Hoveida Family Foundation

The Hoveida Family Foundation operates as an invitation-only, relationship-driven philanthropic vehicle built on the entrepreneurial success of Bahman and Rebecca Hoveida, whose wealth traces directly to careers in science and engineering. Founded in 2020 and endowed with $75M at inception, the foundation holds approximately $62.85M in assets (FY2024) and distributes $3.3–4.0M annually in grants.

This is a preselected-only funder with no public application portal. The foundation's website explicitly states it 'will directly invite proposals by contacting organizations,' and IRS filings confirm it 'only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.' The governing board meets quarterly, meaning new grantee relationships are evaluated on a four-times-per-year cycle.

The funder strongly favors established institutions with proven research infrastructure. The three largest grantee relationships — Mayo Clinic ($6M total, 3 grants), University of Illinois Foundation ($3.5M, 3 grants), and Hilo Medical Center Foundation ($2M, 2 grants) — are all major academic medical centers or research universities that received repeat grants across multiple fiscal years. This multi-grant pattern is the foundation's signature: it builds committed, multi-year partnerships rather than one-time transactional awards. Once in the portfolio, grantees are retained and deepened.

Geographically, the Hoveidahs' professional networks appear to define the grantee map. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — funded through its Technology Entrepreneur Center and ILEE (Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship) program — reflects Bahman Hoveida's engineering background. The IEEE power and energy scholarship program deepens that connection to the engineering community. Hawaii giving (6 grantees, anchored by the $2M Hilo Medical Center commitment) likely reflects personal ties to the Big Island.

For organizations outside the current grantee network, the strategic path is indirect: build credibility within the IEEE ecosystem, cultivate shared contacts at Mayo Clinic or University of Illinois, and ensure mission language aligns precisely with the foundation's stated values — 'making the world a better place for all humanity and all living things.' A concise introductory note to grants@HoveidaFoundation.org is a reasonable first step for organizations with genuine scientific mission alignment.

The Hoveida Family Foundation has distributed between $3.25M (FY2021) and $4.04M (FY2022) annually in grants since its first full year of grantmaking, with FY2023 recording $3.35M in grants paid and $3.80M in total giving. Across 47 documented grantee relationships, total giving reached $14,676,000, yielding an average grant of $312,255. The database-enriched median grant is $250,000, though this is skewed by a small number of outsized anchor grants.

The distribution is sharply bimodal. Three anchor grantees absorb 78% of documented giving: Mayo Clinic at $6,000,000 (3 grants) for AI-driven cancer detection and autoimmune disease research; University of Illinois Foundation at $3,500,000 (3 grants) for engineering entrepreneurship, student scholarships, and prototyping programs; and Hilo Medical Center Foundation at $2,000,000 (2 grants) for mental health, drug rehab, and medical facility improvements. The remaining 22% ($3.18M) is spread across 44 grantees at dramatically lower amounts.

Mid-tier grants ($250K–$1M) include University of Washington Foundation at $1,000,000 (2 grants, for UW Medicine), IEEE at $750,000 (3 grants, for power and energy engineering scholarships), PBS Foundation at $500,000 (1 grant, for NOVA science programming), and IEEE Foundation at $250,000 (1 grant). Below that, the bulk of grantees receive $20,000–$25,000 each — predominantly animal welfare organizations (13 recipients) and homeless shelter/social services organizations (5 recipients). The smallest documented grant is $1,000 to Single Mom Strong.

By program area: medical research and health commands approximately 67% of total giving ($9.86M), driven by Mayo Clinic and Hilo Medical Center. Engineering and STEM education accounts for approximately 29% ($4.25M) through University of Illinois, IEEE, the National Academy of Engineering, and renewable energy scholarship programs. Animal welfare receives roughly 1.5% ($225K) across 13 organizations at $20K each. Social services and homelessness relief accounts for about 1.4% ($200K). Public science media (PBS NOVA) represents 3.4% ($500K).

The endowment has declined steadily: $75M (FY2020) → $72.5M (FY2021) → $66.5M (FY2022) → $63.6M (FY2023) → $62.85M (FY2024). With $0 in new contributions received across all filing years, the foundation is drawing down its original endowment. At current giving levels of $3.3–4.0M annually, the asset base supports approximately 15–19 more years of operations.

The five peer foundations in the Granted database share Hoveida's NTEE designation (T22 — Private Grantmaking Foundations) and similar asset sizes (~$62–63M), but differ significantly in focus, geography, and public profile.

Among these asset-comparable peers, Hoveida stands out on three dimensions. First, its mission is unusually specific: most family foundations at this asset level employ a broad 'general philanthropy' mandate, while Hoveida has a defined scientific and engineering focus backed by mega-grants to named research programs at Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois. Second, its anchor grant size is disproportionate to its asset base — committing $6M to Mayo Clinic and $3.5M to UofI is characteristic of foundations two to three times larger. Third, the formalized IEEE named scholarship program is a distinctive structural commitment rare among comparably-sized family foundations. Grant seekers approaching Hoveida should not assume that asset-comparable peers follow similar access pathways; Hoveida's invitation-only model and scientific specificity set it apart from general-purpose family foundations of similar scale.

The most significant recent milestone was the February 27, 2023 announcement of a $10 million multiyear commitment to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota — establishing the Hoveida Family Foundation Cancer Discovery and Interception Fund. The gift targets three linked research objectives: developing AI models to predict individual cancer risk and guide early interventions, creating novel early-detection diagnostics, and identifying approaches to intercept cancer at the precursor stage before full malignancy. Bahman Hoveida described the foundation as 'honored to partner with Mayo Clinic,' while Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs executive director Dr. Cheryl Willman stated the gift would allow Mayo to 'disrupt cancer at its earliest stages and deliver more cures.'

For the 2025–2026 academic year, the foundation continued its multi-year partnership with the IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus Initiative, naming more than 100 Hoveida Family Foundation Scholars across seven geographic regions of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. This program directly addresses the workforce challenge posed by retiring power engineers and growing demand for renewable energy expertise.

In fall 2025, the foundation's named scholarship at the American Veterinary Medical Foundation completed its annual application cycle (September 1–30, 2025), awarding $4,400 to one exceptional veterinary research student. This scholarship has run for at least two consecutive years.

No leadership changes have been publicly announced. Bahman Hoveida (President) and Rebecca Hoveida (Vice President) remain at the helm with no compensation. Secretary/Treasurer Amethyst Lucille Nelson received $91,375 in FY2023 compensation, up from $34,375 in FY2022. The foundation remains headquartered at 4551 Flying Goat Avenue NE, Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110.

Given Hoveida's strictly invitation-only model, conventional grant-writing tactics are of limited value. The strategic imperative is relationship visibility and mission alignment — not proposal quality. The following tips are specific to this funder's operational model:

Understand the two-tier structure. Hoveida effectively runs two giving programs: large, multi-year anchor partnerships ($1M–$6M) with major research institutions, and a smaller catalytic grants program ($20K–$25K) for animal welfare, social services, and STEM scholarship organizations. Each tier requires a different approach. Anchor partnerships require deep institutional relationships and credibility with peer grantees. Catalytic grants appear to stem from the foundation's personal philanthropic values — you may be noticed, but the path is through alignment and visibility, not applications.

Leverage the IEEE pathway actively. The foundation has committed over $1M to IEEE-affiliated programs and funds named scholarships through the IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative. If your organization works in energy engineering, power systems, grid research, or STEM workforce development, pursuing IEEE membership, co-hosting IEEE events, or applying to IEEE programs places your work directly in front of the Hoveida foundation network. The Bettergrids Foundation received $30,000 across 3 grants for grid data research — a signal that smaller, specialized energy organizations can earn ongoing relationships.

Align language to 'science as salvation.' The foundation explicitly rejects funding that 'contradicts sound scientific principles' or involves lobbying or political campaigns. Proposals should emphasize peer-reviewed methodologies, quantifiable research outcomes, and direct impact on human or animal welfare — avoid advocacy, systems-change, or social justice framing, which is inconsistent with the foundation's philosophy.

Use grants@HoveidaFoundation.org for a brief introduction. This email is published on the foundation's website. A 2-3 sentence introductory note describing your organization's scientific mission, how it aligns with Hoveida's priorities, and a request to be considered for future invitation is not a proposal — it is a visibility-building tactic that may be filed ahead of the next quarterly board meeting (the board meets approximately every 90 days).

Target the AVMF veterinary scholarship if eligible. This is the one publicly accessible Hoveida funding pathway. Application window: September 1–30 annually. Award: $4,400. Eligibility: U.S. veterinary students in good academic standing pursuing research careers. Contact AVMF directly for the application portal link.