The Andy and Mariann Youniss Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education and arts-related institutions, using endowed scholarships and strategic/thematic gifts (notably in music and university initiatives), while also supporting medical center general operating needs and local food-access nonprofits. Grants skew toward institution-building (endowments, annual funds, strategic initiatives) rather than project microgrants, and the foundation often gives repeat, multi-year support to preferred colleges and cultural organizations.
A defining pattern of the Andy and Mariann Youniss Foundation is its commitment to institution-building gifts, especially through endowed and strategic support for universities and music education. Recent grants include a $600,000 award to Trustees of Tufts College for the annual fund, endowed scholarship fund, the WIT fund, and the AI initiative, alongside a $500,000 grant to Berklee College of Music Inc for the Berklee Online Strategic Fund, the President's Strategic Fund, scholarship funds, and the Berklee Fund. The foundation also backs medical and community nutrition organizations, showing a mix of higher education, arts, health, and food-access funding. Within higher education, its support reaches both general operating needs and named initiatives, from AI-related university work to student scholarship funds. The grant list suggests a preference for sizable awards that strengthen core programs, endowments, and long-term institutional priorities rather than short-term project grants. This is paired with repeat support to selected organizations, including Tufts, Berklee, Boston Medical Center, and Spoonfuls.
Higher education is a central theme. The foundation gave $450,000 to Trustees of Tufts College for the AI Institute, and another $600,000 to the same institution for the annual fund, endowed scholarship fund, the WIT fund, and the AI initiative. Music education is another clear area: Berklee College of Music Inc received $500,000 for the Berklee Online Strategic Fund, the President's Strategic Fund, scholarship funds, and the Berklee Fund, plus a separate $30,000 charitable event grant in 2025. The foundation also supports student-athlete funding, giving $200,000 to Catholic University of America for the Andrew J. and Mariann A. Youniss Endowed Women's and men's lacrosse fund. Community nutrition appears in its support for Lovin Spoonfuls Inc and Spoonfuls Inc, each receiving general and unrestricted grants in the recent list.
Recent gifts cluster around major awards, with a typical size of $75,000 at the 25th percentile, a median of $130,000, and a 75th percentile of $325,000. The recent list shows both large institutional commitments and smaller event-related gifts, which points to a mix of long-term support and episodic fundraising participation. Repeat recipients are common: Tufts, Berklee, Boston Medical Center, and Spoonfuls each appear more than once in the recent grants list. The foundation gives to organizations rather than individuals in the listed grants, and the pattern favors established institutions with scholarship, operating, or strategic funds.
$220K
$12.4M
$932K
$337K
Most grants fall between $75K and $325K, with a median of $130K.
25th Percentile
$75K
Median
$130K
75th Percentile
$325K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MA.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, relatively large grants with repeats to a small set of institutional grantees; emphasis on endowed and unrestricted/strategic gifts rather than many small, one-off awards.
Notable grantees: Trustees of Tufts College, Berklee College of Music, Boston Medical Center Corporation, Lovin Spoonfuls Inc, Catholic University of America
Grantmaking is regional and concentrated in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, with major recipient cities including Medford, Boston, and Newton. Washington, DC also appears through Catholic University of America. All listed recent grants are domestic, and the recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. The foundation does not give in Delaware in the recent list, despite its Wilmington headquarters.
Its recent grants go mainly to colleges, universities, and education-related programs, with additional support for a medical center and food-access nonprofits. Tufts, Berklee College of Music, Catholic University of America, Boston Medical Center Corporation, Lovin Spoonfuls Inc, and Spoonfuls Inc all appear in the grant list.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is centered at $75,000 for the 25th percentile, $130,000 at the median, and $325,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include larger institutional grants such as $600,000 and $500,000.
Yes. Tufts, Berklee, Boston Medical Center, and Spoonfuls each show up more than once in the recent grants list. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time grants only.
Massachusetts is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities there include Medford, Boston, and Newton, which account for multiple grants in the list.
No. The recent grants show a mix of higher education, music education, student-athlete funding, hospital support, and food recovery/community nutrition. Examples include AI and scholarship support at Tufts, strategic and scholarship funding at Berklee, and unrestricted support for Spoonfuls.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPOONFULS INC | NEWTON, MA | $130,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER CORPORATION | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INC | BOSTON, MA | $30,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| SPOONFULS INC | NEWTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE | MEDFORD, MA | $600,000 | 2024 | the Annual fund, endowed scholarship fund, the WIT fund, AI initiative |
| BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INC | BOSTON, MA | $500,000 | 2024 | Berklee Online Strategic Fund, Berklee President's Strategic Fund, Youniss Term Scholarship fund, Berklee Fund, Youniss/Berklee Online Endowed Scholarship fund |
| CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2024 | the Andrew J. and Mariann A. Youniss Endowed Women's and men's lacrosse fund |
| LOVIN SPOONFULS INC | NEWTON, MA | $130,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| RECORD COMPANY INC | BOSTON, MA | $100,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE | MEDFORD, MA | $450,000 | 2023 | AI Institute |
| BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER CORPORATION | BOSTON, MA | $150,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
SPOONFULS INC
$130,000General & Unrestricted
BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER CORPORATION
$50,000Charitable Event
BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INC
$30,000Charitable Event
SPOONFULS INC
$10,000Charitable Event
TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE
$600,000the Annual fund, endowed scholarship fund, the WIT fund, AI initiative
BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC INC
$500,000Berklee Online Strategic Fund, Berklee President's Strategic Fund, Youniss Term Scholarship fund, Berklee Fund, Youniss/Berklee Online Endowed Scholarship fund
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
$200,000the Andrew J. and Mariann A. Youniss Endowed Women's and men's lacrosse fund
LOVIN SPOONFULS INC
$130,000General & Unrestricted
RECORD COMPANY INC
$100,000General & Unrestricted
TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE
$450,000AI Institute
BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER CORPORATION
$150,000General & Unrestricted