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Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation was created in 1948 by James E. Casey, founder of United Parcel Service, together with his siblings. The endowment originated...
Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation was created in 1948 by James E. Casey, founder of United Parcel Service, together with his siblings. The endowment originated from UPS stock and continues to reflect that logistics industry source. Lisa Hamilton serves as President and CEO while Michael L. Eskew, former UPS CEO, chairs the board. The foundation deploys capital across private equity, real estate, and social investment programs. Its private equity allocation stands at 33.7 percent. Confirmed holdings include commitments to Sequoia Capital, Bain Capital, TPG Capital, and The 22 Fund. Real estate positions encompass the CARE REIT portfolio in Nevada and San Diego plus an 88-acre joint venture through East Baltimore Development Inc. The Social Investment Program maintains $125 million in mission-related and program-related investments. Geographic reach covers the United States, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, and The Gambia. The foundation employs 200 professionals and maintains two offices in Baltimore. It holds memberships in the Global Impact Investing Network, Council on Foundations, and Association of Black Foundation Executives. In June 2024 the foundation sponsored the national KIDS COUNT Data Book Launch. An allied operating foundation, Casey Family Programs, focuses on foster care and child welfare. The endowment structure ties investment decisions to the founding family's logistics wealth while separating grantmaking from the board's oversight of limited partner commitments and direct real estate holdings. This architecture channels capital into both traditional private equity funds and mission-aligned vehicles without creating separate external managers.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1948
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Baltimore
Corporate office
Baltimore, MD, United States
Principals
Jim Casey
Founder
Lisa Hamilton
President and CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the Annie E. Casey Foundation?
Investment oversight at Casey is managed internally by the foundation's investment office, though the foundation does not publicly name its CIO or investment committee members. The investment function reports through the foundation's president and CEO, Lisa Hamilton, and operates under the supervision of the foundation's board of trustees. Casey's Form 990 filings reveal a diversified portfolio typical of large endowments, including allocations to public equities, fixed income, and alternative investments.
How does the foundation source its place-based investments?
Casey sources place-based real assets through deep-rooted relationships in Baltimore and select partner cities. The foundation identifies opportunity zones in its core communities and initiates projects, sometimes operating as the anchor developer — as with East Baltimore Development Inc., a public-private partnership formed with Johns Hopkins University and the city government. Casey's real estate strategy is mission-aligned, not return-maximizing, and typically involves catalytic investment in disinvested neighborhoods.
Does the foundation accept outside grant proposals?
No. The Annie E. Casey Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. It funds initiatives through invitation only, focusing on organizations and partnerships aligned with its evidence-based programs in child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and economic opportunity. The foundation's KIDS COUNT project is its most visible public-facing initiative, publishing child well-being data used by policymakers nationwide.
Where does the foundation's wealth come from?
The endowment was originally funded by Jim Casey, the founder of United Parcel Service, and his siblings George, Harry, and Marguerite. Jim Casey devoted the bulk of his UPS-derived fortune to the foundation before his death in 1983. The current endowment, which publicly disclosed assets of roughly $3.1 billion as of 2022, is a diversified institutional portfolio no longer concentrated in UPS stock.
How is the Annie E. Casey Foundation related to the Marguerite Casey Foundation?
The two foundations share a common family origin — both were established by the siblings of UPS founder Jim Casey — but operate under entirely separate governance, staffs, and missions. The Marguerite Casey Foundation was founded in 2001 and focuses on economic justice and organizing grants for poor and working families, with a national scope and headquarters in Seattle. There is no parent-subsidiary relationship, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation does not fund or oversee the Marguerite Casey Foundation.
What is the foundation's posture on impact investing?
Casey has historically separated its social-impact mission, executed through grantmaking, from its endowment management, which follows a conventional total-return approach. Its place-based real estate deployments — such as East Baltimore Development Inc. and Pittsburgh Yards — function as a mission-related investment strategy distinct from either programmatic grants or market-rate portfolio management. The foundation does not publicly report the size or specific allocation of any formal impact-investing carve-out within the endowment.
Does the foundation publish detailed investment holdings or manager names?
No. Casey's public Form 990 does not list individual fund managers, partnership interests, or direct holdings in detail. The foundation reports aggregate asset categories but does not disclose specific external manager selections, co-investments, or private fund commitments. This is consistent with the standard disclosure practices of large private foundations.
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