The Aspen Foundation concentrates its giving on direct charitable aid with an emphasis on veterans/first-responder support and hospital/healthcare-related family services. They favor a small number of sizable grants and often make repeat payments to the same organizations, suggesting long-term relationships with a handful of mission-aligned nonprofits. Grants go primarily to organizations providing housing, medical support, and emergency/charitable relief rather than broad programmatic or advocacy work.
Concentrated giving: few, relatively large grants with repeat funding to select grantees rather than many small or exploratory gifts. Most dollars are directed to charitable aid and service delivery organizations.
Aspen Foundation’s largest recent grant, $175,000 to Tunnel to Towers Foundation in 2025, captures its pattern of concentrated support for charitable aid tied to veterans and first responders. The foundation has also made repeated grants to organizations serving patients, families, and people needing housing or guest-house support, including Ronald Mcdonald House, Veterans Guest House, and UCSF Foundation. Its recent giving shows a small set of recurring partners rather than a broad, one-time portfolio, with multiple organizations receiving funding in more than one year. That repeat support points to a relationship-based approach centered on direct service rather than advocacy or program experimentation. The foundation’s grants are sized for a modest but focused private funder: most awards sit in the tens of thousands, with several organizations receiving similar amounts across years. While many recipients are in Nevada, the foundation also backs charities outside the state, including New York and California organizations. Across the recent grants list, the pattern is consistent: support for housing, medical, and emergency charitable aid delivered through mission-aligned nonprofits.
In veterans and first-responder support, Aspen Foundation gave $175,000 to Tunnel to Towers Foundation in 2025 and also funded Veterans Guest House in multiple years, including $40,000 in 2024 and 2025. In hospital and family support, it granted $45,000 in 2024 and 2025 to Ronald Mcdonald House in Reno, along with an earlier $33,333 award in 2023, indicating repeated backing for families connected to medical care. Healthcare philanthropy also appears in a $50,000 grant to UCSF Foundation in 2025. Outside those core areas, the foundation supported the Reno Rodeo Foundation with $33,333 in 2023 and $25,000 in 2024, and gave $10,000 in both 2024 and 2025 to Ehlers-danlos Society. The named grants point to direct charitable aid across medical, housing, and community-relief needs.
Aspen Foundation’s typical grant size falls around $33,333 at the 25th percentile, a median of $40,000, and $48,750 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same nonprofits across multiple years, especially for charitable aid, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. The foundation is not a funder of individuals and does not make program-related investments. The pattern in the grant list is steady, mid-sized support delivered through a relatively small number of grants.
$3.5M
$0
$94K
$3.5M
Most grants fall between $33K and $49K, with a median of $40K.
25th Percentile
$33K
Median
$40K
75th Percentile
$49K
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Notable grantees: Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Veterans Guest House, UCSF Foundation
The grants are entirely U.S.-based. Nevada receives the largest share of recipient organizations, with 57% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. Reno appears repeatedly in the recipient list through Ronald Mcdonald House, Veterans Guest House, and Reno Rodeo Foundation. Outside Nevada, recent grants reached Staten Island, New York; New York, New York; and San Francisco, California. That mix shows a regional base with selective out-of-state awards.
Recent grants center on direct charitable aid for veterans and first responders, hospital and family support, and housing or guest-house services. Examples in the grant list include Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Veterans Guest House, Ronald Mcdonald House, and UCSF Foundation, along with community-relief support such as the Reno Rodeo Foundation.
Yes. The grant list shows multiple recipients appearing in more than one year. Tunnel to Towers Foundation received $175,000 in 2025 after $100,000 grants in both 2024 and 2023, while Ronald Mcdonald House, Veterans Guest House, and Ehlers-danlos Society also received follow-on support.
The foundation’s typical grant size is in the mid-$30,000 to high-$40,000 range. The provided distribution shows a 25th percentile of $33,333, a median of $40,000, and a 75th percentile of $48,750.
Its grants go mostly to Nevada recipients, which account for 57% of grants in the data. Reno is a recurring recipient city, while out-of-state grants also reach Staten Island, New York; New York, New York; and San Francisco, California.
The recent grants are entirely U.S.-based, with 14 grants and 100% of them going to U.S. recipients. The recipient locations include Nevada, New York, and California, showing a regional pattern with some out-of-state awards.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc (MS GIFT) | Indianapolis, IN | $3,122,716 | 2026 | Donor Advised Fund |
| Realty Gift Fund | Santa Fe, NM | $350,000 | 2026 | Property located at 16400 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $175,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE AID |
| UCSF FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE AID |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE | RENO, NV | $45,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE AID |
| VETERANS GUEST HOUSE | RENO, NV | $40,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE AID |
| EHLERS-DANLOS SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE AID |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE AID |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE | RENO, NV | $45,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE AID |
| VETERANS GUEST HOUSE | RENO, NV | $40,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE AID |
| RENO RODEO FOUNDATION | RENO, NV | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE AID |
| EHLERS-DANLOS SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE AID |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $100,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE AID |
| VETERANS GUEST HOUSE | RENO, NV | $33,333 | 2023 | CHARITABLE AID |
| RENO RODEO FOUNDATION | RENO, NV | $33,333 | 2023 | CHARITABLE AID |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE | RENO, NV | $33,333 | 2023 | CHARITABLE AID |
Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc (MS GIFT)
$3,122,716Donor Advised Fund
Realty Gift Fund
$350,000Property located at 16400 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV
UCSF FOUNDATION
$50,000CHARITABLE AID
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
$45,000CHARITABLE AID
CHARITABLE AID
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
$45,000CHARITABLE AID
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
$33,333CHARITABLE AID