Role of the French Family Foundation in the funding ecosystem
The French Family Foundation is a U.S.-based private family foundation founded in 2019 by Sarah and Reid French of Atlanta, Georgia. It serves as the primary charitable vehicle for the family and focuses its philanthropy on two main areas: expanding educational opportunity for children and supporting medical research on difficult-to-treat blood cancers, particularly Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) with a TP53 mutation.
Educational grants and target beneficiaries
For its educational mission, the foundation provides grants to small and medium-sized organizations in the United States. Its support is directed toward initiatives that improve access to quality education, break the cycle of poverty, and strengthen financial and technical literacy. Typical beneficiaries include schools, educational nonprofits, and community organizations that help children acquire the academic, digital, and financial skills needed to succeed in the modern economy.
The foundation’s educational philosophy emphasizes that quality education is critical to long-term financial and societal outcomes and to ensuring upward mobility in a democratic, market-based system. Funding is oriented toward programs that give children practical opportunities to develop these competencies early in life.
Cancer research grants and scientific focus
Under its leukemia mission, the French Family Foundation provides grants to institutions of higher learning and not-for-profit organizations conducting research into hematological cancers. The foundation concentrates on MDS/AML with a TP53 mutation, one of the most challenging blood cancers to treat, though it has also supported broader MDS and AML research projects.
A significant component of its portfolio involves partnering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the world’s largest nonprofit funder of blood cancer research. The foundation has co-funded LLS research project grants that specifically target MDS/AML with a TP53 mutation, leveraging LLS’s rigorous peer-review and selection processes. This model allows the foundation to back projects that have been thoroughly vetted by an established expert committee.
Publics served and overall impact
Through its dual missions, the French Family Foundation aims to enhance the lives of children by supporting educational pathways out of poverty, while also contributing to breakthroughs in the treatment of high-risk blood cancers. Its grants enable frontline nonprofits, schools, universities, and medical research centers to expand programs, launch new initiatives, and accelerate scientific discovery that can ultimately improve patient outcomes.