Our Story

Rooted in family. Dedicated to Memphis.

Hyde Family Foundation is the family foundation created by Barbara and Pitt Hyde. The foundation is grounded in generations of giving and operates with a mission to create a thriving, unified Memphis for all.

“To whom much is given, much is required”

The Hyde family philanthropic legacy dates back to 1961 when J. R. Hyde Sr. (Pitt’s grandfather) founded the J. R. Hyde Sr. Foundation. As a teenager, Pitt joined the board of Hyde Sr. Foundation where he learnt the family mantra: “to whom much is given, much is required”. The foundation operated successfully in Memphis for more than 50 years.

In 1992, Barbara and Pitt together created Hyde Family Foundation. Driven by a desire to work strategically and entrepreneurially, the foundation set out to build a better Memphis with bold ambitions and the collective power to achieve them. With a firm belief in the power of innovation, strategic leadership, and sweat equity, Hyde Foundation works locally to set best practice nationally. We seek to prove that a mid-size city can compete and succeed on a global scale. There can be no better place than Memphis to demonstrate and scale the solutions to pervasive urban challenges.

Today, Hyde Foundation focuses its work on giving every child a high-quality education, leveraging Memphis’ distinct assets to give the city a competitive advantage and on increasing the quality of life for all Memphians. We invest in making Memphis a place where Memphians want to stay and grow and that welcomes the world to enjoy our unique culture.

Core Beliefs

Centering on Memphis

Our roots run deep in Memphis. We are committed to making our city a better place with a brighter future.

Empowering the individual

We are entrepreneurs at heart and believe that solutions come from those closest to the problem. We seek to support collaborative models of change rather than top-down philanthropy.

Keeping a strategic focus

There are an unlimited number of good causes worthy of support. However, to move the needle and create transformative change, it’s vital to identify the levers of impact and focus on executing with excellence.

Rolling up our sleeves

We are not passive grantmakers. We work as active collaborators and leverage all of our resources - not only financial - to advance our strategy and support our partners. Sweat equity is just as important as financial support.

Leveraging our assets

We recognize our unique assets and seek to build on and maximize what’s distinctive about Memphis. We are willing to be a convenor, collaborator, partner or cheerleader for all ambitious advocates for our city.

Acting on optimism

We believe in a brighter future and that solutions can be found to even the toughest challenges. We refuse to give up, we are tenacious in the face of adversity and we are willing to stay the course.