HAND Foundation is a company.
Key people at HAND Foundation.
HAND Foundation was founded by Noosheen Hashemi (President and Co-Founder).
The HAND Foundation is a private family foundation established to advance the philanthropic sector, prevent child sexual abuse, build a global middle class, and prepare and engage the next generation.[1][6] It operates as an advisory, advocacy, and grant-making organization dedicated to building better communities by enabling individual growth and advancement, with a focus on diasporas, social ventures, and global philanthropy initiatives like IdEA (engaging diaspora communities for economic development), PARSA Community Foundation (supporting Persian philanthropy), and SV2 (a giving network for social ventures).[3] Financially, it maintains assets around $9.71 million (2024), funded primarily through dividends and asset sales, while distributing grants to nonprofits in education, social impact, and community building.[2][7]
Founded in 2003 in California by Noosheen Hashemi, a former Oracle Corporation executive, and Farzad Nazem, former Yahoo! chief technology officer (also known as Zod Nazem), the HAND Foundation emerged from the tech entrepreneurs' commitment to philanthropy.[1] Board members include Noosheen Hashemi, Zod Nazem, and Nasrin Hashemi.[6] Initially based in California, it relocated operations to Wilmington, DE, and later associated addresses in Royal Palm Beach, FL, evolving its focus through strategic grant-making to support diaspora engagement, social entrepreneurship, and global development programs.[1][3][5]
The HAND Foundation rides the wave of tech philanthropy, where Silicon Valley leaders channel wealth into scalable social impact, blending entrepreneurial networks with global challenges like diaspora mobilization and social innovation.[1][3] Timing aligns with rising diaspora influence in development (e.g., IdEA's public-private collaborations) and post-2020 focus on equity, as seen in grants to ACLU and gender equality initiatives mirroring trends from figures like Melinda Gates.[4] Market forces favoring it include growing family foundation assets amid high-tech valuations and demand for strategic giving amid global crises, influencing the ecosystem by seeding networks like SV2 and PARSA that amplify Persian and Indian community philanthropy in the U.S. and abroad.[2][3]
With assets stable at nearly $10 million and a pivot toward high-leverage programs like MIT Solve for tech-driven social solutions, HAND is positioned to expand influence in AI-era philanthropy and climate-resilient communities.[2][4] Trends like diaspora remittances surpassing foreign aid and venture philanthropy will shape its path, potentially scaling grants amid economic volatility. Its evolution from tech founders' initiative to global advocate suggests growing clout in mobilizing next-gen donors, reinforcing its mission to build resilient communities through targeted, ecosystem-building support.[3]
Key people at HAND Foundation.
HAND Foundation was founded by Noosheen Hashemi (President and Co-Founder).