Langham Private Foundation Trust

The Langham Private Foundation Trust is a newly established (November 2023), endowment-based private grantmaking trust in Sarasota, Florida, administered by sole trustee Matthew Matechik — an elder law attorney whose practice centers on estate planning, trust administration, and elder care. This professional background shapes everything about how the foundation operates: it functions as a tightly managed trust with no public-facing presence, no application portal, and no RFP cycle. Grant decisions are made through personal relationships, not formal review panels.

The three confirmed FY 2024 grantees — The Roskamp Institute ($250,000), the University of South Florida Research Foundation ($250,000), and Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson's ($250,000) — reveal a giving philosophy concentrated on neuroscience research and Parkinson's disease services within the Sarasota region. All three are established, credentialed institutions with strong local reputations and measurable research or service outputs. This is not a foundation that experiments with emerging startups or seeds advocacy work.

First-time applicants must understand that this foundation almost certainly does not accept cold unsolicited proposals. Its IRS record codes application instructions as "none," a designation reserved for foundations that fund only pre-selected organizations. There is no listed application deadline, no disclosed form, and no grants page anywhere online. The listed website (langham.org) redirects to an unrelated Hong Kong-based Christian ministry — the Langham Private Foundation Trust has no verified public web presence.

The most viable path to a grant is a warm introduction through an existing grantee. A researcher or executive from the Roskamp Institute, Neuro Challenge Foundation, or USF Research Foundation who can speak credibly to your organization's work provides the best possible entry point. Any outreach should come from a senior leader — executive director, principal investigator, or board chair — rather than a development officer, given the personal trust-relationship model.

Organizations best positioned to succeed align on three dimensions: geographic presence in Sarasota or Southwest Florida; focus on neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson's research, or closely related brain health work; and institutional credibility through academic affiliations, licensed clinical programs, or multi-year track records. With $20.9M in assets and ~$1.4M in annual giving, this is a mid-size funder capable of approximately five to six $250,000 grants per year.

The Langham Private Foundation Trust has demonstrated consistent and growing grantmaking since its first full year of operations. Charitable disbursements totaled $1,050,049 in FY 2023 (first year), increased to $1,368,820 in FY 2024, and reached $1,394,626 in FY 2025 — a 32.8% cumulative increase over three years. Annual giving represents approximately 6.7-6.8% of the foundation's $20.9M asset base, meaningfully above the 5% minimum payout requirement for U.S. private foundations.

The three publicly confirmed FY 2024 grants are each exactly $250,000, paid to the University of South Florida Research Foundation, The Roskamp Institute, and Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson's. This symmetry strongly suggests a standardized per-grant amount rather than a tiered or competitive model. If the $250,000 benchmark holds, the FY 2024 total of $1,368,820 implies approximately five to six grants per year, with the remaining ~$618,820 going to two or three additional grantees not yet identifiable from public 990-PF filings.

Revenue is entirely investment-driven. In FY 2025, the foundation earned $542,586 in dividends and $1,557,242 from sales of assets, against only $5,110 in outside contributions. The foundation does not fundraise externally — it operates solely from its ~$18.5M founding endowment. Officer compensation of $308,663 in FY 2025 (representing the trustee's fee) accounts for roughly 22% of annual giving, consistent with a professionally managed trust structure in which the trustee actively manages both investments and grant relationships.

Thematically, all confirmed grantees fall within health sciences and neuroscience: translational neuroscience research (Roskamp Institute), university-sponsored research administration (USF Research Foundation), and Parkinson's patient services (Neuro Challenge Foundation). There is no evidence of grants outside Florida or to organizations focused on arts, education, housing, or social services. The foundation has not issued grants to advocacy organizations, faith-based institutions, or human services agencies based on available data.

The following table compares the Langham Private Foundation Trust to its five closest asset-size peers identified in foundation databases, all classified under NTEE code T20 (Philanthropy & Grantmaking) with assets in the $20.9–21.0M range.

Estimated annual giving for peers is derived from the 5% minimum distribution requirement applied to their ~$21M asset bases; actual disbursements are not publicly available. What distinguishes the Langham Private Foundation Trust from its asset-comparable peers is its unusually clear thematic focus: while the other five foundations are categorized broadly as general grantmakers with no identifiable specialty, Langham has committed its giving to a narrow neuroscience and elder health corridor in a single metropolitan market. This specificity is an advantage for aligned organizations (less competition) and a hard barrier for organizations outside the focus area. None of the five peer foundations maintain public websites or disclosed application processes, suggesting all operate as closed or invitation-only grantmakers — consistent with the private trust model.

The Langham Private Foundation Trust is one of the newest private foundations in Sarasota County, having received IRS 501(c)(3) recognition in November 2023. Its launch was capitalized through approximately $18.5 million in contributions received in FY 2023 — a substantial initial endowment suggesting the trust was funded from a significant estate settlement or major asset transfer rather than built incrementally.

In its first year, the foundation distributed $1,050,049 in charitable disbursements (FY 2023). Fiscal year 2024 saw grants increase to $1,368,820, with three confirmed distributions of $250,000 each: to the University of South Florida Research Foundation, The Roskamp Institute (Sarasota's leading neuroscience research center, focused on Alzheimer's and traumatic brain injury), and Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson's (which annually serves over 3,500 Parkinson's patients across Southwest Florida free of charge). These three grants account for $750,000 of the 2024 total; the remaining ~$619,000 likely represents two to three additional grantees not yet reflected in available public records.

Fiscal year 2025 shows charitable disbursements of $1,394,626 — a 1.9% increase over FY 2024 — suggesting the foundation has reached a stable grantmaking cadence. No leadership transitions, new strategic announcements, or public communications from the foundation or its trustee have been identified in any media search. The foundation maintains no social media presence and has no verified public website.

The single most important fact about applying to the Langham Private Foundation Trust is that a formal application process almost certainly does not exist. The IRS filing marks application instructions as "none" — the designation used for foundations that fund only pre-selected charities. Sending an unsolicited grant proposal through the mail or email is unlikely to produce a response and may work against future relationship-building.

With that baseline set, here is what a practical outreach strategy looks like for an aligned organization:

Build a connection to existing grantees first. The three confirmed grantees — The Roskamp Institute, Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson's, and the USF Research Foundation — are the most direct bridges to trustee Matthew Matechik. A research collaboration, referral from a principal investigator, or board-level introduction through one of these organizations is worth far more than any written proposal. Invest six to twelve months in establishing these relationships before making any approach to the foundation itself.

Engage through Sarasota's elder law and philanthropy networks. Matthew Matechik is active in the Sarasota County Bar Association (past chair of the Elder Law Section) and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. Grantees' board members often overlap with these professional circles. Community foundation events, healthcare philanthropy convenings, and local professional association meetings in the elder law space are appropriate venues for building awareness.

Calibrate your ask to the $250,000 benchmark. All confirmed grants are exactly $250,000. Requesting $50,000 may signal misalignment with the foundation's model; requesting $1 million is almost certainly outside scope. If the relationship progresses to the point of a specific funding discussion, frame your request in the $150,000–$350,000 range.

Send a one-page letter of interest, not a proposal. Address it to Matthew Matechik, Trustee, at 100 Wallace Ave Ste 310, Sarasota FL 34237, or call (941) 926-6755 to arrange an introductory conversation. The letter should cover: your organization's EIN and 501(c)(3) status, the specific Sarasota-area program you are seeking to fund, your connection to Parkinson's disease or neurodegenerative research, and two or three measurable outcomes from existing programs. Keep it to one page.

Avoid generic language. Do not reference the foundation's website (it does not reflect this organization). Do not send email without a personal contact first. Do not follow up more than once within 60 days — this is a single-trustee operation and repeated follow-ups are counterproductive.