The Fthree Foundation is a private grantmaker promoting journalism, higher education, and democratic engagement. It supports left-of-center groups related to civic engagement, public media, environmentalism, and gun control. ¹

It is led by Nancy R. Farese, the daughter of Roy Richards Sr., the founder of cable manufacturer Southwire, whose family net worth was estimated at $1.4 billion in 2015. ²

Its grant amounts range from $500 to $125,000. The average grant amount is $17,150 and its median grant amount is $5,000. It made grants worth $1,543,500 in 2022. Its grantees include left-of-center groups such as the Protect Democracy Project (PDP), the Trust for Public Land, the News Literacy Project (NLP), and Everytown for Gun Safety. ³ Its grantmaking is managed by the philanthropic advisory firm Hirsch and Associates. ⁴

Background

The Fthree Foundation, originally called the Farese Family Foundation, was founded by Nancy R. Farese and Robert Farese in San Francisco in 2000. ⁵

The group maintains a low profile and does not disclose its philanthropic mission or practices. It does not have its own website and does not employ staff. ⁶

Finances

The Fthree Foundation had total revenues of $1,718,399 and total expenses of $1,896,443 with $20,998,449 in total assets in 2022. Its grantmaking activity is managed by the philanthropic advisory firm Hirsch and Associates, which was compensated $137,098 from the Fthree Foundation in 2022. ⁷

In 2022, the Fthree Foundation has given a total of $1,543,500 across 90 grants in 2022. It gave $125,000 to the Center For Investigative Reporting (CIR), $100,000 to KQED Inc, $85,000 to Howard University, $60,000 to Issue One, $60,000 to MapLight, $60,000 to the Proteus Fund, $50,000 to the William J. Brennan Center For Justice, $50,000 to CalMatters, $50,000 to the Campaign Legal Center, $50,000 to iCivics, $50,000 to Ignite, $50,000 to the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund (MFVEF), $50,000 to the Protect Democracy Project (PDP), $50,000 to Rock The Vote, $50,000 to the News Literacy Project (NLP), and $50,000 to Vote.org. ⁸

In 2021, the Fthree Foundation gave a total of $1,365,000 across 97 grants in 2021. It gave $100,000 to KQED Inc, $100,000 to Reveal, $60,000 to Issue One,  $60,000 to MapLight, $60,000 to the Proteus Fund, $50,000 to the William J. Brennan Center For Justice, $50,000 to CalMatters, $50,000 to Ignite, $50,000 to the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund (MFVEF), $50,000 to Rock The Vote, $50,000 to the News Literacy Project (NLP), and $50,000 to Youth Radio. ⁹

In 2011, the Fthree Foundation granted $1,500,000 to the Global Gap Year Fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The fellowship program sponsors a year of education abroad for UNC students. ¹⁰

Leadership

The president of the Fthree Foundation, Nancy R. Farese, is the daughter of Southwire founder Roy Richards Sr., whose family net worth was estimated at $1.4 billion in 2015. ¹¹ Southwire remains a family-owned enterprise and Nancy is a shareholder. ¹²

Farese is a documentary photographer advocating for social and political causes through humanitarian aid groups such as CARE. ¹³

Farese is the founder of PhotoPhilanthropy and CatchLight. She is also a board member of the Southwire Company and the NPR Foundation. ¹⁴

1.  Petropoulos, Connie. “F Three Foundation.” Inside Philanthropy, January 3, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/grants-f/f-three-foundation.
2. “Richards Family.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/profile/richards/.
3. Fthree Foundation.” Fthree Foundation | San Francisco, CA | Cause IQ. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/fthree-foundation,943376857/.
4. Petropoulos, Connie. “F Three Foundation.” Inside Philanthropy, January 3, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/grants-f/f-three-foundation.
5. Petropoulos, Connie. “F Three Foundation.” Inside Philanthropy, January 3, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/grants-f/f-three-foundation.
6. Petropoulos, Connie. “F Three Foundation.” Inside Philanthropy, January 3, 2023. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/grants-f/f-three-foundation.
7.  “Fthree Foundation.” Fthree Foundation | San Francisco, CA | Cause IQ. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/fthree-foundation,943376857/.
8.  “Fthree Foundation.” Fthree Foundation | San Francisco, CA | Cause IQ. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/fthree-foundation,943376857/.
9. “Fthree Foundation: San Francisco, CA.” Instrumentl.   https://academia.instrumentl.com/990-report/fthree-foundation.
10. “Gap Year Path.” Global Gap Year Fellowship, October 10, 2022. https://globalgap.unc.edu/about/gap-year-tracks/.
11. “Richards Family.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/profile/richards/.
12. “Nancy Richards Farese to Be Inducted into the 2023 Class of the Women In Manufacturing Hall of Fame.” Southwire. https://www.southwire.com/blogs/nancy-farese-wim-hall-of-fame.
13. “Bio.” Nancy Richards Farese. https://www.nancyfarese.com/bio.
14. “NPR Foundation Welcomes Newly Elected Trustees.” NPR, November 23, 2020. https://www.npr.org/about-npr/938118997/npr-foundation-welcomes-newly-elected-trustees.