Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund

Background

In 1964, the merger of financial services companies Robert A. James Investments and Raymond and Associates created Raymond James and Associates. ² The firm has approximately $1.6 trillion in client assets under management as of June 2025. ³

The Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund was established in 2000. ⁴ Raymond James Charitable was established by Tom James who was Raymond James’s former chairman and CEO. ⁵ It is structured as a provider of donor-advised funds (DAFs), which allow individuals, families, and organizations to make charitable contributions, receive immediate tax benefits, and then distribute these funds to charities as desired. The fund is managed with professional investment options, including ESG (environmental, social, and governance). ⁴ Raymond James Charitable is its brand name. ⁶

The Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund also provides grants to “selected nonprofit organizations that exhibit a positive, enduring influence in their respective communities” through its Grant Initiative. ⁷ Raymond James Charitable advises its clients to work with organizations such as the Charities Aid Foundation of America to research nonprofit organizations and conduct due diligence before donating. ⁸

Grants

Raymond James Charitable’s donor-advised funds gave over $1.7 billion in grants from its inception through March 2024. These grants crossed several areas of interest. In 2024, 30 percent of its grants were given to faith-based organizations, 21 percent went to social services, 16 percent went to education and schools, and 14 percent went to foundations. The charities that received the highest number of grants in 2024 included Campus Crusade for Christ, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Young Life, Doctors Without Borders, Samaritan’s Purse, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Compassion International, the American National Red Cross, and the World Central Kitchen. ¹

In addition to educational, medical, and religious organizations, other donations went to the Muslim Legal Fund of America, StandWithUs, several United Way Worldwide chapters, the Union of Concerned Scientists, GLBTG Legal Advocates and Defenders, the National Network of Abortion Funds, the Environmental Defense Fund, the NAACP, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Anti-Defamation League, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Human Rights Watch, the Urban Justice Center, the Trevor Project, the Center For Reproductive Rights, and the ACLU Foundation. ⁹

The Raymond James Charitable Grant Initiative awards grants of $10,000 to $25,000 to selected nonprofit organizations. In 2025, the trustees chose to award grants to organizations focused on natural disaster relief efforts such as Disaster Relief At Work, Door of Hope, Friends In Deed, and Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church. ⁷

Donors

Donors to the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund include the Servant Foundation, ImpactAssets, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, the Arizona Community Foundation, the American Endowment Foundation, the National Philanthropic Trust, the American Online Giving Foundation, and the Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. ¹⁰

Leadership

Nicole Hisler is president of Raymond James Charitable. ¹¹ Hisler graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She has been with Raymond James since 2011 and became president of Raymond James Charitable in February 2024. She is a board member of Friends of the Children. ^{12 13}

Raymond James Charitable is managed by a board of six trustees. Scott Zebra, Erik Fruland, and Elizabeth Brady are all Raymond James Financial employees. ¹⁴

The board chair is Thomas Wilkins, a music director and conductor for several well-known orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Wilkins sits on several boards, including the Charles Drew Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, the Center Against Spouse Abuse, and the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. ¹⁵

The two other trustees are Jeffey Gallagher, executive director of the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, and Nicole Johnson, a vice president at the American Diabetes Association. ¹⁶