The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Fort Myers, FL EIN: 06-1414462

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Fort Myers, Florida. Its 2025 grants supported organizations including universities, schools, community and religious organizations, and organizations working on homelessness, grief support, hunger, cleft care, and crisis response.

Key facts about The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc

In short: The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc gave $308K across 36 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), top state Florida. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
06-1414462
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$307,500
Grants made (2025)
36
Average grant
$8,542
Median grant
$5,000
New grantees (estimate)
31% first-time grantees (11 of 36, 2025)
Total assets
$5,146,705
Primary geography
Florida (45% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$5.1M

+11.2% YoY

Annual Giving

$308K

+31.2% YoY

Grant Count

36

+20.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$9K

+9.3% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $297K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

31%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 11 of 36 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $11K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $8K repeat.

  • 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Clemson University Foundation describes its work as promoting Clemson University’s educational and scientific research purposes and seeking gifts for the university. Family Promise says it works to prevent and end homelessness for families with children, while Experience Camps describes programs for grieving children. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $307,500 through 36 grants. Individual grants ranged from $200 to $40,000, with a median grant of $5,000. The foundation gave $234,400 through 30 grants in 2024 and $266,650 through 30 grants in 2023.

Among its largest 2025 grants were $40,000 each to Clemson University Foundation and University of Florida Foundation; $25,000 to Heights Foundation; $20,000 each to Cliffs Resident Outreach and Schwab Charitable; and $15,000 to FGCU. Other grants included $12,500 to Cristo El Rey San Jose Jesuit High, $11,600 to Family Promise, and $10,000 each to Experience Camps, Habitat for Humanity of Lee County, Pickens High School, and Smile Train.

How to Apply

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

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, Florida accounted for 45% of grant dollars, South Carolina 24%, California 15%, Washington, DC 7%, and New Jersey 4%. The listed 2025 grants also included recipients in Connecticut and Georgia.

Grant Distribution by State

20states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.

Cities

Fort MyersLos GatosSanibelSaratogaOrlandoSan JoseNorth Fort MyersWashingtonGainesvilleLos AltosAtlantaLandrumSanta ClaraEast Palo AltoWestportEasleyJacksonvilleMemphisSummitArlington

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K38 grants2019 39 grants2020 40 grants2021 34 grants2022 30 grants2023 30 grants2024 36 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $234K (2024) to $308K (2025). In 2025 it made 36 grants totaling $308K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Clemson University Foundation: $40KClemson University Foundation$40KUniversity of Florida Foundation: $40KUniversity of FloridaFoundation$40KHeights Foundation: $25KHeights Foundation$25KCliffs Resident Outreach: $20KCliffs Resident Outreach$20KSchwab Charitable: $20KSchwab Charitable$20KFGCU: $15KFGCU$15KCristo El Rey San Jose Jesuit High: $13KCristo El Rey San Jose JesuitHigh$13KFamily Promise: $12KFamily Promise$12KExperience Camps: $10KExperience Camps$10KHabitat for Humanity of Lee County: $10KHabitat for Humanity of LeeCounty$10K

The largest 2025 recipient was Clemson University Foundation ($40K). Together the top 10 received $204K.

Grant Size Distribution

170 grants across all recorded years

168<$50K2$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 168 grants of 170 (99%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Clemson University Foundation Clemson, SCGeneral$40,000
University of Florida Foundation Gainesville, FLGeneral$40,000
Heights Foundation Fort Myers, FLGeneral$25,000
Cliffs Resident Outreach Landrum, SCGeneral$20,000
Schwab Charitable Orlando, FLDonor Advised Fund$20,000
FGCU Fort Myers, FLGeneral$15,000
Cristo El Rey San Jose Jesuit High San Jose, CAGeneral$12,500
Family Promise Summit, NJGeneral$11,600
Experience Camps Westport, CTGeneral Purpose$10,000
Habitat for Humanity of Lee County North Fort Myers, FLGeneral$10,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Grant total Number of grants
2025 $307,500 36
2024 $234,400 30
2023 $266,650 30
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$250K$500K$750K$1M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$5,146,705$4,628,918$4,710,049
Revenue$840,669$178,033$328,441
Expenses$318,922$254,059$285,077
Qualifying Distributions$308,326$238,318$266,650
Net Investment Income$634,868$167,868$316,789
Distributable Amount$297,042$266,383$243,625

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 14, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 16, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 19, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 3, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 15, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 4, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 25, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Manuel Fernandez as director and treasurer; Joanne Fernandez as director and president; Kimberly Ann Fernandez Wen as director and assistant secretary; and Christina Robertson as director and assistant secretary.

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc is led by Joanne Fernandez, Director & President on every filing since 2019; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Joanne Fernandez

    Director & President

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Christina Robertson

    Director & Assistant Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kimberly Ann Fernandez Wen

    Director & Assistant Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Manuel Fernandez

    Director & Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 1470 Royal Palm Square Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33919
Phone: (239) 561-4225

Frequently asked questions about The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc

How much does The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc give each year?

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc gave $308K across 36 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $234K across 30 grants.

What is The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,542, across 36 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc that year got $4K on average.

Where does The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc give grants?

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's top state is Florida, with 45% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were South Carolina (24%) and California (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Fort Myers, FL (4 grants), Los Gatos, CA (3 grants), Orlando, FL (2 grants) and San Jose, CA (2 grants).

Does The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 97% of The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (35 of 36) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Clemson University Foundation ($40,000), University of Florida Foundation ($40,000) and Heights Foundation ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 34% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc?

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc reported $5.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $308K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $297K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc fund?

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Clemson University Foundation describes its work as promoting Clemson University’s educational and scientific research purposes and seeking gifts for the university. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's EIN?

The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-1414462. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Fernandez Family Foundation Inc accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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