The Humana Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Humana Foundation, based in Louisville, KY, names Kentucky, Louisville, Florida, Louisiana and Texas as priorities, but its stated geographic focus is regardless of geography, so location alone should not rule out a charity elsewhere.
- Its work centres on health equity for seniors, veterans and school-aged children, with themes including nutrition and food security, disaster philanthropy and research, and it wants clear results, evidence that the approach will work, and cost per person set against results.
- Typical grants fall between $5,000 and $700,000, and in one filing half of its 38 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less, so a modest request in that region is more usual, though its largest grant was $7,000,000.
- Register and create a profile in its online grant management system, complete the eligibility check, then submit the proposal with supporting documents; research participation is by invitation, so raise research interests first through its Contact Us form.
- Sponsorships and fundraising events are not funded, so a charity seeking those should not apply.
Overview
The Humana Foundation is a US private foundation based in Louisville, KY.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Humana Foundation advances health equity by removing unjust, avoidable and unnecessary barriers in health and healthcare. Its giving supports connected, healthy lives for seniors, veterans and school-aged children, and it works through community-centred collaborations and evidence-based investments. Its focus geographies are Kentucky, with particular emphasis on Louisville, Florida, Louisiana and Texas; it also considers certain research and health equity innovation grants regardless of geography. It funds tax-exempt non-profit, governmental and faith-based organisations. Its work includes creating healthy emotional connections, improving nutritional literacy and food security, emergency relief and equitable long-term recovery, and research that translates into practical solutions. It looks for diverse projects with potential for large health-equity impact that can be sustainable, scalable and replicated.
Themes
- Connected Healthy Lives
- Health Equity Innovation
- Disaster Philanthropy
- Research
- Nutrition and Food Security
Geographic Focus
Regardless of geography. Priority: Kentucky; Louisville; Florida; Louisiana; Texas.
What They Don't Fund
- Sponsorships or fundraising events
- Giving Together matching gift program only: Organizations that do not comply with the Foundation’s anti-discrimination policy; Organizations that provide benefits directly to Humana associates or their families, such as trips, tours, internships, tuition, event tickets, parking privileges, club dues, products and services, or discounts on products or services; Religious organizations, unless the specific program is designated as non-denominational in nature and benefits a broad range of the community (e.g., soup kitchen, homeless shelter); Gifts to entities classified as private foundations or Donor Advised Funds (contributions out of a Donor Advised Fund to an eligible organization as described above would be eligible for matching with donation receipt)
How to apply
For standard grant proposals, organisations must register and establish a profile in the online grant management system, complete its eligibility check, then submit a proposal and supporting documents. Research participation is by invitation; organisations interested in research opportunities or submitting a research proposal can begin with a Contact Us form.
Application success factors
- Grant size: In its TY2022 filing, half of its 38 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It looks for diverse projects with potential for a large impact on health equity that can be sustainable, scalable and replicated.
- It favours proposals that clearly articulate their results.
- It considers cost per person in relation to results and participants’ challenges.
- It values clarity and evidence that an approach will achieve the stated results.
- It considers the capabilities, expertise and experience of key project staff, partners and collaborators.
- It assesses whether the requested budget is aligned with its strategy.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
5 other states: 4%
- The largest single recipient received 42% of grant dollars to organisations.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 26% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 38 grants in tax year 2022 by size
Median $100k (tax year 2022)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Trust for the National Mall · Trust for the National Mall Year One Payment$7,000,0002022 tax year
- University of Louisville Foundation · Community Partners Program Grant$3,654,0002022 tax year
- American Online Giving Foundation · Matching Gifts & Volunteer Awards$1,851,5502022 tax year
- Scholarship America · Scholarship Awards$696,0002022 tax year
- Volunteer Florida Foundation · Hurricane Ian Relief Efforts$300,0002022 tax year
- Community Foundation of Broward · Community Partners Program Grant$250,0002022 tax year
- Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association · Community Partners Program Grant$250,0002022 tax year
- National CARES Mentoring Movement · Community Partners Program Grant$250,0002022 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Caraline L Coats — Director
- Bruce D Broussard — Director
- Heidi S Margulis — Director
- Bettina Beech PhD MPH — Director
- David A Jones Jr — Chairman Director
- Joseph C Ventura — Chief Legal Officer
- Daniel Kevin Feld — Associate Vice President, Tax
- W Mark Preston — Vice President & Treasurer
- James K Moore — Vice President, Operational Ri
- Susan M Diamond — Senior Vice President, CFO
- Tiffany Benjamin — Chief Executive Officer
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $44,405,487 | $16,943,302 | $415,283,765 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $16,477,374 | $24,941,687 | $417,568,551 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $19,782,394 | $27,644,621 | $393,340,115 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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Applying to The Humana Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required