SOURCE OF WEALTH: Commodities trading, Boston Red Sox
FUNDING AREAS: Healthcare, Arts & Culture, Education & Youth, Food
OVERVIEW: John and Linda Henry conduct their philanthropy through the John W. Henry Family Foundation, which was established in 2004. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded $270,000 in grants in 2018. 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 when he gained control of his family’s soybean farm in Arkansas in the 1970s. 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: Henry and family are also interested in building 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 serves on the board of the Boston Public Market Association.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect this couple to remain focused on their select interest areas.
CONTACT:
