 million in assets and $2.8 million in 2024 charitable disbursements, the foundation gives at roughly 19% of assets annually, well above the 5% IRS minimum for private foundations. Both founders draw zero compensation, and the foundation operates c/o GW & Wade LLC, a Needham, Massachusetts wealth manager, rather than through a dedicated grantmaking office.

The most important fact for grant seekers: this is a preselected-only foundation. No public application portal exists, all public databases list application instructions as "none," and there is no program officer on staff to receive cold proposals. The GW & Wade address is a wealth management contact, not a grants intake office.

The foundation's philosophy centers on concentrated, endowment-building impact rather than broad grantmaking. Their stated goal is to create "visible step changes" in a select number of organizations through sustainable funding mechanisms. The UCI lung cancer endowed chair ($1.5 million across 3 grants), the New Horizon School endowment, and the Sage Hill aquatic center endowment all exemplify this model. First-time applicants should understand that the foundation cultivates partners rather than selecting from applicants — the average grantee receiving 2-3 grants points to long-term relationship investment, not one-time check-writing.

Two legitimate pathways exist for new organizations. First: the LUNGevity partnership for RET-positive lung cancer researchers, a publicly accessible RFA process that has run in 2021-22 ($1 million, 3 awardees) and 2024 ($500,000 over 2 years). This is the only documented open entry point. Second: warm introduction through existing network connections — UCI Irvine, UCSF's Weill Institute for Neurosciences, or the Southern California Muslim community nonprofit ecosystem. Repeat grantees (MPAC received 3 grants totaling $250,000; Syrian Forum USA 3 grants totaling $110,000; Sabil USA 3 grants totaling $70,000) demonstrate that the foundation maintains a trusted, returning cohort of community partners. Any organization in medicine, Islamic community services, or Middle Eastern humanitarian relief should invest in relationship capital before submitting any materials.

Across 29 tracked grants totaling $3.1 million, the Hamoui Foundation's grantmaking concentrates overwhelmingly in medical research, with secondary clusters in Muslim civil rights and Syrian humanitarian relief.

Medical research accounts for approximately 77% of documented grant dollars. The UCI Foundation is the single largest relationship: $1.5 million across 3 grants directed to cancer research and an endowed lung cancer chair. LUNGevity Foundation received $500,000 in one grant for lung cancer research. City of Hope received $250,000 for cancer research. The Hamoui/LUNGevity partnership specifically targets RET-positive non-small cell lung cancer — a rare mutation affecting 1-2% of NSCLC patients where commercial funding is absent — at $500,000 per two-year cycle. UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences (multiple sclerosis research) and UMMA Community Clinic ($100,000, 2 grants for medical services) round out the health-focused portfolio.

Muslim community organizations and civil rights represent approximately 17% of documented giving. MPAC received $250,000 across 3 grants for the civil rights of American Muslims; CAIR and CAIR-California together received $200,000 for educational programs and legal advocacy; Sabil USA received $70,000 across 3 grants for refugee and homeless services; and the Orange County Islamic Foundation received $5,000 for educational programs.

Syrian humanitarian relief accounts for roughly 6% of giving: Syrian Forum USA ($110,000, 3 grants to help Syrians rebuild lives and communities), the White Helmets ($50,000 for essential services in Syria), and Sunrise USA ($20,000 for humanitarian aid).

Grant sizes span an enormous range. The median grant is $50,000; the average is approximately $107,000 — skewed upward by the UCI relationship. For community organizations, grants typically fall between $20,000 and $100,000. For research institutions, grants run $250,000 to $750,000 per cycle.

Annual giving has fluctuated sharply: $295,000 in 2020 (COVID-reduced), $1.94 million in 2021, $750,000 in 2022, $1.6 million in 2023, and $2.825 million in 2024 — the highest in available records. The 2024 surge was funded by $3.37 million in investment asset sales, indicating a deliberate deployment decision. Geographically, 21 of 29 grants went to California-based organizations, with Illinois (4 grants), DC (2), and single grants to New Jersey and New York rounding out the portfolio.

The Hamoui Foundation sits in the $14–15 million asset tier of private family foundations, a cohort characterized by founder-controlled grantmaking, narrow focus areas, and invitation-only processes. Five closest asset-comparable peers all carry the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE designation, yet only Hamoui maintains a documented public web presence or identifiable grantmaking track record.

Among this peer group, Hamoui is a clear outlier in transparency and strategic visibility. Its public website, documented grantee history, active LUNGevity research partnership, and press release trail make it significantly more identifiable — particularly for medical researchers — than its asset-comparable peers, which offer no public grantmaking information beyond IRS 990 filings. The Fineshriber Family Foundation (CA) is the only California-based peer and thus the most geographically relevant comparator, but no grantmaking data is publicly available. Hamoui's giving-to-asset ratio of 11–19% annually signals an active, growth-oriented grantmaking posture that substantially exceeds the IRS minimum of 5%.

The most significant documented recent activity is the January 25, 2024 announcement of the second Hamoui Foundation/LUNGevity Clinical Research Award for RET-Positive Lung Cancer. The RFA offered $500,000 over two years ($250,000/year) for researchers investigating drug resistance, treatment optimization, and structural protein changes in RET-positive non-small cell lung cancer. Letters of intent were due February 9, 2024 — just 15 days after announcement — with full applications submitted through proposalcentral.com and the LUNGevity research portal. This followed the inaugural 2022 cycle in which $1 million was distributed to three researchers: Dr. Alexander Drilon at Memorial Sloan Kettering ("Identifying non-genomic mechanisms of RET TKI resistance"), Dr. John Heymach at MD Anderson ("Novel structure-based and combinatorial approaches for RET-fusion NSCLC"), and Dr. Tejas Patil at the University of Colorado Denver ("MET and EGFR as biomarkers for amivantamab in overcoming RET TKI resistance").

The foundation's 2024 fiscal year produced $2.825 million in charitable disbursements — the highest figure in available records, funded by $3.37 million in investment asset sales and $507,000 in dividends from a $14.5 million portfolio. This represents a 76% increase over 2023's $1.605 million in grants paid, suggesting a major new grantmaking commitment that has not yet appeared in public databases.

No leadership changes have been announced. Omar Hamoui (President) and Omaima Salous (Director) both remain in their roles without compensation. The foundation does not maintain active social media accounts or publish an annual report. No press releases or announcements from 2025-2026 were located in any media search, meaning full visibility into current grantmaking will not emerge until IRS Form 990 filings for fiscal year 2025 become available, likely in late 2026 or early 2027.

Because the Hamoui Foundation is preselected-only, the first and most important strategic decision is determining which access pathway applies to your organization. Unsolicited proposals sent to the GW & Wade LLC address carry no documented pathway to review.

For RET-positive lung cancer researchers — this is the only verified open entry point. Register at proposalcentral.com now. Monitor lungevity.org/research beginning each November for RFA announcements; the 2024 cycle opened January 25 with LOIs due February 9, leaving only 15 days. Prepare your concept materials in advance: an LOI should emphasize (a) clinical relevance within 1-2 years, (b) focus on drug resistance mechanisms or structural protein changes specifically in RET-positive NSCLC, and (c) a budget appropriate to $250,000/year for up to two years. The partnership was explicitly created to fund research where commercial backing is absent — lead with that gap. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson, UCSF, and University of Colorado have precedent as award recipients.

For cancer and MS research institutions — the access pathway runs through UCI Irvine and UCSF Weill Institute, where Hamoui has its largest existing commitments. A warm introduction from UCI or UCSF faculty or development officers is the right first step. Endowment proposals are far more likely to succeed than project grants: the UCI endowed chair model ($1.5 million across 3 grants) and the UCSF Weill Institute partnership are the playbook. Frame your proposal around permanent, self-sustaining funding capacity rather than annual budget cycles.

For Southern California Muslim community organizations — the pathway is through existing grantee relationships at MPAC, CAIR-CA, Sabil USA, UMMA Clinic, or Syrian Forum USA. These organizations have 2-3 grants each and represent the foundation's core community cohort. A peer endorsement or direct introduction to Omaima Salous (who manages foundation operations) is the appropriate approach.

Alignment language that resonates: "sustainable benefit," "endowment," "visible step change in organizational capacity," "select initiatives with long-term impact," "meaningful and measurable progress." Avoid framing that implies one-time project funding, broad coalitions, or shallow geographic spread. The foundation concentrates resources deliberately and responds to depth over breadth.