Frank J. Hanna III is an American entrepreneur, merchant banker and philanthropist. He was one of three entrepreneurs profiled in the Acton Institute and PBS documentary film The Call of the Entrepreneur . [1]
Hanna has been described as "one of the leading Catholic philanthropists in the USA." [2]
Hanna was a corporate attorney with Troutman Sanders, a multi city law firm headquartered in Atlanta. [3] Since 2006, he has served as CEO of the family's investment firm, Hanna Capital, LLC. [4]
After studying at the University of Georgia, where he earned BBA and JD degrees, [5] Hanna and his younger brother David [6] devised a method for helping companies rid themselves of unwanted loans. This led to the brothers' founding an investment firm they later sold. [7] The Hanna brothers were members of Phi Gamma Delta at the University of Georgia as is David's son.
Hanna has helped start and fund two schools in Atlanta, serving on the boards of each: Holy Spirit Preparatory School and Holy Spirit College. [8]
Holy Spirit Prep provides an intense high-school curriculum that it claims rivals that of many four-year colleges, and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in the country. [9] [10]
In addition, in 2002, Hanna was chosen by George W. Bush to be co-chair of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and oversaw the production and delivery of its report to the President: "From Risk to Opportunity." [11] [12]
Further, Hanna supports groups that promote the educational and religious liberty that he believes are critical to the nation’s future including the Federalist Society, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and the Acton Institute. He also supports, serves on the board, or is otherwise affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute, Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, and The Philanthropy Roundtable.
Hanna has spoken to Catholic leaders at conferences at the Vatican and has often been a featured guest on local and national media programs. [13]
He is the founder and currently a director of The Solidarity Association, an Association of the Christian Faithful established with the approval and guidance of the late Archbishop John F. Donoghue. [14] The Association seeks to strengthen and renew the Church by assisting in critical missions within the Church for which others may not be equipped. Although the Solidarity Association is best known for its purchase and donation of the Mater Verbi (Hanna) Papyrus (portions of the Bodmer Papyri) to the Vatican Apostolic Library, it also devotes itself, in particular, to the causes of Catholic education, evangelization, and Catholic formation.
Hanna serves (or has served) on the boards of the EWTN, and the Institute for Psychological Sciences. He is currently on the advisory boards of the Catholic Leadership Institute, Seton Education Partners, The Sanctuary of Culture Foundation, and the Busch School of Business of the Catholic University of America. [15]
He also supports or is otherwise affiliated with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students), Lumen Institute, the Pontifical North American College, and Sophia Institute Press.
By means of The Solidarity Association, [14] Hanna obtained from the Bodmer Foundation in Cologny, Switzerland, portions of the 14-15 Bodmer Papyri (P75), dating from between A.D. 175 and 225. The papyrus includes the oldest extant copy of portions of the Gospels of Luke and John as well as the oldest transcription of the "Our Father." In January 2007, Hanna presented the papyrus to Pope Benedict XVI in a ceremony at the Vatican. [16]
"The papyrus contains about half of each of the Gospels of Luke and John. It was written in Egypt and perhaps used as a liturgical book," explained Cardinal Tauran, an archivist and librarian. In the future, excerpts may be put on display for the general public. [17]
Published in 2008, What Your Money Means (And How to Use It Well), [18] which lays out paradigms for a fruitful and genuine ethical engagement with wealth and delineates prudent, efficient philanthropic strategies. [19]
In it, Hanna turns to the wisdom of various ages and cultures to affirm the fundamental premise that no matter how much of the goods of the earth we may acquire individually, we are never more than stewards of those goods, called to use them for our own good and the good of others.
About this book, Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza said "I highly recommend this book to everyone who plans to engage in charitable giving no matter how much money they may have to give."
In 2017, Beacon Publishing published A Graduate's Guide to Life: Three Things They Don't Teach You in College That Could Make All the Difference. [20]
In George Weigel's First Things magazine article, "The Summer Reading List", he notes that the book "offers those just getting started in life nuggets of wisdom, drawn from the experience of a successful Catholic entrepreneur and generous philanthropist." [21]
Holy See: Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI Holy See: Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre 
Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta In recognition of his decades of sustained public service in education and other fields, Frank has received the Philanthropy Roundtable's William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership "for his national leadership in K-12 education reform", [9] [22] as well as the David R. Jones Award for Philanthropic Leadership [23] awarded by The Fund for American Studies. [15]
Papyrus is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge. Papyrus can also refer to a document written on sheets of such material, joined side by side and rolled up into a scroll, an early form of a book.
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain; and with government endeavors that are public initiatives for public good, such as those that focus on the provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist.
The Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican Bank, is a financial institution that is situated inside Vatican City and run by a Board of Superintendence, which reports to a Commission of Cardinals and the Pope. It is not a private bank, as there are no owners or shareholders; it has been established in the form of a juridical canonical foundation, pursuant to its statutes. Since 9 July 2014, its president is Jean-Baptiste de Franssu. The IOR is regulated by the Vatican's financial supervisory body AIF.
The Philanthropy Roundtable is a nonprofit organization that advises conservative philanthropists and advocates for philanthropic freedom and donor privacy.
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope.
Jon Meade Huntsman Sr. was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder and executive chairman of Huntsman Corporation, a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals. Huntsman plastics are used in a wide variety of familiar objects, including (formerly) clamshell containers for McDonald's hamburgers. Huntsman Corporation also manufactures a wide variety of organic and inorganic chemicals that include polyurethanes, textiles, and pigments. Huntsman's philanthropic giving exceeded $1.5 billion, focusing on areas of cancer research, programs at various universities, and aid to Armenia.
The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an American research and educational institution, or think tank, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose stated mission is "to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles". Its work supports free market economic policy framed within Judeo-Christian morality. It has been alternately described as conservative and libertarian. Acton Institute also organizes seminars "to educate religious leaders of all denominations, business executives, entrepreneurs, university professors, and academic researchers in economics principles."
Bruce Stanley Kovner is an American billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist. He is chairman of CAM Capital, which he established in January 2012 to manage his investment, trading and business activities. From 1983 through 2011, Kovner was founder and chairman of Caxton Associates, a diversified trading company. As of April 2022, his net worth was estimated at US$6.2 billion.
Jean Case is an American businesswoman, author, and philanthropist who is chair of the board of National Geographic, CEO of Case Impact Network, and CEO of the Case Foundation. She is married to AOL co-founder Steve Case.
The Bodmer Papyri are a group of twenty-two papyri discovered in Egypt in 1952. They are named after Martin Bodmer, who purchased them. The papyri contain segments from the Old and New Testaments, early Christian literature, Homer, and Menander. The oldest, P66 dates to c. 200 AD. Most of the papyri are kept at the Bodmer Library, in Cologny, Switzerland outside Geneva.
Youth philanthropy is the donation of time, energy or resources, including money, by children and youth towards philanthropic causes. According to one study, "youth philanthropy is, at the broadest level, youth giving of their time, talents and treasure." It is seen as an effective means in which youth develop knowledge of and participate in philanthropic projects such as volunteering, grant writing, and community service.
The Bodmer Foundation is a library and museum specialised in manuscripts and precious editions. It is located in Cologny, Switzerland just outside Geneva.
Roger Hertog is an American businessman, financier, and conservative philanthropist. Born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, Hertog pursued a career in business, becoming president of Sanford Bernstein. He currently serves as president of the Hertog Foundation and chairman of the Tikvah Fund, which promotes Jewish thought and ideas.
Peter Karoff was chairman and founder of The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 that promotes philanthropy. TPI designs, manages, and evaluates philanthropic programs for individuals, families, corporations, and foundations.
Leadership Roundtable is a lay-led group born in the midst of the Catholic clergy's sex abuse scandal and dedicated to bringing better administrative practices to dioceses and parishes nationwide.
Sunny Varkey is an Indian education entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Dubai. He is the founder and executive chairman of the global advisory and educational management firm GEMS Education, which is the largest operator of private kindergarten-to-grade-12 schools in the world, with a network of over 80 schools in over a dozen countries.
Catholic laity are the ordinary members of the Catholic Church who are neither clergy nor recipients of Holy Orders or vowed to life in a religious order or congregation. Their mission, according to the Second Vatican Council, is to "sanctify the world".
Philanthropy in the United States is the practice of voluntary, charitable giving by individuals, corporations and foundations to benefit important social needs. Its long history dates back to the early colonial period, when Puritans founded Harvard College and other institutions. Philanthropy has been a major source of funding for various sectors, such as religion, higher education, health care, and the arts. Philanthropy has also been influenced by different social movements, such as abolitionism, women’s rights, civil rights, and environmentalism. Some of the most prominent philanthropists in American history include George Peabody, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Herbert Hoover, and Bill Gates.
Daniel Rose is an American real estate developer, philanthropist and essayist. He is best known professionally for developing the large-scale Pentagon City complex adjacent to Reagan National Airport; building the One Financial Center and Keystone Building office towers that anchored the redevelopment of downtown Boston; and conceiving and reinventing a New York real estate apartment complex into the internationally renowned Manhattan Plaza for the Performing Arts. A forceful advocate for private philanthropy and public service, he founded the acclaimed inner-city youth education program, the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, established a wide range of academic and professional educational programs, and served multiple government administrations in unpaid advisory roles. His award-winning essays and speeches have covered subjects as diverse as economics, inner city education, racial problems, social injustice, real estate, food & wine, and housing.