The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation

The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation operates as a professionally staffed private foundation that does not accept unsolicited proposals. Understanding this from the outset is the single most important piece of strategic intelligence for any grant seeker: no public application cycle exists, no RFP is ever issued, and the foundation explicitly states it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. The path to a grant runs entirely through relationship development and strategic visibility — not through competitive applications.

Founded in 1986 by Philip and Mary Alice Fortin and headquartered at 201 Chilean Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida, the foundation has built a tightly curated portfolio centered on four areas: children, education, homelessness, and animal welfare. Its geographic footprint is anchored in two markets — Palm Beach County, Florida (which accounts for roughly 52% of grant activity by count) and Yellowstone County, Montana (approximately 10%), with additional national giving to organizations that carry strong institutional relationships with foundation leadership.

The giving philosophy strongly favors general operating support. Of the 743 grants documented in foundation records, the vast majority carry the purpose code 'GENERAL SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS,' signaling that the foundation trusts its vetted grantee partners to deploy funds where most needed rather than funding narrowly defined projects. Organizations that thrive in this portfolio build multi-year, multi-grant relationships — The Lord's Place has received $4.845M across three grant cycles; Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County has received $1.84M across nine engagements; Duke University has accumulated $2.162M across nine grants.

For organizations not yet in the portfolio, the documented entry point is direct outreach via [email protected] or (561) 835-0103. Introductory communication should lead with geographic alignment (Palm Beach County or Yellowstone County), sector fit within the four focus areas, and evidence of community trust — strong grantee press releases, named acknowledgments in local media, and references from existing foundation partners all build the kind of visibility that precedes an invitation. Catholic institutional ties also appear relevant: Catholic Charities, the Diocese of Palm Beach, Cardinal Newman High School, and the Sisters of St. Dominic all appear as grantees, suggesting faith alignment is a soft accelerant for relationship development.

The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation has sustained annual grantmaking between $11M and $18.5M over the past decade, funded almost entirely by investment income from its approximately $188M endowment. Across 743 documented grants totaling $38.46M in the available data, the average grant size is $51,763 — but this average is significantly pulled upward by a handful of transformational grants. The median grant sits closer to $15,000, reflecting a bimodal distribution: a large volume of smaller community grants ($5,000–$25,000) and a concentrated set of major institutional partnerships that receive $250,000–$2.5M per award.

The largest single grant documented is $2.5M to Billings Clinic Foundation in Montana, while other seven-figure awards include $1M to Duke University's Bass Connections program and individual tranches to The Lord's Place. At the lower end, Catholic Charities received $10,000 for general operations in 2024, and PAWS NY received $10,000 in 2023 for its Housecall Program. The foundation's 'Christmas in July' initiative distributes $7,000 per family through partner nonprofits — the smallest unit of giving on record.

By fiscal year, grants_paid figures from 990-PF filings show: FY2023: $12.35M; FY2022: $13.06M; FY2021: $11.07M; FY2020: $11.32M; FY2019: $12.74M. Total giving (which includes administrative and program expenses beyond direct grants) is consistently $4–7M higher, reaching $18.47M in FY2022 and $17.49M in FY2023.

Geographically, Florida dominates with 390 of 743 documented grants (52%), concentrated in Palm Beach County. Montana accounts for 71 grants (10%), heavily concentrated around Billings/Yellowstone County institutions like Billings Clinic, St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation, Billings Family YMCA, and Intermountain. New York (63 grants, 8%), California (62 grants, 8%), and Maine (21 grants) round out the secondary markets. Sector breakdown by dollar volume skews toward human services and healthcare (homelessness, hunger, addiction treatment, healthcare foundations) at roughly 55%, with education at 25%, animal welfare at 12%, and arts/culture at approximately 8%.

The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation occupies a distinctive position among Palm Beach County and Florida private foundations: a well-capitalized, professionally staffed foundation with invitation-only grantmaking and broad human services scope. The table below compares it to three regional peers with overlapping geography or sector focus.

Relative to peers, the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation's most distinctive characteristic is its combination of substantial scale ($188M in assets) with a closed, relationship-driven grantmaking model. The Quantum Foundation, though smaller, is the closest comparable in Palm Beach County but focuses narrowly on health and operates an open LOI process — making it more accessible to new applicants. The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties serves a similar geographic market but functions as a public foundation with competitive grant cycles. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund, while larger and Southeast-focused, shares the private foundation structure and sectoral breadth. For grant seekers, the Fortin Foundation's invitation-only model means that organizations meeting the geographic and sector criteria should pursue the Community Foundation or Quantum Foundation as parallel paths while building the long-term relationship needed for a Fortin invitation.

The foundation's most significant documented 2024 activity includes a $2.5M grant to Billings Clinic Foundation in Montana — the largest single-year award on record — and an estimated $16.27M in total charitable disbursements across approximately 209 grants. This marks a slight reduction in grant count from 2023 (249 grants), suggesting the foundation may be concentrating larger amounts with fewer but deeper relationships.

In August 2024, the foundation continued its 'Christmas in July' initiative through the Center for Child Counseling, distributing $7,000 to each of seven families in Palm Beach County facing acute hardship — the fourteenth consecutive year running this program. In October 2024, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach received a $10,000 general operating grant covering services across five South Florida counties.

No leadership changes or board transitions have been publicly announced. Danielle Hickox Moore continues to serve as President and Treasurer with a documented 2024 compensation of $689,080, reflecting the foundation's model of professional management. Lesly S. Smith (VP/Director, $583,643) and Susan Stockard Channing (Director, $427,027) round out the senior leadership team. The foundation's total officer compensation across the full board was approximately $1.98M in FY2024.

The foundation's website remains intentionally sparse — only the homepage and contact page are live; all other subpages return 404 — which is consistent with a closed grantmaking model that does not need to attract applicants. No press releases have been published on the foundation's own site; public documentation of grants comes primarily through recipient press releases and IRS Form 990-PF filings.

The core strategic reality for any organization pursuing The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation: there is no application to submit. The foundation makes grants exclusively to preselected organizations and explicitly does not accept unsolicited funding requests. Every practical tip below flows from this fundamental constraint.

Build geographic credibility first. The foundation's giving is concentrated in Palm Beach County, Florida and Yellowstone County, Montana. Organizations operating outside these markets face a significant additional barrier — the out-of-market grants (Duke University, PAWS NY, The People Concern) appear to reflect personal relationships of foundation principals, not an open national strategy. If your organization is Palm Beach- or Billings-based, lead with that in every communication.

Align with exactly one of the four priority areas. Children's welfare, education, homelessness services, and animal welfare are the documented pillars. Organizations that blur across multiple sectors should pick their strongest alignment and lead with it. Catholic institutional affiliation is a meaningful secondary signal: Catholic Charities, the Diocese of Palm Beach, and Cardinal Newman High School all appear as grantees.

Position for general operating support. The foundation almost never funds specific projects — 'GENERAL SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS' is the purpose cited for nearly all documented grants. Do not construct an elaborate project proposal. Instead, demonstrate organizational strength, community trust, and financial health that make general operating investments logical.

Make contact early and informally. Email [email protected] or call (561) 835-0103 with a brief, respectful introduction — organizational mission, geographic alignment, sector fit, and a request for guidance rather than a funding ask. Follow up within 30 days if no response.

Leverage existing grantees. Organizations that receive referrals or endorsements from current Fortin grantees (such as Town of Palm Beach United Way, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, or ARC of Palm Beach County) carry implicit credibility. Pursue board connections and collaborative programming with established portfolio organizations.

Be patient. The top grantees have accumulated funding across 3–13 grant cycles over multiple years. Initial grants — if awarded — may be modest ($5,000–$15,000 range), with the relationship deepening over time.