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Harrison Foundation

Annual Giving
$2.4M
Grant Range
$3K - $1.0M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,420,671 (2024)
  • Total Assets: $37,301,666
  • Number of Grants: 57 (2024)
  • Grant Range: $2,500 - $987,177
  • Geographic Focus: Virginia (primary), plus Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio

Contact Details

Address: PO Box 70, Manakin Sabot, VA 23103-0070
Phone: 804-784-4246
EIN: 26-0353463
Website: No public website available

Overview

The Harrison Foundation is a private independent foundation established by the family of the late David A. Harrison III and Mary Anderson Harrison. The foundation received tax-exempt status in September 2007 and continues the family's longstanding philanthropic legacy in Virginia and beyond. With assets exceeding $37 million, the foundation made 57 grants totaling $2.4 million in 2024. The foundation is currently led by the Harrison family's next generation, including President Marjorie Harrison Webb, along with directors David A. Harrison IV, Mary H. Keevil, and Anne H. Armstrong. The foundation's primary focus has been on education, particularly higher education, as well as health services and medical research. The family has demonstrated particular commitment to the University of Virginia, having made cumulative gifts exceeding $120 million to support athletics, medical research (especially Alzheimer's disease), law, library resources, and American history programs.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

Education: The foundation has made substantial investments in higher education, particularly supporting professorships, undergraduate research awards, student facilities, and library resources.

Health and Medical Research: Significant funding for medical research, particularly Alzheimer's disease and neurodegenerative diseases, neurology programs, and health facilities.

Human Services: The foundation supports human services organizations nationwide, though specific program areas are not publicly detailed.

Philanthropy and Voluntarism: Support for grantmaking foundations and charitable infrastructure.

Geographic Focus

While based in Virginia with a strong emphasis on Virginia institutions, the foundation has made grants in at least nine states: Virginia, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.

Grant Amounts

Grants typically range from $2,500 to $987,177, with the foundation making approximately 55-60 grants annually. The foundation has demonstrated capacity for both transformational multi-million dollar commitments and smaller grants.

Governance and Leadership

The Harrison Foundation is governed by four family members who each receive $25,000 annually in director compensation:

Marjorie Harrison Webb (President): Daughter of David A. Harrison III, Marjorie leads the foundation and has been actively involved in major philanthropic decisions. She serves on multiple boards and stated regarding the family's $55 million commitment to UVA: "These gifts support two areas of the University that will increase opportunities for students and faculty to thrive."

David A. Harrison IV (Director): Son of David A. Harrison III and UVA alumnus (Class of 1971), he continues the family's commitment to education and health services.

Mary Harrison Keevil (Director): Daughter of David A. Harrison III, Mary has served on the boards of the University of Virginia Health Foundation, the Boca Grande Health Clinic, the Island School, and Episcopal High School. In 2015, she joined the Council of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.

Anne Harrison Armstrong (Director): Daughter of David A. Harrison III, Anne participates in the family's philanthropic decision-making.

The foundation represents the continued stewardship of David A. Harrison III's estate, whose 2002 bequest to institutions exceeded $64 million. The family maintains the philosophy of supporting education, health, and human services through strategic, often transformational, gifts.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Harrison Foundation does not have a public application process. This is a private family foundation that makes grants to preselected charitable organizations. The foundation does not maintain a public website, published grant guidelines, or open application procedures.

Getting on Their Radar

Based on the foundation's documented grantmaking patterns, organizations that have received support tend to have:

  • Direct connections to the Harrison family: The foundation's major grants have gone to institutions where family members have personal connections, such as the University of Virginia (David A. Harrison III's alma mater) and institutions where board members serve.

  • Geographic proximity: While the foundation makes grants nationwide, there is a concentration in Virginia, particularly in areas connected to the family's home base of Manakin Sabot and Hopewell, Virginia.

  • Focus areas aligned with family interests: Organizations working in higher education, medical research (particularly Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases), athletics facilities, library resources, and American history have received substantial support.

The foundation operates through trustee discretion, with grant decisions made by the four family members serving as directors. Organizations seeking funding would need to develop relationships with family members or be brought to their attention through existing relationships within their philanthropic network.

Application Success Factors

Given the private nature of this foundation, success factors are primarily relationship-based:

  • Institutional connections: The foundation has demonstrated sustained support for institutions where the Harrison family has deep connections, particularly the University of Virginia, which has received over $120 million in cumulative support from the family's foundations.

  • Transformational impact potential: Recent grants suggest the foundation is interested in projects with naming opportunities and lasting impact, such as the Harrison Family Olympic Sports Center and the Harrison Family Translational Research Center in Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

  • Alignment with founder's values: David A. Harrison III was described as someone committed to excellence in education and advancing medical knowledge. Projects that demonstrate these values appear to resonate with the foundation.

  • Multi-year vision: The foundation has supported creating endowed professorships and capital projects, indicating interest in sustainable, long-term impact rather than only annual operating support.

  • Educational and health focus: Organizations working in higher education, medical research, and human services appear to be the primary beneficiaries based on the foundation's stated funding priorities.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications; all grants are made at the trustees' discretion to preselected organizations
  • The foundation makes approximately 57-59 grants annually totaling around $2.4 million, with individual grants ranging from $2,500 to nearly $1 million
  • Strong family connections to the University of Virginia suggest that UVA and institutions with direct family ties receive the most substantial support
  • The foundation operates in education, health/medical research, and human services across multiple states
  • Grant decisions are made by four family members (Marjorie Harrison Webb, David A. Harrison IV, Mary H. Keevil, and Anne H. Armstrong) who serve as directors
  • The foundation has capacity for both large transformational gifts ($20-30 million commitments) and smaller grants ($2,500-$10,000)
  • Organizations in Virginia, particularly those aligned with higher education and medical research, appear to have the strongest chance of support
  • Without a public application process, potential grantees would need personal connections to the Harrison family or introductions through mutual contacts in the Virginia philanthropic community

References

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