The Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W
The Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W. Farris Foundation is a private foundation established in 1986 through the merger of two separate foundations: the Victor W. Farris Foundation (established in 1952 in New Jersey) and the Celia Lipton Farris Foundation (established in Florida). The foundation is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and operates as a family foundation with a concentrated focus on improving health and well-being in its service regions.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$80.8M
+1.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$4.4M
-9.0% YoY
Grant Count
60
-1.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$73K
-7.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: To improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities in the geographic regions where the foundation serves.
The foundation funds programs that:
- Stimulate innovation
- Build cultures of respect, collaboration, and learning
- Demonstrate sustainable impact on participants
- Help underserved communities
- Address racial and economic inequities
- Give individuals opportunities for better lives
- Promote leadership development
The foundation has identified mental and behavioral health as a concentrated focus area, determined through family board reflection in 2011. Additional priority areas include healthcare and homeless services.
Grantmaking
The foundation awarded 61 grants in 2024 and 86 grants in 2023. Recent grantees include Community Foundation of Broward ($525,000), Santa Fe Community Foundation ($520,000), and Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin County. Since receiving significant assets in 2012, the foundation has awarded more than $31 million in grants.
Grant Range
$5,000 - $859,000
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation serves the following regions:
- Palm Beach County, Florida
- Broward County, Florida
- Erie County, New York
- Northern New Jersey
- Northern Maine
- Santa Fe County, New Mexico
- Watauga County, North Carolina
Approximately 65% of the foundation's grants budget is allocated through community foundations in these regions.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Most Recent Data (2024):
- Total Assets: $80,770,626
- Total Revenue: $5,753,563
- Total Expenses: $5,172,627
- Annual Giving: $4.8 million
- Giving Rate: 6.3%
Prior Year Data (2023):
- Total Assets: $79,274,702
- Total Revenue: $1,714,117
- Total Expenses: $5,703,913
- Total Giving: $5,113,977
The foundation operates with 1 employee and maintains a lean administrative structure.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $80,770,626 | $79,274,702 | $83,231,329 |
| Revenue | $5,753,563 | $1,714,117 | $7,839,800 |
| Expenses | $5,172,627 | $5,703,913 | $6,633,254 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $4,667,132 | $5,113,977 | $5,998,660 |
| Net Investment Income | $5,127,488 | $1,537,648 | $6,418,903 |
| Distributable Amount | $4,594,808 | $4,336,798 | $5,376,160 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
221 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Brent G Hagey II - President (10 hours/week, $95,000 compensation)
- Cecile Victoria Farris - Vice President (1 hour/week)
- Marian Farris - Vice President (1 hour/week, $20,000 compensation)
- Andrew Farris - Treasurer (2 hours/week)
- Jamie Retterer - Secretary (1 hour/week, $20,000 compensation)
- Sukyin Agnes Farris - Non-Voting Trustee (1 hour/week)
Contact:
- Address: Farris Foundation c/o GMA Foundations, 2 Liberty Square, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02109
- Phone: 617-391-3094
- Email: adoggett@gmafoundations.com
- Website: https://farrisfdn.org
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRENT G HAGEY II | PRESIDENT | 10 | $95,000 |
| CECILE VICTORIA FARRIS | VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
| MARIAN FARRIS | VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | $20,000 |
| ANDREW FARRIS | TREASURER | 2 | — |
| JAMIE RETTERER | SECRETARY | 1 | $20,000 |
| SUKYIN AGNES FARRIS | NON-VOTING TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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