Solomon Family Foundation Inc.

## Approach Strategy

The Solomon Family Foundation Inc. is a tightly held private family foundation based in Coconut Grove, Miami, FL. Founded in 1997 and operating under the leadership of Sara Solomon (President) alongside family directors Sebastian Solomon and Ilona Solomon, the foundation functions as a personal philanthropy vehicle rather than a public grantmaking institution.

Key strategic insight: The foundation's primary disbursement mechanism in recent years (2022–2024) has been contributions to the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund, a donor-advised fund (DAF) based in St. Petersburg, FL. This means the foundation itself is essentially a pass-through to a DAF, which then distributes funds to end beneficiaries. Direct access to the foundation's ultimate grantees requires engaging with the DAF layer or the family directly.

Relationship-based access only. There is no public grant application portal, no RFP calendar, no website, and no listed contact email. The foundation's listed phone number (305-856-3103) and mailing address (2811 S Bayshore Dr Unit 9A, Miami, FL 33133) are the only documented entry points. Grant seekers must rely on personal introductions, social connections in the Miami philanthropic community, or demonstrated alignment with the family's known interests.

Focus areas by priority (inferred from 990-PF data): 1. Higher education (historically the primary direct-giving category) 2. Arts, culture, and humanities 3. Human services 4. Animal-related and environmental conservation (National Wildlife Foundation, The Trust for Public Land documented as past direct grantees)

Geographic scope: Primarily Florida, with secondary activity in Virginia — likely tied to family members' personal or educational connections.

## Funding Patterns

The Solomon Family Foundation operates with a highly concentrated, low-volume grantmaking model. Annual charitable disbursements have been remarkably consistent since at least 2018:

Notable pattern shift: The foundation moved from a multi-grant model (5 grants in 2019, 3 in 2021) to a single large-grant model (2022–2024). This consolidation coincides with the shift toward using Raymond James Charitable as the primary recipient — strongly suggesting the family is now deploying philanthropic capital through a DAF rather than making direct grants to operating nonprofits.

Average grant size (direct grants, pre-DAF period): Approximately $3,000–$132,000 per individual grant, with the historic high being the full $795,000 single-grant distribution.

Asset-to-giving ratio: The foundation distributes approximately 5% of assets annually ($795K on $15.4M), consistent with IRS minimum distribution requirements for private foundations (5%). The foundation does not give above the minimum required distribution, suggesting conservative stewardship.

Revenue model: The foundation operates entirely on investment income — dividends ($240K), asset sales ($278K), and interest ($112K) — with zero outside contributions. It is entirely self-sustaining from its endowment.

Giving trajectory: Modest upward trend in total annual disbursements (+20% over 5 years), likely reflecting investment portfolio growth.

## Peer Comparison

The Solomon Family Foundation is a mid-sized Miami private family foundation. Below is a comparison with similar Florida-based private foundations of comparable scale and focus:

Key differentiators: - Solomon is at the smaller end of Miami's named family foundation landscape but in the top tier of that cohort for asset base - Unlike the Batchelor Foundation (active, high-volume small grants) or The Miami Foundation (competitive, public), Solomon is entirely private and relationship-driven - The DAF strategy used by Solomon is increasingly common among family foundations seeking administrative simplicity and grantmaking flexibility — approximately 30% of U.S. private foundations with $10M–$25M in assets use DAFs as an intermediary - Solomon's payout rate (~5.2%) is at the legal minimum, while peer foundations in similar asset brackets often distribute 6–8% when they have active program officers pushing deployment

Competitive positioning for grant seekers: Solomon is significantly harder to access than public Miami-area foundations. Organizations that have succeeded with Solomon have likely done so through the family's personal networks in Miami's Coconut Grove / Brickell communities or through the University of Miami, Adrienne Arsht Center, or similar civic institutions where the family has documented ties.

## Recent Activity

2024 (most recent fiscal year): - Total charitable disbursements: $795,000 - Single grant recipient: Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund (St. Petersburg, FL) - Foundation assets: $15,418,856 - Revenue: $630,110 (dividends, interest, and capital gains) - Expenses: $892,335 (includes the $795K charitable grant plus administrative costs)

2023: - Total giving: $760,000 (1 grant, again to Raymond James Charitable) - Pattern continues: 100% of charitable disbursements routed through DAF

2022: - Total giving: $705,000 (1 grant) - Consistent with the DAF consolidation trend

Historical direct grantees (pre-DAF consolidation, circa 2019–2021): - National Wildlife Foundation — environmental conservation - The Trust for Public Land — land conservation, green spaces - Unnamed recipients in Merrifield (VA), St. Petersburg (FL), and Tallahassee (FL) — suggesting educational or civic institutions

Website status: The listed website (solomon.org) resolves to Solomon Park Research Laboratories, an unrelated blood serum products company. The foundation has no active digital presence and has not claimed profiles on Charity Navigator, GuideStar, or similar platforms.

Leadership continuity: No leadership changes detected in available 990-PF filings. Sara Solomon has served as President since at least 2017. All officers are uncompensated, consistent with a family-managed private foundation.

No recent news coverage found in philanthropy media, local Miami outlets, or national foundation databases — the foundation deliberately maintains a low public profile.

## Application Tips

Given the foundation's closed, relationship-based model, direct grant applications in the traditional sense are not viable. Here is a realistic strategy for organizations seeking to engage the Solomon Family Foundation:

1. Do not cold-apply. There is no application portal, and the foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited grant proposals via any public channel. Cold outreach by mail or phone is unlikely to succeed and may be counterproductive.

2. Map the family network. The Solomon family is embedded in Miami's Coconut Grove and Brickell communities. Sara Solomon, Sebastian Solomon, and Ilona Solomon likely have connections to: - University of Miami (consistent with "higher education" giving history) - Miami cultural institutions (Adrienne Arsht Center, Bass Museum, Pérez Art Museum Miami) - Environmental land trust organizations active in South Florida - Virginia-based educational institutions (the Virginia giving geography suggests family ties)

Identify board members, advisory roles, or public appearances by family members and seek introductions through mutual contacts.

3. Target the DAF intermediary. Since 2022, virtually all Solomon Foundation giving flows through Raymond James Charitable. Organizations already engaged with Raymond James Charitable's grant initiative may have an indirect pathway. Contact Raymond James Charitable's grant team to understand if DAF holders can recommend specific nonprofits for discretionary grants.

4. Focus pitch on strengths that match the portfolio: - Higher education (scholarships, capital campaigns, endowments) - Environmental conservation with a Florida/Virginia focus - Arts and cultural programming in South Florida - Animal welfare and wildlife programs

5. Long-term cultivation over transactional asks. Family foundations of this size ($15M) are often most responsive to multi-year relationship cultivation. Invite family members to site visits, events, or donor stewardship experiences before asking for money.

6. Timing: No public deadline information is available. The foundation's fiscal year ends December 31. Grant decisions in recent years appear to have been made as a single annual disbursement, suggesting decisions may be made in Q4 or early Q1. If pursuing relationship-based outreach, initiate contact in Q2–Q3 (spring/summer) to allow time before year-end decisions.

7. Realistic expectations: The current model (single large DAF grant per year) means direct grants to operating nonprofits are rare. This foundation is most relevant for organizations that either (a) have existing personal relationships with the Solomon family, or (b) operate in sectors with strong personal alignment and can demonstrate that alignment through mutual networks.