The Bug and Bean Fund concentrates its giving in a very small number of large gifts, with a dominant commitment to higher education philanthropy and a secondary interest in hands‑on STEM/STEAM outreach. Its largest allocation is a single, major gift to Columbia University’s Noriel Gift Fund, while the remainder supports a community-focused mobile STEAM education program. This suggests the fund prioritizes transformative institutional gifts alongside targeted, programmatic education initiatives.
Bug and Bean Fund C/O Frank Waterson Homrich & Berg made a single $1.5 million grant to Columbia University’s Noriel Gift Fund in 2025, setting the tone for a grantmaking pattern built around a few large commitments rather than many small ones. Higher education appears alongside community-based education and belonging efforts, with additional support to Carnegie Mellon University, the Paideia School, and a STEAM outreach program in Atlanta. The fund also backed restricted athletics and inclusion work at Carnegie Mellon through both an Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund grant and a separate football excellence gift. Beyond campus philanthropy, the fund has supported regional organizations tied to education access, youth development, and community services. Grants to Community Guilds Inc dba STEAM Truck, Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund, and redefinED atlanta show an interest in hands-on education and local advocacy. Other awards reach community institutions such as boys and girls clubs, a land trust, a biological foundation, and a performing arts center. The overall picture is of a fund that combines large institutional gifts with targeted support for regional programs and community organizations.
Higher education is the clearest cause area in the recent record. In 2025, the fund gave $1.5 million to Columbia University’s Noriel Gift Fund, then followed with $250,000 to Carnegie Mellon University for its Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund and $150,000 to Carnegie Mellon University’s Richard M. Lackner Football Excellence Fund. Education outside the university setting also appears. Community Guilds Inc dba STEAM Truck received $500,000 unrestricted in Atlanta, and redefinED atlanta received $200,000 unrestricted in 2025. The Paideia School was another repeat recipient, with grants for both its Annual Fund and unrestricted support. The fund also backed community-serving institutions and regional response efforts. Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County and Boys and Girls Club of BrevardTransylvania County Inc each received $125,000, while Community Foundation - Hurricane Relief Efforts and The Housing Assistance Corporation FBO Plat Heal RVs for Hurricane Relief were funded for hurricane response.
$3.9M
$6.8M
$277K
$3.9M
Most grants fall between $10K and $238K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$238K
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Highly concentrated giving: very few, large grants with a dominant single grantee (75% to Columbia) and one substantial programmatic award; appears to favor one-off transformational gifts rather than many small awards or broad portfolios.
Notable grantees: Columbia University - Noriel Gift Fund, Community Guilds Inc (dba STEAM Truck)
Typical grant size is concentrated toward larger awards: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $237,500. The recent record shows both very large institutional gifts and smaller support grants. The fund’s pattern also includes repeat recipients across multiple years, including Carnegie Mellon University, The Paideia School, The Temple, and HelpusAdopt. It does not fund individuals and is not making program-related investments, consistent with a grantmaking vehicle focused on organizational giving rather than direct aid or PRI activity.
Grants are regional and land entirely in the United States. Virginia is the top state by grant count, while Georgia receives 33% of grants. Recipient cities that appear repeatedly include Atlanta, New York, Pittsburgh, Highlands, Brevard, and Cashiers. North Carolina shows up through several organizations in Asheville, Hendersonville, Highlands, Brevard, and Cashiers, while New York and Pennsylvania also appear through university and nonprofit recipients.
The recent record centers on universities and education-related organizations, including Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, The Paideia School, and STEAM Truck. It also supports community institutions such as boys and girls clubs, a land trust, a biological foundation, and a performing arts center.
Yes. Carnegie Mellon University, The Paideia School, The Temple, and HelpusAdopt each appear more than once in the recent grants list, showing that the fund does reuse recipients across years.
The distribution is skewed toward larger grants. The 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $237,500.
Virginia is the top state by grant count, while Georgia accounts for 33% of grants. The recipient list also includes organizations in New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
Yes. Carnegie Mellon University received $250,000 for an Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund and $150,000 for the Richard M. Lackner Football Excellence Fund. The record also includes a $125,000 gift for a "Building a Place to Belong" campaign at a boys and girls club.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University - Noriel Gift Fund | New York, NY | $2,000,000 | 2026 | Noriel Gfit Fund |
| Community Guilds Inc dba STEAM Truck | Atlanta, GA | $500,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| The Paideia School | Atlanta, GA | $255,000 | 2026 | Annual Fund |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburg, PA | $250,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Open Space Institute Land Trust Inc | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| RedefinED Atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $200,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburg, PA | $150,000 | 2026 | Richard M. Lackner Football Excellence Fund |
| The Global Fund for Children | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Center for Civic Innovation | Atlanta, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust | Highlands, NC | $50,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Special Forces Foundation | Falcon, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| National Center for Civil and Human Rights | Atlanta, GA | $20,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| The Praxis Project | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2026 | Freedom University |
| TADA Foundation | Atlanta, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| HelpUsAdopt | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| The Temple | Atlanta, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Anti-Defamation League | Atlanta, GA | $5,000 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Atlanta Jewish Committee | Atlanta, GA | $1,800 | 2026 | Unrestricted |
| Columbia University - Noriel Gift Fund | New York, NY | $1,500,000 | 2025 | Noriel Gfit Fund |
| Community Guilds Inc dba STEAM Truck | Atlanta, GA | $500,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| Possibility Labs FBO The Guild | San Francisco, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburg, PA | $250,000 | 2025 | Athletics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund |
| The Paideia School | Atlanta, GA | $250,000 | 2025 | Annual Fund |
| redefinED atlanta | Atlanta, GA | $200,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| Carnegie Mellon University - Richard M Lackner Football Excellence Fund | Pittsburg, PA | $150,000 | 2025 | Richard M. Lackner Football Excellence Fund |
| Boys and Girls Club of BrevardTransylvania County Inc | Brevard, NC | $125,000 | 2025 | "Bulding a Place to Belong" Campaign |
| Village Micro Fund | Atlanta, GA | $100,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| Community Foundation - Hurricane Relief Efforts | Asheville, NC | $50,000 | 2025 | Hurricane Relief Efforts |
| Highlands Performing Arts Center | Highlands, NC | $50,000 | 2025 | Capital Campaign |
| Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust | Highlands, NC | $50,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| The Housing Assistance Corporation FBO Plat Heal RVs for Hurricane Relief | Hendersonville, NC | $40,000 | 2025 | Plat Heal RVs for Hurricane Relief |
| Highlands Biological Foundation | Highlands, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| The Temple | Atlanta, GA | $10,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| HelpusAdopt | New York, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| The Paideia School - Annual Fund | Atlanta, GA | $5,000 | 2025 | Annual Fund |
| Generic Theatre FBO Indecent | Norfolk, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | Underwriting and Production of Indecent |
| Camp Ramah Galim | Foster City, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted |
| CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $250,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE GUILD | SAN FRANSISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GEORGIA RESILIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY FUND | ATLANTA, GA | $250,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SUMMIT CHARTER SCHOOL FOUNDATION INC | CASHIERS, NC | $200,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY | BREVARD, NC | $125,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE TEMPLE | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HELPUSADOPTORG | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE PAIDEIA SCHOOL | ATLANTA, GA | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE BRIGID ALLIANCE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| NATIONAL NETWORK OF ABORTION FOUNDATION | BEAVERTON, OR | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PASS NETWORK FOUNDATION | ATLANTA, GA | $5,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
Columbia University - Noriel Gift Fund
$2,000,000Noriel Gfit Fund
Unrestricted
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
$50,000Unrestricted
The Praxis Project
$10,000Freedom University
TADA Foundation
$10,000Unrestricted
HelpUsAdopt
$10,000Unrestricted
The Temple
$10,000Unrestricted
Atlanta Jewish Committee
$1,800Unrestricted
Columbia University - Noriel Gift Fund
$1,500,000Noriel Gfit Fund
Community Guilds Inc dba STEAM Truck
$500,000Unrestricted
redefinED atlanta
$200,000Unrestricted
Carnegie Mellon University - Richard M Lackner Football Excellence Fund
$150,000Richard M. Lackner Football Excellence Fund
Boys and Girls Club of BrevardTransylvania County Inc
$125,000"Bulding a Place to Belong" Campaign
Community Foundation - Hurricane Relief Efforts
$50,000Hurricane Relief Efforts
Highlands Performing Arts Center
$50,000Capital Campaign
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
$50,000Unrestricted
The Housing Assistance Corporation FBO Plat Heal RVs for Hurricane Relief
$40,000Plat Heal RVs for Hurricane Relief
Highlands Biological Foundation
$20,000Unrestricted
The Temple
$10,000Unrestricted
HelpusAdopt
$10,000Unrestricted
The Paideia School - Annual Fund
$5,000Annual Fund
Generic Theatre FBO Indecent
$5,000Underwriting and Production of Indecent
Camp Ramah Galim
$1,000Unrestricted
THE GUILD
$250,000UNRESTRICTED
THE TEMPLE
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
PASS NETWORK FOUNDATION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED