Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation

Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation

The Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation was established in 2006 by the Carnival Corporation chairman and his wife. Micky Arison inherited leadership of the cruise giant from his father Ted, who founded the business in 1972, and later acquired the NBA's Miami Heat in 1995. The foundation formalizes philanthropic commitments that long predate its incorporation and remains the primary vehicle for the family's grantmaking. Grantmaking concentrates on healthcare, disaster response, and community-rooted organizations in South Florida. Major recipients include the University of Miami's neuroscience and cancer programs, Jackson Health Foundation, and the National YoungArts Foundation. The foundation has committed significant sums to hunger relief — a $3M grant to Feeding South Florida supported pandemic-era food distribution — and to affordable housing, with multimillion-dollar gifts to Chapman Partnership for homeless services. Education grants flow to institutions including Florida International University and Teach For America Miami-Dade. The Arisons also support environmental ocean conservation, tying back to the maritime source of their wealth. The foundation does not publicly disclose total assets, but IRS Form 990 filings show charitable assets exceeding $220M at recent year-end. Giving typically runs between $14M and $33M annually in disclosed periods. This places it among the largest private foundations in Florida. The Arison family's broader wealth exceeds $6B, with direct holdings in Carnival stock, the Miami Heat, and notable real estate including a Bal Harbour waterfront estate. The foundation's investment portfolio is managed quietly; no dedicated CIO or public investment team is documented. Structurally, the foundation is distinct from the operating businesses and from the personal investment activity of the Arison family. It is not a family office — it is a pure grantmaking entity — but it serves as the family's most visible long-term capital allocation vehicle outside Carnival and the Heat. Governance flows through the couple, with no indication of a professionalized investment committee or outside CIO, which is unusual for a foundation of its asset scale. Succession interest centers on son Nick Arison, who runs the basketball side of the family's holdings as CEO of the Miami Heat, though no formal philanthropic transition has been announced.