NET WORTH: $3.2 billion
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Commodities trading, Boston Red Sox
FUNDING AREAS: Healthcare, Arts & Culture, Education & Youth, Food
OVERVIEW: John Henry and his wife Linda move their philanthropy through the John Henry Family Foundation, which was established in 2004. The foundation’s grantmaking focuses on southeastern Florida and Massachusetts with interests in healthcare, the arts, and more.
BACKGROUND: John W. Henry was a college dropout playing guitar in a rock band. In the 1970s, he gained control of his family’s soybean farm in Arkansas. With a knack for numbers, Henry used his growing knowledge of the soybean business to trade commodities, making a fortune which eventually allowed him to become the principal owner of the Boston Red Sox.
ISSUES:
HEALTHCARE: The foundation’s healthcare grantmaking is focused on “research, teaching, and clinical application of mind/body medicine and its integration into all areas of health.” Grantees have included Massachusetts General Hospital, ALS Association: MA Chapter, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and The Medical Foundation.
ARTS & CULTURE: Grantees have included Boston Ballet, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, New England Aquarium, and Huntington Theatre Company.
EDUCATION & YOUTH: The foundation’s grantmaking also supports outfits that help youth in education, athletics, and the arts. This includes schools like Lynn University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Florida Atlantic University, as well as places like City Year, EdVestors, and Ramapo for Children.
FOOD: The Henrys, via their foundation, are also interested in efforts to build more locally based, self-reliant food supplies. The foundation’s grantmaking supports Boston Public Market, a marketplace for locally sourced groceries and specialty agricultural products. Henry Foundation director Charlotte Vena sits on the board of the Boston Public Market Association.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect this couple to remain focused on their select interest areas.
CONTACT: