Semnani Family Foundation

The Semnani Family Foundation is a closely held, family-directed philanthropic institution founded in 1994 by Khosrow Semnani, an Iranian-American entrepreneur based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The board consists entirely of family members — Khosrow Semnani, Taymour Semnani, Ghazaleh Semnani, and Shirin Kia — all serving without compensation, which underscores the deeply personal nature of the foundation's grantmaking.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on maximum impact through minimum overhead. Its IRS mission statement names two anchor beneficiaries: the Maliheh Free Clinic (providing free medical care to uninsured and low-income individuals) and the Refugee Justice League (defending constitutional rights of U.S. refugees). These relationships define the foundation's identity — it funds both direct services and operational infrastructure, including utilities, insurance, and building expenses, not just programming costs.

For first-time applicants, the most critical fact is that there is no online portal, no published grant cycle, and no RFP process. The IRS-verified application instructions state explicitly: applications should be mailed in the form of a letter. This letter-based, relationship-first model means the foundation responds to personal resonance, alignment with family values, and demonstrated Utah-community connection.

Approximately 75% of the foundation's direct grantmaking goes to organizations with prior relationships — Catholic Relief Services (3 grants, $600,000 total), Huntsman Cancer Foundation (3 grants, $270,000), Neighborhood House Association (4 grants, $155,000), and National Multiple Sclerosis Society (4 grants, $116,260) illustrate the multi-year, repeat-funding pattern. New applicants should position their inquiry as the start of an ongoing relationship, not a one-time ask.

A significant share of foundation resources also flows through Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program ($15.1M across 4 grants), a donor-advised fund intermediary. Organizations unable to secure a direct foundation grant may find alternative pathways by connecting with Khosrow Semnani's personal philanthropic interests through community introductions.

Based on 211 tracked grants totaling $19,990,816 in the grantee dataset, combined with ten years of IRS financial data:

Grant size distribution: - Median grant: $10,000 - Average grant: $62,494 (significantly inflated by large outliers) - Range: $250 minimum to $2,388,538 maximum - Most common grant range: $20,000–$100,000 for established partners

Annual giving trajectory (IRS Form 990): - FY2011: $3.1M | FY2012: $2.7M | FY2013: $3.6M | FY2014: $2.7M - FY2019: $5.1M | FY2020: $5.4M | FY2021: $4.4M | FY2022: $7.7M | FY2023: $6.0M - Trend: Total giving has more than doubled from 2011 to 2023, tracking with asset growth from $50.8M to $113.7M.

Geographic concentration: - Utah: 145 grants (68.7% of all grants) - California: 13 grants (6.2%) - DC/Maryland: 18 combined (8.5%) - New York: 8 grants (3.8%) - Massachusetts: 5 grants (2.4%) - International reach noted across 23 countries, though the largest cross-border grants route through DAF vehicles.

Sector breakdown (inferred from grantee analysis): - Health care access: ~35% (Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Maliheh Free Clinic, Shriners Hospital, MS Society, Primary Children's Hospital, Intermountain Foundation, St. Jude) - Social services/human welfare: ~25% (Catholic Relief Services, Family Promise of Ogden, LDS Charities, Neighborhood House Association) - Education/research: ~15% (MIT $100K, University of Utah $56K, Utah Tech University $54K, Westminster College $50K, Johns Hopkins $50K) - Interfaith/civil society/civic: ~15% (ACLU Foundation $130K, Utah Muslim Civic League $80K, Chabad Lubavitch $60K, Cathedral of the Madeleine $56K) - Disaster relief/international: ~10% (Doctors Without Borders $50K, Int'l Red Cross $50K, Penny Appeal USA $100K, Afrika Tikkun $100K)

The payout ratio has been consistent at roughly 5–7% of assets annually, suggesting a stable long-term endowment model.

The following table compares the Semnani Family Foundation against four comparable Utah-based or similarly-scaled family foundations.

The Semnani Family Foundation occupies a distinctive niche within Utah philanthropy: it is meaningfully large ($132M), has broad international reach across 23 countries, and maintains a notably open posture (mailed letters accepted on a rolling basis) compared to peers who are purely invitation-only. Unlike the Eccles Foundation — which focuses heavily on arts and cultural institutions — Semnani directs substantial resources toward health access for uninsured populations, refugee services, and interfaith programming. Its interfaith commitment across Muslim, Jewish, and Christian institutions is unique among major Utah funders and reflects founder Khosrow Semnani's personal background as an Iranian-American immigrant bridging multiple communities.

No major press releases, leadership changes, or new program announcements from 2025–2026 were identified in public searches. The foundation maintains a low public profile consistent with its family-operated structure and relationship-based grantmaking model.

The most significant recent development is financial: assets grew from $107.9M (FY2022) to $113.7M (FY2023) to $132.2M (FY2024), a 22.5% increase in two years driven by strong investment returns. FY2024 revenue was $30.9M — the highest recorded in the available dataset — though FY2024 grants paid data has not yet been publicly filed.

The foundation's FY2022 peak giving of $7.7M (up from $4.4M in FY2021) likely reflects COVID-era relief activity and strong market returns that year. The slight reduction to $6.0M in FY2023 may represent normalization rather than a strategic pullback.

Grant database profiles on Instrumentl and GrantStation were updated in December 2024, confirming the foundation remains active. A February 2025 listing on a Ghana-based CSO funding platform signals continued international reputation as a global humanitarian funder, though direct applications from non-Utah international organizations face a very low historical hit rate given the 68.7% Utah geographic concentration.

No new staff hires, board changes, or named program launches have been publicly announced. The four board directors — Khosrow Semnani, Taymour Semnani, Ghazaleh Semnani, and Shirin Kia — appear to have remained unchanged across multiple IRS filings.

1. Mail a letter — this is not optional. The IRS-verified application instruction states: 'APPLICATIONS SHOULD BE MAILED IN THE FORM OF A LETTER.' Send to: Semnani Family Foundation, PO Box 11623, Salt Lake City, UT 84147-0623. Email inquiries and online submissions are not part of the official process.

2. Lead with Utah impact. Even if your organization operates nationally or internationally, open by describing your Utah presence or the Utah community you serve. With 68.7% of grants going to Utah organizations, alignment with Salt Lake City and surrounding communities is the single most reliable predictor of funding.

3. Name the pillars explicitly. The foundation's own language — health, education, disaster relief, social services, children, women, environment, religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue, Iranian-American communities — should appear in your letter. Match your terminology to theirs.

4. Quantify efficiency. The foundation explicitly disfavors high overhead. Include a cost-per-beneficiary metric, your program expense ratio (ideally 80%+), and any efficiency awards or ratings (e.g., Charity Navigator 4-star, GuideStar Platinum).

5. Reference the anchor grantees if appropriate. If your work intersects with the Maliheh Free Clinic model (free medical care for the uninsured) or Refugee Justice League (refugee constitutional rights), say so directly — these are the foundation's named priority relationships.

6. Apply year-round; follow up by phone. There is no deadline. After mailing your letter, follow up by phone at (801) 321-7725. The foundation's low administrative overhead means persistence and personal contact matter.

7. Propose a modest first grant. The median grant is $10,000. First-time applicants are unlikely to receive six-figure awards. Request $10,000–$25,000 for a specific, time-bound outcome, and frame it as the start of a multi-year relationship.

8. Avoid program-heavy narratives. The foundation pays operational costs (utilities, insurance, repairs) for its anchor grantees. Don't shy away from requesting general operating support or infrastructure costs — this funder is comfortable with non-programmatic funding.