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Hassenfeld Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$10.1M

Hassenfeld Family Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $10,052,341 (2023)
  • Number of Grants: 41 grants (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable - invitation only
  • Decision Time: Not applicable - proactive grantmaking
  • Grant Range: Varies significantly, from smaller grants to multi-million dollar commitments
  • Geographic Focus: Rhode Island (approximately 50% of giving), with additional national and international grants
  • Founded: 1944 (some sources cite 1947)

Contact Details

Address: 101 Dyer St Ste 401, Providence, RI 02903-3908

Note: The foundation does not maintain a website and does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding.

Overview

The Hassenfeld Family Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of the family behind Hasbro Inc., the toy and entertainment company. Established in 1944, the foundation has become one of Rhode Island's leading philanthropic organizations, distributing over $10 million annually. The foundation's mission centers on supporting health (particularly children's health), higher education, global development, and Jewish causes, with a strong emphasis on initiatives benefiting children and the state of Rhode Island. The foundation takes a proactive, relationship-based approach to grantmaking, with trustees Alan G. Hassenfeld (who passed away in July 2025), Ellen Block, and Susan Block Casdin personally identifying and selecting charitable organizations to support. The family's success at Hasbro came from children and their families, which has deeply influenced their commitment to giving back through children's hospitals and health initiatives.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

Children's Health: The foundation's flagship focus area, with transformational investments including:

  • Millions in funding to establish Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, which opened in 1995
  • $12.5 million gift (matched by Brown University) to establish the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute at Brown University in 2015, focused on eliminating health inequities in pregnancy and childhood for Rhode Island families by 2032
  • $9.1 million (jointly with Ellen & Ronald Block Family Foundation) to support trauma care for children and families in Chicago
  • Recent $300,000 donation to Hasbro Children's Hospital as part of Hasbro's 100th anniversary celebration

Higher Education: Substantial ongoing support to Rhode Island institutions, including:

  • Brown University (receives particularly significant support, in the millions)
  • Roger Williams University ($750,000 in 2024 to expand law school awareness; $500,000 in 2018 for experiential education initiatives)
  • Salve Regina University
  • Bryant University
  • University of Chicago ($592,515 for unrestricted educational support)

Jewish Causes: Support for Jewish organizations in the U.S. and Israel, including:

  • Temple Emanu El in Providence
  • Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island
  • Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago
  • Jerusalem Foundation
  • American Friends of the Israel Museum

Global Development: Grants supporting international development, particularly:

  • Dream It Foundation (tools for academic and career development among youth in Nigeria)
  • Population and Development International
  • Toy Foundation

Geographic Distribution

Approximately 50% of the foundation's giving remains in Rhode Island, reflecting the family's deep commitment to their home state. The remaining grants support national and international causes aligned with their mission.

What They Don't Fund

The foundation explicitly states it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not fund organizations outside their proactive identification process.

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Alan G. Hassenfeld (1948-2025): Former chairman and CEO of Hasbro (1989-2003), who dedicated his later years to charitable work. Alan stated his philanthropic philosophy as: "I do it because it is the right thing to do if you are fortunate enough to be able to help other people in need" and that "when my heart smiles, that is success."
  • Ellen Block (Ellen Hassenfeld Block): Alan's sister and member of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees
  • Susan Block Casdin: Ellen Block's daughter and Alan's niece; founder of the Hassenfeld Committee, which raises funds to support psycho-social support services at medical facilities

Decision-Making Philosophy

Alan Hassenfeld explained the foundation's approach in an interview: "Much of what I do is my gut feeling which comes from meeting with people and listening to them." He believed "being a catalyst for trying to vision the future and making a difference is what is most important." When deciding whether to support an organization, the foundation focuses on "the need, the passion of the players, and the scalability of the project" and wants to understand the board's role in oversight and giving.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Hassenfeld Family Foundation takes a proactive approach to identifying and funding charitable organizations. The foundation explicitly states it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." They do not maintain a website or accept proposals for funding.

Grants are awarded based on trustees' personal knowledge, relationships, and identification of organizations that align with the foundation's mission and values. The trustees personally evaluate opportunities through direct meetings and relationship-building with organizational leaders.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation operates on a proactive trustee-discretion model rather than a structured application cycle.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation operates through invitation-only, proactive grantmaking, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, organizations that have successfully received funding share these characteristics:

Alignment with Core Values: Organizations supported demonstrate clear alignment with children's health, higher education, global development, or Jewish causes, with particular preference for initiatives benefiting children.

Rhode Island Connection: Approximately half of grants support Rhode Island organizations, showing strong geographic preference for the foundation's home state.

Institutional Quality and Scalability: Based on Alan Hassenfeld's stated criteria, the foundation evaluates "the need, the passion of the players, and the scalability of the project." They look for organizations with strong governance and board engagement in both oversight and giving.

Transformational Potential: The foundation has demonstrated a preference for significant, catalytic gifts that can create lasting change, such as the $12.5 million gift to establish the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute or the millions invested in creating Hasbro Children's Hospital.

Personal Connection and Trust: The foundation's decision-making relies heavily on personal relationships, direct meetings, and the trustees' "gut feeling" about organizational leaders and their passion for the work.

Focus on Underserved Populations: Recent grants have prioritized addressing health disparities, inequities, and support for underserved communities, particularly children and families facing trauma or lacking access to healthcare.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant applications. They identify and select grantees proactively.
  • Relationship-Based Grantmaking: Success requires existing relationships with trustees or being identified through their networks and sector knowledge.
  • Rhode Island Advantage: Organizations based in or serving Rhode Island have a significant advantage, as approximately half of all grants support the state.
  • Children's Health is the Flagship Cause: The foundation's most significant and sustained investments have been in children's health initiatives, particularly in Rhode Island.
  • Scale and Impact Matter: The foundation favors transformational gifts that can create systemic change rather than smaller, incremental support.
  • Board Engagement Counts: Trustees evaluate an organization's board involvement in both governance and financial support when making funding decisions.
  • Multi-Million Dollar Capacity: While grant sizes vary, the foundation has demonstrated capacity and willingness to make significant multi-million dollar commitments to aligned organizations.

References

All sources accessed December 2025.

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