The Luria & Jennie L. Luria Foundation concentrates on addressing basic needs—primarily hunger relief and services for people experiencing housing instability—by making a small number of large, targeted grants to established service providers. Their giving favors organizations that deliver emergency food aid and client-facing social services at scale, including national disaster-response groups and regional food banks or shelter providers. Grants appear strategic and sizable rather than widely distributed, often recurring to the same organizations.
A L Luria & Jennie L Luria Foundation makes a small number of large, targeted grants to organizations serving basic-needs clients, with hunger relief and housing-stability support at the center of its recent giving. The foundation’s largest recent award went to A Wider Circle for $250,000 in 2024, reflecting a preference for established service providers that work directly with people facing hardship. Another major recipient, World Central Kitchen, received $175,000 in 2024 after a $100,000 grant in 2023, showing a recurring relationship with a disaster-response meal program. The foundation also backed the Greater Chicago Food Depository with $200,000 in 2023, pointing to interest in large-scale food distribution rather than smaller local efforts. Across the recent grants list, the pattern is consistent: sizable awards, a narrow set of grantees, and support for organizations able to deliver emergency food aid, shelter-related assistance, or other immediate services at scale. The grants land with national and regional nonprofits rather than a wide mix of small charities, and the foundation’s recent record includes repeated support for the same organizations.
Emergency food relief is a clear thread in the foundation’s recent giving. It awarded $175,000 in 2024 to World Central Kitchen for disaster-response meal work, following a $100,000 grant to the same organization in 2023. Large-scale hunger alleviation also appears in a $200,000 grant in 2023 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Housing-stability and direct client services are another focus. In 2024, the foundation gave $250,000 to A Wider Circle for basic-needs support, and in 2023 it added another $50,000 to the same organization. It also gave $50,000 in 2023 to Bridge House, supporting a provider working with people experiencing housing instability. The recent list includes a smaller grant outside those core areas: $12,105 in 2024 to Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Typical grants cluster at the large end of the range, with p25 at $50,000, a median of $100,000, and p75 at $187,500. That distribution fits a strategy of a few sizable awards rather than broad dispersal. The recent record also shows repeat support: World Central Kitchen and A Wider Circle each received grants in more than one year. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent grants are all to U.S. organizations.
$837K
$0
$99K
$446K
Most grants fall between $50K and $188K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$188K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Few, large grants totaling $825K across 6 awards; concentrated funding with repeat gifts to select national and regional service providers; emphasis on capacity for immediate service delivery (food, shelter, rehabilitation) rather than program incubation or wide grantmaking.
Notable grantees: A Wider Circle, World Central Kitchen, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Bridge House
Grant recipients are spread nationally, with all recent grants going to U.S. organizations. The top state by recipient count is New York, driven by grantees such as Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights. Recent awards also reached Kensington, Maryland; Washington, DC; Chicago, Illinois; and Boulder, Colorado. No recent grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania, the foundation’s headquarters state.
Its recent grants favor established nonprofits delivering basic-needs services at scale, especially emergency food relief, disaster-response meal programs, regional food distribution, and support for people experiencing housing instability or exiting homelessness.
Yes. World Central Kitchen received $175,000 in 2024 after a $100,000 grant in 2023, and A Wider Circle received $250,000 in 2024 after a $50,000 grant in 2023.
The grant-size profile is relatively large: p25 is $50,000, median grant size is $100,000, and p75 is $187,500. That indicates the foundation tends to make substantial awards rather than many small ones.
The foundation gives nationally, and its top state by recipient count is New York. Recent grants also went to organizations in Maryland, Washington, DC, Illinois, and Colorado.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A WIDER CIRCLE | KENSINGTON, MD | $250,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $175,000 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND | YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY | $12,105 | 2024 | CHARITY |
| GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY | CHICAGO, IL | $200,000 | 2023 | CHARITY |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2023 | CHARITY |
| BRIDGE HOUSE | BOULDER, CO | $50,000 | 2023 | CHARITY |
| A WIDER CIRCLE | KENSINGTON, MD | $50,000 | 2023 | CHARITY |
A WIDER CIRCLE
$250,000CHARITY
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
$175,000CHARITY
GUIDING EYES FOR THE BLIND
$12,105CHARITY
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY
$200,000CHARITY
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
$100,000CHARITY
BRIDGE HOUSE
$50,000CHARITY
A WIDER CIRCLE
CHARITY