The Hardison Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on a small set of sizable, repeat grants, primarily supporting higher education, international medical humanitarian aid, and local hunger relief. Their portfolio is dominated by multi-grant commitments to Illinois Institute of Technology and Doctors Without Borders, alongside meaningful support for a regional food bank, indicating a mix of global relief, education, and community-level basic needs.
Concentrated giving: a small number of relatively large grants, with repeated multi-grant support to the same national and institutional grantees rather than many one-off gifts.
The Hardison Family Foundation’s recent giving is marked by repeated $50,000 grants to Illinois Institute of Technology, Doctors Without Borders USA, and several food banks, showing a pattern of steady support for education, international medical relief, and basic-needs organizations. Across the latest grants on file, the foundation uses general-purpose awards rather than tightly restricted project grants, and it returns to the same recipients over multiple years. That repeat-giving structure is visible in its support for Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Doctors Without Borders USA in Hagerstown, and Harry Chapin Food Bank in Fort Myers. It also extends to other organizations serving children, patients, and households facing food insecurity, including St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Shriner’s Hospital for Children. The result is a portfolio that mixes large institutional gifts with community-level human services. The foundation’s grant list is not a scatter of one-off awards. Several recipients appear in consecutive years, and many of the largest grants sit at the top of the foundation’s distribution. That makes the giving pattern easier to read: multi-year support, general-purpose funding, and a limited set of organizations that recur across higher education, humanitarian aid, and hunger relief.
In higher education, The Hardison Family Foundation gave $50,000 to Illinois Institute of Technology in 2024 and again in 2025, both for general purpose support. That repeated award pattern makes education one of the clearest parts of its portfolio. For international medical humanitarian aid, the foundation gave $50,000 to Doctors Without Borders USA in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Those recurring grants indicate sustained backing for a global health organization rather than a one-time project. Food insecurity is another visible area. The foundation awarded $70,000 to Harry Chapin Food Bank in 2025, after $50,000 grants in 2023 and 2024, and also supported Greater Chicago Food Depository and Oregon Food Bank. It also gave $45,000 to Northern Illinois Food Bank in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Typical grants cluster tightly around larger awards: p25 is $10,000, the median is $45,000, and p75 is $50,000. The pattern suggests a foundation that favors substantial, repeat grants over many small awards. Multiple recipients appear across 2023, 2024, and 2025, including institutions that receive support in consecutive years. The available data points to a family foundation structure with general-purpose giving, and the grants are not framed as program-related investments or individual support.
$10.5M
$0
$1.9M
$10.6M
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $45K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$45K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Notable grantees: Illinois Institute of Technology, Doctors Without Borders USA (Médecins Sans Frontières), Harry Chapin Food Bank
Giving is national, with grants landing in 100% U.S. recipients across the sample. Tennessee is the top state by grant count, while Florida recipients account for 25% of grants. The most visible recipient cities include Memphis, Chicago, Fort Myers, Geneva, and North Fort Myers. The list also includes awards to organizations in Portland, Alexandria, Florissant, Hagerstown, and Sanibel, showing a mix of local Florida support and broader national reach.
The foundation supports a mix of higher education, medical humanitarian aid, food security, children’s health, and general community needs. Recent grants include repeated support for Illinois Institute of Technology, Doctors Without Borders USA, and several food banks, along with awards to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Shriner’s hospitals.
Typical grants are sizable: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $45,000, and the 75th percentile is $50,000. Recent awards also include a $70,000 grant and several recurring $50,000 grants.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years. Illinois Institute of Technology, Doctors Without Borders USA, Harry Chapin Food Bank, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, Oregon Food Bank, and Echo Inc all receive repeated support in the recent grant list.
Its grantmaking is national, with 100% of the recent grants going to U.S. recipients. Tennessee is the top state by grant count, and Florida recipients account for 25% of grants.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIDELITY CHARITABLE | CINCINNATI, OH | $10,530,237 | 2026 | DONOR ADVISED FUND |
| HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK | FORT MYERS, FL | $70,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK | GENEVA, IL | $45,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SHRINER'S HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN | ST LOUIS, MO | $45,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NORTH COUNTY MEALS ON WHEELS | FLORISSANT, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ECHO INC | NORTH FORT MYERS, FL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OREGON FOOD BANK | PORTLAND, OR | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PEO INTERNATIONAL | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLINIC FOR THE REHABILITATION OF WILDLIFE | SANIBEL, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COTTEY COLLEGE | NEVADA, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK | FORT MYERS, FL | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK | GENEVA, IL | $45,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SHRINER'S HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN | ST LOUIS, MO | $45,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ECHO INC | NORTH FORT MYERS, FL | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OREGON FOOD BANK | PORTLAND, OR | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CLINIC FOR THE REHABILITATION OF WILDLIFE | SANIBEL, FL | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COTTEY COLLEGE | NEVADA, MO | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PEO INTERNATIONAL | DES MOINES, IA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NORTH COUNTY MEALS ON WHEELS | FLORISSANT, MO | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK | FORT MYERS, FL | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | CHICAGO, IL | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK | GENEVA, IL | $45,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SHRINER'S HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN | TAMPA, FL | $45,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| SALVATION ARMY | ALEXANDRIA, VA | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ECHO INC | NORTH FORT MYERS, FL | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| OREGON FOOD BANK | PORTLAND, OR | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NORTH COUNTY MEALS ON WHEELS | FLORISSANT, MO | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COTTEY COLLEGE | NEVADA, MO | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PEO FOUNDATION | ABERDEEN, SD | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| CARE AND REHABILITATION OF WILDLIFE | SANIBEL ISLAND, FL | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
FIDELITY CHARITABLE
$10,530,237DONOR ADVISED FUND
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GENERAL PURPOSE
SHRINER'S HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
$45,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NORTH COUNTY MEALS ON WHEELS
$20,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PEO INTERNATIONAL
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
SHRINER'S HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN
$45,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PEO INTERNATIONAL
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NORTH COUNTY MEALS ON WHEELS
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE
SALVATION ARMY
$30,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NORTH COUNTY MEALS ON WHEELS
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PEO FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
CARE AND REHABILITATION OF WILDLIFE
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE