President's Message

As we took a step back to consider the clearest way to communicate our mission and how we fund to those who visit our Web site, we found ourselves feeling as if we were putting together a family photo album or sharing our journal. I say this because our approach to philanthropy is very personal. We don't have a large staff that develops strict guidelines and reviews grant proposals. There are a few of us, guided by an advisory board of family and close friends, who work as connectors, partners and advocates. We are intimately involved with all of the organizations and people we fund. We are dedicated to a variety of projects that strengthen and bolster both individuals and families. And we are most interested in inspiring and supporting creative potential.

Philanthropy may not seem like a complicated business but—like anything else—to do it well, meaningfully, is always the challenge. To us, it is critical to use the Honickman Foundation resources in a way that provides the most impact to help under-served endeavors from art disciplines to at-risk children. And, as often as possible, we use art as a prime motivator or stimulus for education because the arts are powerful tools for enlightment, equity and empowerment, and must be encouraged to help effect social change as well as personal growth.

We fund a small group of issues and organizations where we feel we can truly make a difference. We look for a small number of projects in the areas of health, art, culture and community where we can work collaboratively and where we can be hands-on and stay very engaged.

We hope you find our Web site to be helpful and enlightening. We are very proud of the organizations and individuals we fund and hope you will learn more about them.

Sincerely,
Lynne Honickman
Founder and President
The Honickman Foundation