Rosen Philanthropy Fact Sheet

PR Contact:
Robert Hubler
(407) 996-7656
rhubler@rosenhotels.com

In a career spanning more than half a century, Florida’s largest independent hotelier Harris Rosen made it his mission to enhance the quality of life of his neighbors, his city, the hospitality industry, and those living in many other parts of the world. For decades, his namesake foundation has contributed tens of millions of dollars to create and support educational and youth-benefiting programs and scholarships throughout Central Florida, among a number of notable programs.

About Harris Rosen

Before his passing in 2024, Harris Rosen served as president and chief operating officer of Rosen Hotels & Resorts®, the largest privately-owned hotel company in Florida. A native of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Rosen launched the Orlando firm in 1974 with the purchase of his first hotel and managed its growth into a portfolio of seven world-class properties encompassing close to 6,400 guestrooms and suites and more than 700 million square feet of versatile meeting and event space.

About The Harris Rosen Foundation^®

Rosen established the foundation to identify, develop and manage numerous wide-ranging philanthropic initiatives under his direction. In 1993, the organization embarked on its first project, a bold effort to improve educational opportunities for children in the impoverished Orlando neighborhood of Tangelo Park, a program that has received national acclaim and one that continues today.

Rosen established the foundation to identify, develop and manage numerous wide-ranging philanthropic initiatives under his direction. In 1994, the organization embarked on its first project, a bold effort to improve educational opportunities for children in the underserved Orlando neighborhood of Tangelo Park, a program that has received national acclaim and one that continues today.

Currently, the Rosen foundations focus their philanthropic efforts on education, wellness, animal welfare and community empowerment. Past and ongoing programs include:

Tangelo Park Program

Reflecting Harris Rosen’s passion for education, the visionary program includes free preschool for all 2-, 3- and 4-year old children in the underserved Orlando neighborhood and a free parent resource center. In addition, the foundation funds education for every Tangelo Park high school graduate accepted to a trade school, community college, or four-year public college in Florida.

• The neighborhood’s high school graduation rate has dramatically improved from approximately 55 percent when the program began to now nearly 100 percent!
• Over 600 full college scholarships have been awarded to date.

Parramore Program

More than 20 years after launching the Tangelo Park Program, The Harris Rosen Foundation started an even larger effort in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood, an urban community five times the size of Tangelo Park.

• The first-of-its-kind Rosen Preschool opened in 2017 within Orange County Public Schools’ Academic Center for Excellence. Rosen funds teachers’ and teachers’ aides’ salaries, as well as a director, for all 24 classrooms.
• Like the Tangelo Park Program, the Parramore initiative covers higher education expenses or vocational school (including tuition, books, room, and board) for every neighborhood high school graduate.
• In 2017, Rosen announced he would offer three annual scholarships to the private Rollins College, located in Winter Park, Fla., a suburb of Orlando.
• In 2026, the foundation announced replicating the Rollins College scholarships at Bethune-Cookman University, a private HBCU university in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center

When a popular Orlando aquatic facility faced permanent closure in 1992, Rosen organized a community-wide effort to keep it open. The facility was later gifted to the YMCA who operated for decades. In honor of Harris Rosen’s many contributions, the facility was renamed the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center in 2018. It was later turned over to the Harris Rosen Foundation and now operates as the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center, a non-profit organization. The facility is home to a number of international, highly acclaimed swim meets and serves as a home for the local Special Olympics swim team. It provides numerous swimming and drown prevention programs to the Central Florida community.

Rosen College of Hospitality Management at UCF

In 2002, Rosen donated $18 million to the University of Central Florida (UCF) to purchase land for a world-class institution to develop future generations of hospitality industry leaders.

• After opening in 2004, the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at UCF is among the fastest growing programs in the United States.
• The school has consistently ranked among the top hospitality schools in the world, currently ranked as the best hospitality and hotel management school in the world by 2025 CEOWORLD magazine.
• As part of his ongoing support, Rosen funds a scholarship endowment for UCF matched by the state of Florida.

Jack and Lee Rosen Jewish Community Center

Harris Rosen helped develop a state-of-the-art community center and school named for his late parents, as well as expand the facility to host an events center.

• The preschool serves approximately 150 students ages 2 months to 5 years old.
• In 2016, with the assistance of additional Rosen donations, the facility added a multi-million-dollar multipurpose events center to serve its growing needs and those of the surrounding community.

Haiti Relief

Recognizing that close to one-third of Rosen Hotels & Resorts associates are Haitian or of Haitian descent, The Harris Rosen Foundation has devoted significant humanitarian efforts for the country for more than two decades, including funding for food, medical, and school supplies.

• In 2005, Rosen’s Water for Haiti Gala raised $350,000 to supply filtration devices that provide clean drinking water for approximately 200,000 people.
• In 2010, Rosen launched the Haiti Relief Rebuild Sustain program, which raised $650,000 to aid victims of the 2010 earthquake.
• After Hurricane Matthew in 2016, The Harris Rosen Foundation spearheaded an effort to build storm-resilient homes for residents. In December 2017, close to 100 families were invited to take ownership of their new hurricane-resistant homes with expanded living space and more modern facilities.

For more information about Rosen Hotels & Resorts, visit www.rosenhotels.com.