Jhm Charitable Foundation

The JHM Charitable Foundation — formally named for founders John and Hasmik Mgrdichian — operates as one of the most culturally focused private foundations of its size in the country. With $224.3 million in assets and $8.5 million in annual giving (2024), it directs the overwhelming majority of its resources toward the domestic and international Armenian community, with a secondary emphasis on underserved populations in Los Angeles.

This is a preselected-grantee-only foundation. The trustees — Gary W. Hampar and Lysa Grigorian — do not accept unsolicited applications, review open grant cycles, or post request-for-proposals. Funding relationships are built through personal connection, not proposal portals.

The founders were first-generation children of Armenian Genocide survivors and self-made entrepreneurs. Their philosophy centers on enabling individual self-reliance through education, technical training, and economic empowerment — not charitable dependency. Organizations seeking alignment must internalize this framing. Language around 'sustainable pathways,' 'lasting impact,' and 'collaborative partnership' appears directly in the foundation's mission statement and should be reflected in any correspondence.

The grantee portfolio demonstrates a clear two-tier structure. Tier 1 consists of long-term, multi-year anchor partnerships — TUMO Foundation, Children of Armenia Fund, Armenian Eyecare Project, Ararat Home of Los Angeles — that receive repeated six- to seven-figure grants across four or more grant cycles. Tier 2 includes smaller, episodic grants to US-based Armenian-American cultural and educational organizations, and selective grants to non-Armenian LA nonprofits with strong youth and family services track records.

First-time applicants should not expect a grant on initial contact. The pathway is: warm introduction through an existing grantee → relationship-building meeting with Gary Hampar → invitation to submit organizational materials → multi-year cultivation. Organizations with existing personal or institutional ties to the Armenian community in Los Angeles or Armenia itself are best positioned.

JHM Charitable Foundation's giving has grown substantially over the past decade, scaling from $637,000 in 2014 to $8.5 million in 2024 — a 13x increase driven by asset growth from investment returns. The foundation's $224.3M endowment generates approximately $6.8M in net investment income annually, with additional contributions now rare (recorded as $0 in 2023 and 2022).

Annual giving trajectory: $637K (2014) → $3.9M (2015) → $3.3M (2019) → $4.1M (2020) → $2.2M (2021) → $4.1M (2022) → $6.0M (2023) → $8.5M (2024). The 2021 dip likely reflects pandemic caution; the 2022-2024 acceleration suggests active catch-up deployment.

Grant sizing: The foundation's typical grant size data (from 990-PF schedules) shows a median of $25,000 and an average of approximately $77,000-$150,000 per individual grant, with a stated range of $2,500 to $544,000 per award. However, anchor partners receive far more through multi-grant relationships: TUMO has received over $4 million in aggregate, JHM Armenia Development Foundation over $7.4 million.

By program area: Armenia Initiatives dominate — top 10 grantees are all Armenia-focused and account for an estimated 65-70% of total giving. The US Community Programs track (Armenian-American cultural, educational, healthcare orgs) accounts for approximately 25-30%. The Cross-Border Reconciliation track (Friends of Hrant Dink) represents a small but consistent allocation.

By geography: California receives 64% of individual grant transactions (114 of 178 tracked grants), Massachusetts 10% (18 grants, largely Armenian community orgs in the Boston metro), New York 8% (15 grants). Grants to Armenia are often routed through US-registered foundations (TUMO Foundation, Children of Armenia Fund, Armenia Fund) and thus appear as domestic giving.

40 grants were made in fiscal year 2024. Approximately 32 grantee organizations received funding in that cycle.

The five peer foundations listed below were matched by asset size ($223-225M), all classified under NTEE T20 (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). Asset size is the primary commonality — mission and application posture differ significantly.

JHM is distinct among this peer group for its ethnic community focus and international giving footprint — most comparable foundations of this size operate domestically and regionally. The foundation's $8.5M in 2024 giving represents a ~3.8% payout rate on assets, above the 5% federal minimum, suggesting intentional deployment rather than bare compliance. The John T. Gorman Foundation is the only peer with a publicly open application process; JHM and most others in this cohort operate as invite-only private foundations.

No press releases or public announcements from JHM Charitable Foundation were found for 2025-2026 — the foundation maintains a deliberately minimal public profile with a website limited to mission statement, partnerships list, and founder biography.

The most significant recent activity documented in public filings:

• FY2024 (most recent 990-PF, filed November 2024): Total grants of $8.5M across approximately 40 awards — the highest annual giving in the foundation's history. TUMO Foundation received two grants totaling approximately $3.05M. American Friends of the Louvre received $1.09M, a notable departure from the typical Armenian-community funding pattern.

• FY2023: Grants paid of $6.0M, total giving of $11.1M (the gap reflects prior-year grants cleared in 2023). Major recipients included TUMO Foundation ($900K+), Women's Support Center (domestic violence program in Armenia), and Children of Armenia Fund.

• Leadership stability: Both trustees — Gary W. Hampar and Lysa Grigorian — have served continuously since at least 2019 at compensation levels of $280K and $300K respectively. No leadership transitions have been publicly recorded. The contact person listed on official filings is '% Gary Hampar.'

• Asset growth: The foundation's endowment grew from $205.9M (2022) to $221.4M (2023) to $224.3M (2024), suggesting continued investment performance despite distributing $8.5M in grants.

The single most important tip: JHM Charitable Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Attempting to submit a cold grant proposal will not succeed. All funding decisions originate from the trustees' existing relationships and knowledge of the field.

Relationship pathway for Armenian-community organizations: 1. Identify a warm introduction route through current grantees — TUMO Foundation, Children of Armenia Fund, Armenian Eyecare Project, Armenian Mesrobian School, or Ararat Home of Los Angeles are natural connectors. A personal referral from leadership at any of these organizations significantly changes your standing. 2. Contact Gary Hampar directly at (310) 550-9911 with a brief (2-paragraph) organizational introduction by phone or letter — not email. Reference the connection to the Armenian community explicitly. 3. Frame your organization's work in the founders' language: 'enabling self-reliance,' 'sustainable pathways to independence,' 'education and technical training,' 'lasting impact.' 4. Avoid framing your work as charity or dependency-relief — JHM's founders were entrepreneurs who believed in earned independence. Programs that build skills, create employment, or develop institutional capacity align better than pure welfare programs.

Alignment signals that open doors: - Armenian community identity (domestic or international) - Education, technical/vocational training, STEM, or healthcare access programs - Organizations in the Los Angeles area serving underserved youth and families - Cross-border or diaspora work connecting US Armenian communities to Armenia - Prior relationship with TUMO, USC Armenian Studies, or California Armenian-American institutions

Timing: No public grant cycle or deadline exists. Relationship outreach can happen year-round, but the foundation's fiscal year runs January-December, so introductions made in Q1-Q2 are best positioned for year-end grant decisions.

Common mistakes to avoid: Do not submit an unsolicited proposal, LOI, or email blast. Do not cite generic foundation databases as the basis for contact — demonstrate genuine knowledge of the foundation's grantees and mission. Do not approach with a large first ask; the typical entry point for new relationships appears to be $25,000-$75,000.