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JLH Foundation

Annual Giving
$9.3M
Grant Range
$300K - $7.0M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $9.3 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable - invitation only
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $300,000 - $7,000,000+
  • Geographic Focus: Texas (primarily Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Temple, Spring) and Indiana
  • Total Assets: $50.4 million (2023)

Contact Details

Address: PO Box 5489, Katy, TX 77491-5489
Phone: (281) 752-4510
Email: Not publicly available
Website: Not available

Note: The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Overview

The JLH Foundation was established in 1998 (received 501(c)(3) status in April 2001) to honor the memory of John L. Hern, a Houston businessman who was hospitalized for 252 days awaiting a heart transplant in the late 1990s. While Hern received a successful heart transplant in December 1996, he passed away the following October after anti-rejection drugs failed. During his extended hospitalization, Hern befriended other transplant patients and recognized that many could not afford the associated costs of transplantation, such as temporary housing, prescriptions, restaurant meals, and hospital parking. The foundation was established with funding from profits from companies Hern owned. The mission is to support the financial needs of transplant patients and their families, promote organ donation awareness, and support transplant programs. The foundation is led by Paula Hern (Hern's daughter) as Chairman, along with trustees Ellis Tudzin and Tom Barbour (Paula's husband). With assets exceeding $50 million, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $9.3 million in 2023, making it one of the most significant supporters of transplant-related programs in Texas.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The JLH Foundation does not have formal public grant programs. All grants are made by trustee discretion to preselected organizations. Major grants have included:

  • Endowed Chairs: $2 million - $7 million (establishing permanent endowed positions at major medical centers)
  • Program Support: $300,000 - $400,000 (supporting patient assistance programs and transplant center operations)
  • Capital Projects: Varies (supporting construction and expansion of transplant patient housing facilities)

Application Method: Invitation only / trustee discretion

Priority Areas

The foundation exclusively funds initiatives related to organ transplantation:

  • Transplant Patient Financial Support: Covering housing, transportation, meals, parking, co-pays, and prescription drugs for transplant patients and their families
  • Transplant Medical Programs: Supporting pediatric and adult transplant surgery programs, particularly heart, liver, and kidney transplant services
  • Organ Donation Awareness: Programs primarily operating in the Houston area to promote the need for organ donation
  • Transplant Patient Housing: Facilities providing temporary lodging for transplant patients and families near medical centers
  • Academic Medicine: Endowed chairs in transplant surgery and pediatric cardiothoracic surgery

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation's narrow focus suggests they do not fund:

  • Programs unrelated to organ transplantation
  • General healthcare initiatives outside transplant medicine
  • Organizations outside their established geographic focus areas
  • Operating support for general charitable organizations

Governance and Leadership

Paula Hern, Chairman and Director
Daughter of John L. Hern, Paula has led the foundation since its establishment in 1998, working to fulfill her late father's wishes to help transplant patients facing financial challenges. She serves alongside her husband Tom Barbour in foundation leadership.

Tom Barbour, Director
Husband of Paula Hern and founding board member, Barbour has been instrumental in the foundation's work since its inception.

Ellis Tudzin, Secretary/Treasurer/Director
Founding board member who has helped guide the foundation's grantmaking strategy for over two decades.

The foundation operates with a small, family-focused board that makes strategic decisions about major grants to transplant programs. According to reporting, the trustees "wanted to fulfill her late father's wishes and create a way for his memory to live on."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and explicitly does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion based on relationships the foundation has developed with major medical centers and transplant programs in Texas and Indiana. The foundation appears to identify grantees through:

  • Direct relationships with major pediatric hospitals and transplant centers
  • Board members' knowledge of transplant programs and patient needs
  • Organizations recommended within their established network of transplant medicine

Recent Grant Recipients

Documented recipients include:

  • Texas Children's Hospital - $2 million to establish the JLH Foundation Chair in Transplant Surgery (inaugural chair: Dr. John Alan Goss)
  • Dell Children's Medical Center - $7 million to establish the John L. Hern Foundation Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and Endowed Chair in Pediatric Organ Transplantation (inaugural chair: Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr.)
  • UT Health Science Center San Antonio / University Transplant Center - $356,415 to support personal needs of transplant recipients and families
  • Nora's Home - Multi-year support for construction and expansion of the Hern Family Campus, providing temporary housing for transplant patients
  • University of Texas Foundation - Amount not disclosed

The foundation is active in Austin, Bloomington (IN), Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Spring, and Temple.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Given the invitation-only nature of the foundation, decision timelines are based on trustee meetings and discussions with preselected organizations.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not have a public application process.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, there is no formal application process. However, the foundation's documented giving patterns reveal clear priorities:

Focus on Comprehensive Transplant Support: The foundation makes both large-scale institutional gifts (endowed chairs) and program-specific grants (patient assistance funds), showing interest in both advancing transplant medicine and directly helping patients.

Preference for Major Medical Centers: All documented grants have gone to established, reputable healthcare institutions with significant transplant programs, including Texas Children's Hospital, Dell Children's Medical Center, and UT Health.

Long-Term Relationships: The foundation maintains decade-long relationships with organizations like Nora's Home, suggesting they prefer sustained partnerships over one-time grants.

Geographic Concentration: Nearly all funding stays within Texas, with particular emphasis on the Houston metropolitan area where John Hern received his treatment.

Patient-Centered Mission: According to Natalie Lencioni, Executive Director of Nora's Home, "Their kindness is felt every day by our guests who have a safe place to stay and roof over their head." The foundation's support consistently addresses the practical, day-to-day challenges transplant patients face.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant applications. They explicitly do not accept unsolicited requests.
  • Relationship-Driven Grantmaking: All grants appear to stem from established relationships with major medical institutions and transplant programs.
  • Focus Exclusively on Transplantation: The foundation's mission is highly specific to organ transplantation support, from patient assistance to academic medicine.
  • Significant Grant Sizes: Recent documented grants range from $356,415 to $7 million, indicating the foundation makes substantial investments in select organizations.
  • Legacy-Focused Leadership: The foundation is driven by honoring John L. Hern's memory and fulfilling his wish to help transplant patients facing financial challenges.
  • Texas-Centric: Geographic focus is overwhelmingly on Texas, particularly the Houston and Austin metropolitan areas.
  • Not a Prospect for Most Organizations: Unless your organization operates a transplant program or provides direct services to transplant patients in Texas, this foundation is not a viable funding prospect.

References

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