The Hickey Family Foundation

The Hickey Family Foundation (HFF) operates as a proactive, invitation-only funder — arguably the most defining characteristic any grant seeker must internalize before attempting engagement. Founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Frank Hickey as a charitable trust under Arizona law, the foundation deploys roughly $6.2–6.6 million in grants annually from a ~$150 million asset base. Its governing philosophy is to identify and cultivate partners, not to review open submissions.

Organizations that have entered the HFF portfolio share a common profile: they address acute, measurable need — whether homeless youth in Phoenix's West Valley, malnourished children in Malawi, or tuberculosis patients in the Philippines — and they have credible track records before any HFF relationship begins. The foundation is not a startup funder; it backs established organizations with demonstrated operational capacity and clear evidence of impact.

The typical relationship progression runs: (1) HFF staff or trustees identify an organization through sector networks, publications, or peer referrals; (2) a brief exploratory conversation or site visit occurs; (3) an invitation to submit a specific proposal is extended; (4) the proposal is reviewed at the board level by a co-trustee structure of 6-7 members plus Nancy E. Baldwin as both co-trustee and executive director (compensated at $289,611 in FY2024). If funded, the relationship is almost invariably multi-year — every top grantee appears 3 or 4 times across the grant record, often spanning a decade or more.

First-time applicants must understand that HFF lists no application portal, publishes no open RFPs, and posts no grant deadlines. The path in is relational. Arizona-based organizations should ensure their work surfaces in sector convenings, coalitions (particularly the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network and Arizona Community Foundation affinity groups), and through peer grantee introductions. International health organizations should pursue visibility at global health conferences where HFF's medical training and nutrition partners operate. Medical technology applicants need institutional affiliation with a major research center.

Geographically, 58% of HFF grants by count go to Arizona-based organizations (67 of 116 documented), with the balance distributed nationally and internationally through U.S.-based intermediaries operating in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

HFF has maintained strikingly consistent annual giving of $6.9–7.6 million (total giving including administrative program expenses) across FY2019–2023, with grants paid specifically ranging from $6.0M in FY2020 to $6.6M in FY2022. Despite asset value fluctuations — dropping from $154.6M in FY2021 to $128.7M in FY2022 before recovering to $138.5M in FY2023 and $150.7M in FY2024 — the foundation maintained steady grant volume, suggesting a disciplined payout policy insulated from market swings.

Grant sizes span a wide range in the formal sample: minimum $3,500, median $130,000, maximum $702,074, average $192,568 (34-grant DB sample). Those figures understate cumulative relationship values substantially. Top funded relationships aggregate: Cleveland Clinic ($3,702,074 across 4 grants, FY2020–2023), Arizona Community Foundation ($2,537,403 across 4 grants), International Medical Corps ($2,200,000 across 4 grants), Project Peanut Butter ($2,178,888 across 4 grants), NPH-USA ($1,887,628 across 4 grants), and Native American Connections ($1,500,000 across 4 grants). Long-term grantees average $450K–$925K per individual grant; smaller or newer relationships receive $10K–$100K.

By geography: Arizona accounts for 67 of 116 documented grants (58%), California 10 (9%), New York 9 (8%), Massachusetts 8 (7%), Missouri 8 (7%), Illinois 4 (3%), Ohio 4 (3%), and DC 3 (3%). International grantees are funded through U.S.-registered intermediaries rather than directly.

By program area (estimated from grantee analysis): youth rescue, anti-trafficking, and homeless youth absorbs roughly 40% of grant count; global health and medical training centers accounts for an estimated 35%+ of total dollars given the large multi-year IMC, Project Peanut Butter, and Children's Global Health Fund grants; medical technology innovation via Cleveland Clinic represents approximately 15% of dollars; Arizona community infrastructure (police operations, Arizona Community Foundation pass-throughs, conference sponsorships) accounts for the balance. Officer compensation was $347,212 in FY2023, $429,111 in FY2022, reflecting the compensated co-trustee model.

The following peer foundations were identified by asset size (approximately $150M), all classified under the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category. Annual giving is estimated or unavailable for peers lacking public 990 data at comparable granularity.

Among this asset-size peer group, HFF stands out for the operational depth of its grantmaking — funding law enforcement equipment, clinical trials, and individual maternity clinic construction rather than providing general operating support. The Teiger Foundation and Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation similarly operate on invitation-only bases, consistent with HFF's model, but focus on arts/culture and environmental conservation respectively — areas HFF does not touch. For Arizona-based grant seekers, no comparable in-state funder at this asset level combines domestic youth services and international health with HFF's level of programmatic specificity and multi-year commitment.

No 990-PF filings for FY2024 are yet publicly available as of March 2026. The most recently confirmed fiscal year data is FY2023: grants paid $6,204,150; total giving $7,099,494; total assets $138,530,190; officer compensation $347,212. FY2024 shows recovered total assets of $150,742,199 with revenue of $5,557,668, though grant totals are not yet filed.

The Cleveland Clinic partnership — ongoing since 2014, totaling $3,702,074 across 4 documented grants — recently produced returns sufficient to establish the Hickey Evergreen Fund, a structural milestone suggesting the medical technology portfolio is maturing toward a self-sustaining co-investment model. Active Cleveland Clinic projects include Mobius Care (autism), VisionAir, Method AI, Zehna Therapeutics, Enspire DBS Therapy, Mitria Medical, and the S[erg]ical Program.

On the international health front, HFF's website documents two active initiatives: the Cameroon maternity clinic construction (International Medical Corps) and the Malawi high-protein RUSF clinical trial (Project Peanut Butter, 1,800 children enrolled). Domestically, Native American Connections' youth housing expansion — HomeBase shelter beds plus Sahuaro Ki transitional housing capital improvements — represents the most recent major domestic capital commitment, following $1.5M already invested across 4 grants.

No leadership changes or trustee departures were identified through web research. Nancy E. Baldwin has served continuously as co-trustee and executive director, with compensation growing from $246,975 (earliest available year) to $289,611 (FY2024), reflecting sustained institutional leadership stability.

Because HFF accepts no unsolicited proposals, the conventional grant-writing playbook does not apply. Strategy is entirely about positioning — ensuring your organization is visible, credible, and clearly mission-aligned before HFF staff identify you.

For Arizona-based organizations: The highest-value pathways are through the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network (AATN) and Arizona Community Foundation ecosystems. HFF has funded AATN member organizations extensively and co-invested in the Arizona Community Foundation's Summer Youth Program Fund and Arizona Together for Impact Fund. Active participation in AATN coalitions, presenting at AATN convenings, and cultivating peer references from existing HFF grantees (Native American Connections, Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation, Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services, Culture Reframed, Mountain Park Health Center) dramatically increases the probability of HFF identification.

For international health organizations: HFF's global portfolio shares a common trait — every grantee operates physical infrastructure (clinics, training centers, feeding programs) rather than advocacy or policy work. Project Peanut Butter, Children's Global Health Fund, Sons of Divine Providence, International Medical Corps, and NPH-USA all report measurable throughput: patients seen, children fed, staff trained, facilities built. Organizations matching this profile should pursue visibility at global health convenings where existing HFF partners operate.

For medical technology applicants: All documented HFF medical technology grants flow through institutional channels (Cleveland Clinic Foundation, UC Regents, UCLA Foundation, University of Arizona Foundation). Independent organizations cannot approach HFF directly for medical technology funding; institutional co-submission through an academic medical center is required.

Language alignment: When invited, use HFF's documented terminology — 'at-risk youth,' 'productive, functioning members of their community,' 'promising medical breakthroughs,' 'where no or inadequate medicine exists.' Proposals should lead with quantified deliverables, not narrative descriptions.

Timing: No public grant cycle is published. The co-trustee board structure suggests multiple decision points per year rather than a single annual deadline. Multi-year asks (2-3 year project phases) are strongly preferred given HFF's documented funding behavior.