Hanley Foundation

The Hanley Foundation (EIN 02-0631312) is a Miami Beach-based private non-operating foundation with approximately $21.3 million in assets as of fiscal year 2024. Led by President George P. Hanley, with Marc Schwartz and Charles Burgoon serving as directors, the foundation operates as a classic family grantmaker: a concentrated portfolio of deeply trusted institutional partners anchored by two flagship university relationships, supplemented by a broader but smaller tier of charitable gifts.

The foundation's giving philosophy prioritizes long-term institutional partnerships over open competitive grantmaking. The University of Dayton has received $3.03 million across four grants — by far the largest relationship in the foundation's documented history — while the University of Miami has received $997,884 across three grants. Together these two institutions account for more than 87% of all documented giving, signaling that the Hanley Foundation is oriented toward sustained capacity-building at a small number of trusted organizations rather than broad-based program support.

For first-time applicants, the most important reality check is the preselected nature of most major grants. The foundation does accept written requests — its only stated application method — but prospective grantees should treat the process as relationship-building rather than competitive application. Introductory requests should be concise, specific about program impact, and framed around expanding services to new beneficiaries rather than sustaining current operations.

Geographic alignment is a meaningful filter. Florida and Ohio are the dominant geographies across the grantee list, with Illinois, DC, New York, Virginia, and California appearing occasionally. Organizations based in Miami, West Palm Beach, Dayton, or Chicago-area markets have the strongest positional alignment. Social service organizations, educational institutions, environmental advocacy groups, and community health organizations have all received grants, suggesting the foundation's interests are broad within its trusted network but not deeply thematic beyond education as a dominant motif.

The Hanley Foundation's grantmaking operates on a pronounced two-tier model. At the top tier, the foundation commits large multi-year grants to institutional university partners: four grants to University of Dayton averaging $757,854 each, and three grants to University of Miami averaging $332,628 each. These relationships represent the core of the foundation's charitable identity and account for the vast majority of cumulative giving across the documented grant history.

Below that institutional tier, the foundation makes a much larger number of smaller grants ranging from $500 to $25,000, distributed across a diverse mix of causes. Social service organizations received the most small grants (Resolve Uganda $50,000; Spirit of America Worldwide $70,000; Guitars Over Guns $10,000; 305 Pink Pack $10,000; Caring Heroes $5,000). Environmental, medical, and religious organizations have each received one or two grants in the $1,000–$20,000 range.

Total documented giving across 30 grants tallies to $4.62 million, with an average grant of $153,895. However, this figure is heavily skewed by the university grants. The median small grant — excluding the two university relationships and the Morgan Stanley pass-through — sits closer to $10,000.

Annual giving has ranged from a low of $735,020 in fiscal 2021 to a high of $2,007,182 in fiscal 2019. The five-year average from 2019 through 2023 is approximately $1.61 million per year. The 2023 filing shows $1,734,016 in total giving with $1,393,633 in direct grants paid, the gap reflecting investment-related charitable expenses. Revenue in 2024 reached $2,324,219 — up sharply from 2023's $1,769,593 — suggesting improved portfolio performance and potentially higher 2025 distributions. Net investment income drives the foundation's capacity: in 2023 it was $1,441,711, in 2019 it was $1,855,578, reflecting an endowment-driven grantmaking model with no external contributions in recent years.

The five peer foundations matched by asset size are all private family grantmakers in the $21.3–21.4 million asset range, each classified under the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category. None of the peers maintain publicly accessible websites, making direct programmatic comparison difficult; however, the asset-level comparison situates the Hanley Foundation squarely in the mid-sized private foundation tier.

Among this peer cohort, the Hanley Foundation stands out for having a documented grantmaking track record and a publicly listed website, providing meaningful transparency that most size-equivalent family foundations lack. The foundation's five-year average annual giving of approximately $1.6 million represents roughly 7.5% of its asset base annually — above the IRS-required 5% minimum distribution for private foundations — indicating a moderately active grantmaking pace. Prospective applicants should view the Hanley Foundation as more accessible than typical closed family foundations of similar size, precisely because it does accept written requests and has an established track record with recognizable institutional partners.

No press releases or formal grant announcements specific to the Miami Beach Hanley Foundation (EIN 02-0631312) were publicly available from 2025 or 2026. The foundation files 990 returns with the IRS but does not maintain a public-facing grants portal or announcements page under this entity.

The most notable recent financial signal is the fiscal year 2024 revenue figure of $2,324,219 — the highest recorded since 2019's $4,564,129 — suggesting improved investment portfolio returns and a likely increase in available distributions for 2025 and 2026 grants. The 2023 990 (the most recent with full grantmaking data) recorded $1,734,016 in total giving, with $1,393,633 paid directly as grants.

The West Palm Beach Hanley Foundation — a related but distinct operating entity sharing the hanleyfoundation.org domain — has been more publicly active in 2025–2026, launching pilot residential treatment programs for pregnant women (July 2024) and veterans/first responders (September 2024), with new facility pavilions scheduled to open in 2026. That organization raised $800,000 for addiction treatment access and has been releasing a podcast series in 2026, most recently an episode on addiction and family recovery from May 20, 2026. While operationally distinct, the shared Hanley name and South Florida geography suggest overlapping community networks relevant to grant seekers.

The Hanley Foundation's sole stated application method is written requests — no online portal, no grant management platform, no preformatted LOI template has been publicly identified. Correspondence should be directed to the foundation at 5120 Lakeview Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33140, or by phone at (312) 300-2370, addressed to Amanda Hanley, who serves as the foundation's contact person.

The most important strategic reality is that the top two grantees (University of Dayton, University of Miami) have received cumulative grants of $4.03 million across seven grants — relationships that were built over multiple years and almost certainly through personal connections to the Hanley family rather than cold outreach. First-time applicants should set expectations accordingly: entry-level grants in the $5,000–$25,000 range are realistic, with larger commitments possible only after establishing a multi-year track record.

Alignment language that has worked for past grantees includes expanding access (Spirit of America Worldwide, Resolve Uganda both frame their work around underserved populations), educational advancement (both universities), and community health (305 Pink Pack, Guitars Over Guns, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). Environmental and legal advocacy organizations have also received small grants (Environmental Law and Policy Center, $20,000).

Common mistakes to avoid: do not submit generic capacity-building requests or requests to sustain existing operations. The foundation's peer research suggests a preference for programs that are new, expanding, or reaching new beneficiaries. Avoid jargon-heavy program descriptions — the small grant recipients in the foundation's history are mission-clear organizations with straightforward impact narratives.

Timing is unknown. No public grant cycle or deadline has been published for this foundation. The best strategy is to submit a written request in the first quarter of the calendar year (January–March), when most private foundations begin reviewing annual distribution plans, then follow up by phone or letter if no response within 60 days.