# Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation

Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Nashville, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Nashville, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Nashville, TN, United States
- **Founded:** 2017
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** haysfoundation.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/haysfoundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation has carried forward a philanthropic mission since its 2017 creation in Nashville, anchored by wealth amassed through Tom James Company and the Southwestern Family of Companies. Spencer Hays, who died the same year the foundation was established, spent decades as majority owner of one of the world's largest custom clothiers, while also overseeing a direct-selling conglomerate and Athlon Sports Communications. His wife Marlene remains central to the foundation's identity, and the institution operates as a grantmaking entity rather than an investment-first vehicle. The foundation concentrates its deployment on domestic initiatives spanning arts and culture, healthcare innovation, education, and economic-achievement programs for underserved youth. It pursues a grantmaking model that favors direct program support over equity investments or fund commitments, reflecting a donor-advised posture common among private foundations of its size. Historical grantees have not been publicly itemized, and no external deal disclosures confirm participation in venture, private equity, or real-asset vehicles. Team size and total grant capacity remain undisclosed. No additional offices or adjacent vehicles — such as a parallel donor-advised fund or operating business — appear in current disclosures. The foundation maintains a low public profile, operating without a visible investment committee, published 990-PF summaries in major databases, or public commentary from its officers. Its LinkedIn presence confirms the Nashville headquarters but offers no staffing detail beyond a lean administrative footprint. What distinguishes the Hays Foundation structurally is its posture as a spending-focused endowment rather than a co-investment platform. Unlike family offices that blend philanthropy with active dealmaking, the Hays Foundation channels a single-industry fortune — apparel and direct selling — entirely into charitable distributions. Governance succession remains unstated, leaving open the question of whether a next-generation family member or an independent trustee board now directs grant strategy.

## Questions

### Who runs grantmaking decisions at the Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation?

The foundation has not publicly identified a chief investment officer, executive director, or grants committee. Marlene Hays co-established the entity with her late husband and remains closely associated with its mission, but no named officers or trustees appear in current public disclosures or on the foundation's website.

### How is the Hays Foundation's endowment invested?

Investment allocation details are not publicly available. The foundation operates as a grantmaking entity rather than a market-facing investor, and no 990-PF filings or annual reports itemizing the portfolio or asset-class mix have been located. Its grants draw on wealth originally generated through Tom James Company and the Southwestern Family of Companies.

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- [Markston International](https://altss.com/profile/markston-international)
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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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