Shahid and Ann Khan Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Shahid and Ann Khan Foundation supports education, youth, arts, health, and community needs in and around Jacksonville, Florida. However, this funder predominately funds in Illinois, Maryland and Los Angeles rather than in Florida.

IP TAKE: The Shahid and Ann Khan Foundation does not have a website, which restricts transparency about giving strategies and interests. Without information to guide grantseekers, this is a tough nut to crack.

This funder operates under the radar, but often commits to big gifts in the millions of dollars their alma mater. The foundation used to fund more work in Florida, but recent years have seen a shift in giving to Illinois, Maryland and Los Angeles. The family divides it’s time between Naples, Florida and Champaign, Illinois. As well, look for more giving down the line through the couple’s children, Tony Khan and Shanna Khan, who are becoming involved in the family’s philanthropy and are based in Chicago.

In addition to the Khan Foundation, the Khan family also makes grants through the Jacksonville Jaguar Foundation, which focuses predominately on grants for Florida where the NFL team is headquartered. This funder tends to give just a handful of grants, which tend to be multi-year, to the same crowd each year. Sometimes new grantees attract giving attention, but it is difficult to network here unless you know the family personally or know someone who can make an introduction.

PROFILE: Established in 2007 and headquartered in Chicago, the Shahid and Ann Khan Foundation, not to be confused with the Aga Khan Foundation, is a private foundation with roots in Jacksonville, Florida. Shahid Khan was a Pakistani immigrant who studied engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, created the start-up Bumper Works, which later became Flex-N-Gate, a leading manufacturer and supplier of stamped metal and welded components, assembling and plastic parts for the automotive industry. In 2013, Shad Khan acquired the London-based soccer club Fulham Football Club for $200 million from Mohamed al–Fayed. Khan later became owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL football team in 2012. His wife, Ann Khan, has a history in social work, also attended the University of Illinois, and serves as president of the Khan Foundation.

Through their foundation, the couple funds local efforts for education, youth, and community needs, though it’s funding appears all over the place, in keeping with the family’s wims and affiliations, rather than having a clear grant strategy with dedicated programs.

Grants for Higher Education

While this funder lacks a clear giving strategy for educations grants, 990s show some giving habits. Indeed, the foundation prioritizes giving to education over all other areas, though the biggest education grants support University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the Khans’ alma mater, where they given to UI many times over the years. Some major grants that stick out include $10 million to the University of Illinois, naming Shahid Khan a Lincoln Laureate by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois in 2011. In 2022, the family also gave another $15 million to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to support the integrated oncology program at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital and establish endowed faculty chairs for an oncologic surgeon, a medical oncologist focused on patient care, and a medical oncologist focused on translational medicine to advance cancer treatment. The money will also be used to expand the nursing staff for the oncology services.

The Khan Foundation is also a major donor for the University of Illinois Foundation.

Beyond supporting UI beyond Florida, education grants that stay in Florida tend to focus on human rights rather than education.

The couple supports numerous youth causes as well through grants to local YMCAs, performing art centers, and science programs. They have also funded cancer centers, breast cancer prevention programs, and domestic violence and sex trafficking prevention programs as well.

Grants for Human Rights, Human Services, Health, Youth, and Animal Welfare

The Khan Foundation offers modest grants to a wide variety of areas without stated strategies. In Florida, Khan has only given to No More Tears Inc, in Plantation, Florida in the past few years.

Beyond Florida, the Foundation’s giving expands to include grants for community development and disabilities, such as several grants to the National Inclusion Project.

Grants for health and human services tend to focus on funding large foundations that are simply headquartered in Illinois, but work nationally, such as the American Heart Association.

Grants for human services also stay in Illinois, but fund smaller outfits focused on youth, such as Stephens Family YMCA, Champaign Public Library Foundation, 40 North-88 West Inc,

The family is also interested in animal welfare on a small scale only in Illinois, having funded Champaign County Humane Society and PAW.

Important Grant Details:

Grants range between about $10,000 to 75,000, and can go up to $500,000, while the family gives bigger grants to the University of Illinois. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking largely focuses on Florida, and especially Jacksonville, as well as the Urbana-Champaign area of East-Central Illinois.

Past Florida grantees include the Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Veterans Resource and Reintegration Center, North Florida Boy Scouts, and the Jacksonville Humane Society, but the foundation has rarely given to Floridian organizations in recent years. That tendency could swing back, but call at the number provided below to gauge interest.

This foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits and only makes contributions to pre-selected charitable organizations. However, direct general questions to the foundation staff at 217-255-5015.

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