Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education
ActivePhilanthropy & Voluntarism
About Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education
The Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education (FEHE) strengthens elite universities and forms the next generation of leaders in academia, law, politics, medicine, and business by providing funding and guidance to a network of pre-selected programs at some of the most prestigious institutions in the world.
Focus Areas
higher educationhumanitiescivic educationhuman flourishingclassical humanitiesethics and medical ethicsphilosophy and political thought
Who They Fund
scholarspostdoctoral fellowsacademic programs/centerspolicy/civic discourse organizations
Funding Style
About Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education
The Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education funds a pre-selected network of university programs and independent academic institutes, with multi-year support tied to humanities, civic education, philosophy, ethics, and human flourishing. Its recent grants show a pattern of large institutional awards rather than individual scholarships, including $1,250,000 to The Trustees of Columbia University for general operations and $1,036,250 to Harvard University for scholarship, general, and human flourishing programming. The foundation also supports centers and institutes that shape undergraduate and graduate education, seminars, and faculty or scholar communities across elite universities in the U.S. and U.K. Recent awards point to a sustained role in keeping academic programs running and connected. The Witherspoon Institute received $844,615 for general operations, while Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania received $754,000 for general operations. Other significant grants went to The American Academy of Sciences and Letters, The Morningside Institute, and The Abigail Adams Institute. Across this portfolio, the foundation backs institutions working in philosophy, constitutional studies, natural law, bioethics, and related areas of intellectual formation.
What Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education Funds
The foundation supports higher education through operating grants to university centers and affiliated institutes. It gave $495,000 to Austin Institute FSOFC for general operations and $426,000 to The Aquinas Institute for general operations, both part of a broader network of academic and intellectual-formation organizations. It also funds human flourishing work directly. Harvard University received $1,036,250 for scholarship, general, human flourishing program, and Johns Hopkins University received $410,000 for the Paul Mchugh program for human flourishing. A third strand is civic and philosophical education. Duke University received $470,000 for general operations, and Collegium Institute received multiple general-operations grants in Philadelphia. These awards fit the foundation’s interest in moral and political philosophy, constitutionalism, and civic education.
How Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education Gives
Typical grants are substantial: the 25th percentile is $212,174, the median is $307,214, and the 75th percentile is $406,962. The recent record is dominated by institutional general-operations support, with many awards in the low-to-mid six figures and some multi-million-dollar annual totals across the portfolio. The pattern also suggests recurring support. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Harvard University, The Abigail Adams Institute, Austin Institute FSOFC, The Morningside Institute, Collegium Institute, and Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. FEHE does not fund individuals and makes no program-related investments. Its active grant programs are described as pre-selected and multi-year, and one summer-seminar program accepts unsolicited participation while the institutional network itself does not accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$5.5M
Total Assets
$11.7M
Total Revenue
$7.3M
Total Expenses
$9.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $212K and $407K, with a median of $307K.
25th Percentile
$212K
Median
$307K
75th Percentile
$407K
Geographic Reach
National11 states funded
About 10% of grants go to recipients in PA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Luis E Tellez
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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