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Lillian S Wells Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$3.0M
Grant Range
$10K - $5.0M

Lillian S Wells Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $3,040,000 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $31,253,505 (2023)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $5,000,000
  • Number of Grants: Approximately 10 per year
  • Geographic Focus: Florida (primarily Fort Lauderdale and Gainesville), with additional national grants to conservative policy organizations
  • Foundation Type: Private Family Foundation

Contact Details

Address: 600 SE 4th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-2215

Phone: 754-701-8508

Leadership Contacts:

  • Barbara S. Wells, President
  • James I. Ulmer, Director
  • Walter W. Bell, Contact
  • Ellen McPherson, Contact

Note: This is a private family foundation without a public website or formal online application portal.

Overview

The Lillian S Wells Foundation Inc was established in 1975 by Florida businessman Preston A. Wells Jr. ("Dick" Wells), a chemical engineer, real estate investor, and longtime conservative philanthropist who served on the Heritage Foundation board for nearly 30 years until his death in 2003. The foundation is now led by Barbara S. Wells, granddaughter of Lillian S. Wells and lead trustee of the foundation.

With assets exceeding $31 million, the foundation has maintained a consistent giving pattern of approximately $3 million annually. The foundation operates as a private family foundation, making strategic grants across three primary areas: medical research (with particular emphasis on brain tumor research and neuroscience), education, and the arts. The foundation also maintains a significant commitment to conservative policy organizations and think tanks, reflecting the founder's philosophical commitments.

The foundation has established transformative, long-term relationships with key institutions, most notably the University of Florida's neurosurgery department (a 30+ year relationship) and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (also 30+ years). Recent strategy has included major capital campaigns and named facilities that ensure lasting impact.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with standardized application cycles. Instead, grants appear to be made through trustee initiative and strategic relationships. Recent major grants include:

  • Brain Tumor Research: $1,000,000+ grants to University of Florida Foundation for the L.S. Wells Fund for Brain Tumor Research
  • Healthcare Infrastructure: $500,000 - $2,500,000 for hospital neuroscience centers and rehabilitation facilities
  • Arts & Culture: $500,000 - $5,000,000 for performing arts capital campaigns
  • Conservative Policy: $500,000+ grants to Heritage Foundation, Intercollegiate Studies Institute
  • Higher Education: $2,500,000+ for academic facilities and endowed scholarships

Priority Areas

Medical Research & Healthcare

  • Brain tumor research and neurosurgery programs (primary focus)
  • Women's health initiatives
  • Substance abuse treatment and research
  • At-risk youth health programs
  • Neuroscience centers and rehabilitation facilities
  • Sports medicine and orthopedic therapy facilities

Education

  • Higher education institutions, particularly in Florida
  • Health sciences education and simulation centers
  • Endowed scholarships and academic excellence funds
  • Conservative educational organizations and think tanks

Arts & Culture

  • Performing arts venues and capital improvements
  • Cultural institutions in South Florida
  • Museums and arts organizations

Conservative Policy & Advocacy

  • Conservative think tanks and policy research organizations
  • Educational institutions promoting conservative principles
  • Free market and limited government advocacy groups

Major Grant Recipients (Historical)

  • University of Florida (over 30 years of support totaling millions for neurosurgery)
  • Heritage Foundation ($8+ million from 2001-2018)
  • Intercollegiate Studies Institute ($4.75+ million since 2001)
  • Broward Center for the Performing Arts/Parker Playhouse ($5+ million in recent years)
  • Broward Health North (neuroscience center)
  • Holy Cross Health Fort Lauderdale (rehabilitation facilities)
  • Broward College ($2.5+ million for health sciences)
  • James Madison Institute ($350,000+)
  • Capital Research Center ($390,000+)

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation's grant history suggests they do not fund:

  • General operating support for small organizations without strategic relationships
  • Projects outside their core focus areas (medical research, education, arts, conservative policy)
  • Organizations without established track records or institutional capacity
  • Projects lacking measurable impact or recognition opportunities
  • Short-term or small-scale initiatives (grant floor appears to be around $10,000)

Governance and Leadership

Current Leadership

Barbara S. Wells - President and Lead Trustee

  • Granddaughter of philanthropist Lillian S. Wells
  • Fort Lauderdale resident and civic leader
  • Board member: Broward College Foundation, Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, James Madison Institute, Las Olas Property Owners Association
  • Has facilitated major gifts to organizations across arts, healthcare, human services, and education sectors

James I. Ulmer - Director

  • Quoted in 2012 regarding UF neurosurgery gift: "It is exciting to contemplate future achievements by dovetailing the clinical and research elements at the UF College of Medicine"
  • Appears to focus on medical research grant strategy

Walter W. Bell - Contact/Trustee

Ellen McPherson - Contact/Trustee

Foundation History

The foundation was established by Preston A. Wells Jr. (1922-2003), who was:

  • A successful chemical engineer and business magnate
  • President of The Las Olas Company (real estate)
  • Cattle rancher and investor
  • Member of Heritage Foundation board for nearly 30 years
  • Major donor to James Madison Institute (for which the Wells Center for American Ideals is named)
  • Florida Tax Commission member (1979-1987)

Following Preston Wells' death in 2003, his wife Marion Gretsch Wells (1926-2016) took over leadership roles and continued the family's conservative philanthropy through the Marion G. Wells Foundation (a separate entity) while the Lillian S. Wells Foundation continued under family trustee management.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The Lillian S Wells Foundation operates as a private family foundation where grants are awarded through trustee discretion and initiative rather than through open solicitation.

Grant decisions appear to be made through:

  • Long-term strategic relationships with key institutions
  • Board member connections and networks
  • Direct outreach from trustees to organizations aligned with foundation priorities
  • Major capital campaigns where foundation leadership is already engaged

Organizations should not submit unsolicited proposals expecting consideration through a formal review process.

Getting on Their Radar

Strategic Relationship Building:

  • Broward College: Barbara Wells serves on the Broward College Foundation board, which has led to multiple grants totaling over $2.5 million. Board engagement appears to be a key pathway to funding consideration.

  • University of Florida: The foundation's 30+ year relationship with UF neurosurgery began with relatively modest equipment grants and grew into multi-million dollar endowments and a named department. This suggests starting with focused, specialized requests aligned with trustee interests can build into major partnerships.

  • Conservative Organizations: Preston Wells served as a trustee of Heritage Foundation, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and James Madison Institute before the foundation made substantial grants to these organizations. Trustee personal engagement precedes major funding.

  • Arts & Culture in Fort Lauderdale: Barbara Wells serves on the Museum of Art board and has supported the Broward Center for decades. Local Fort Lauderdale cultural organizations where trustees have board involvement appear to be strong prospects.

Key Insights:

  • Foundation trustees serve on boards of organizations they fund
  • Relationships precede funding—often by many years
  • Capital campaigns with naming opportunities have attracted major gifts
  • Focus areas reflect family members' personal interests and board service
  • South Florida proximity appears advantageous for relationship building

Decision Timeline

Given the private foundation structure and lack of formal application cycles, decision timelines vary significantly:

  • Major institutional grants ($1 million+): Appear to result from multi-year relationships and are often tied to capital campaigns with extended timelines
  • Regular institutional support: Ongoing relationships see repeated funding, likely decided during annual trustee meetings
  • Strategic initiatives: Major new partnerships (like UF department naming) may take months to years to negotiate and finalize

No specific notification methods are documented, as grants appear to be negotiated directly with institutional leadership rather than awarded through competitive processes.

Application Success Factors

Funder-Specific Strategic Insights

1. Board Engagement is Critical The foundation's grant history shows a clear pattern: Barbara Wells serves on the boards of Broward College Foundation and Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art—both of which have received substantial grants. Similarly, Preston Wells' board service at Heritage Foundation, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and James Madison Institute preceded major foundation grants to these organizations. Organizations seeking funding should consider how to engage foundation trustees in governance or advisory roles.

2. Long-Term Relationship Building The foundation's 30-year relationship with UF neurosurgery and Broward Center for the Performing Arts demonstrates their preference for sustained partnerships. Jim Ulmer's quote about UF—emphasizing the "dovetailing" of clinical and research elements—suggests they value comprehensive, integrated approaches that build institutional capacity over time.

3. Naming Opportunities and Legacy Major recent grants have resulted in named facilities:

  • Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery at UF (first named department in the College of Medicine's 60-year history)
  • Lillian S. Wells Hall at Parker Playhouse
  • Lillian S. Wells Foundation Institute of Sports Performance and Orthopedic Therapy (iSPORT) at Holy Cross Health
  • Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy at UF

Capital campaigns offering meaningful naming recognition appear to attract the foundation's largest gifts.

4. Conservative Values Alignment (for Policy Organizations) The foundation has given over $8 million to Heritage Foundation and nearly $5 million to Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Organizations working on free market economics, limited government, educational reform from conservative perspectives, and American ideals appear aligned with trustee values.

5. Medical Research Excellence The foundation recruited Dr. Duane Mitchell's "preeminent brain tumor science team" to UF through their funding. They seek world-class researchers and comprehensive programs spanning "basic, translational and clinical sciences" rather than isolated projects.

6. South Florida Focus While the foundation makes national grants to conservative organizations, healthcare and arts funding concentrates heavily in Fort Lauderdale and surrounding Broward County. Local organizations with strong institutional credentials appear advantaged.

7. Capital Over Operating Support Grant history emphasizes:

  • Building and renovation projects
  • Endowed funds and named positions
  • Equipment and infrastructure
  • Program creation rather than program maintenance

General operating support appears rare; transformative capital projects are preferred.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is not an "apply and wait" funder: Without a public application process, success requires multi-year relationship cultivation with foundation trustees, particularly Barbara Wells and James Ulmer.

  • Board service = grant consideration: Review the foundation's focus areas and consider how your organization might engage trustees in advisory or governance roles aligned with their interests (brain research, conservative policy, South Florida arts/education).

  • Think capital, not annual: Proposals should emphasize transformative infrastructure, endowments, or program creation with naming opportunities rather than operating support or small-scale projects.

  • Geography matters for some priorities: Medical research grants appear geographically flexible (UF in Gainesville received major support), but arts and community healthcare funding concentrates in Fort Lauderdale/Broward County where trustees live and serve on boards.

  • Start small, build long-term: The UF relationship began with equipment grants and grew over 30 years into department naming. Initial modest support for specialized needs can build into major partnerships.

  • Conservative organizations have a clear pathway: Alignment with free market economics, limited government, traditional American values, and conservative educational principles positions organizations well for consideration, especially if engaging trustees in governance.

  • Excellence and recognition are expected: The foundation funds "world-renowned scientists," "preeminent teams," and programs that will be "first in history." Proposals must demonstrate exceptional quality and measurable distinction.

References

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