The Charles and Marie Robertson Foundation concentrates its giving on classical and charter K–12 education, conservative/public policy institutions, and media projects that advance ideas and public discourse, with a secondary interest in pediatric health. They make relatively large, targeted grants and tend to fund the same organizations repeatedly, supporting both local schools (e.g., Orange County, Washington, D.C.) and national policy/media organizations.
Concentrated, relatively large grants with repeat funding to a small set of grantees; mix of local school investments and national policy/media organizations rather than many one-off small gifts.
The Charles and Marie Robertson Foundation c/o Robert Ernst gives repeatedly to institutions that shape classroom, civic, and public-policy ideas, with a clear pattern of general-support grants. In the latest grants list, the largest awards include two consecutive $200,000 grants to The Institute for World Politics, along with $125,000 grants to Washington Latin Public Charter School and Orange County Classical Academy. That mix points to a funder that backs both educational institutions and policy organizations rather than one-off projects alone. Their giving also reaches media and child-health organizations. The Moving Picture Institute received $100,000 in 2024 and another $100,000 in 2025, while Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health received $110,000 in both 2024 and 2025. These repeat awards suggest a sustained relationship with recipients across multiple years. The foundation’s grant list includes classical and charter K–12 schools, conservative and international-affairs policy groups, media projects, and pediatric health organizations, with most grants structured as general support. The overall pattern is targeted, multi-year support for organizations that advance education, public policy, and ideas in public life.
In K–12 education, the foundation supported both Washington Latin Public Charter School and Orange County Classical Academy with general-support grants in 2024 and 2025, including $125,000 awards in 2025. That pattern sits alongside additional support for Santa Cantalina School and St Mary's College of California, showing attention to classical-style education across school levels. In policy and civil-liberties work, they backed The Institute for World Politics with $200,000 in both 2024 and 2025, and gave general support to the New Civil Liberties Alliance and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression. They also funded the Institute for Humane Studies and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, indicating interest in institutions tied to ideas, scholarship, and public debate. The foundation also funded health-related work through Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, Nurse Family Partnership, Montage Health Foundation, and Hunter Seven Foundation, all with general support.
$1.3M
$27.2M
$3.5M
$1.4M
Most grants fall between $20K and $75K, with a median of $40K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$40K
75th Percentile
$75K
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Notable grantees: The Institute for World Politics, Washington Latin Public Charter School, Orange County Classical Academy, The Moving Picture Institute, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health
Typical grants cluster at $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $40,000 at the median, and $75,000 at the 75th percentile, even though the recent list includes larger targeted awards. The foundation behaves like a regular funder rather than a DAF or PRI vehicle, and the awards shown are all general support or unrestricted-style grants. Recurrence is a clear feature: several recipients appear in both 2024 and 2025, including multiple renewals at the same amount. That points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts.
Giving is national, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. The most frequent recipient state is Virginia, while 42% of grants go to recipients in California, which includes Orange, Palo Alto, Monterey, Moraga, and Upland. Washington, DC also appears repeatedly through several recipient organizations, and other recipient cities include Philadelphia, New York, Denver, Providence, Murray, and Wilmington. The distribution suggests a broad U.S. reach with a strong California concentration.
It supports classical and charter K–12 education, conservative and international-affairs policy education, media and film projects tied to public policy and ideas, and pediatric health organizations. The recent grants list also includes civil-liberties groups and health-related nonprofits.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2024 and 2025, including The Institute for World Politics, The Moving Picture Institute, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, Washington Latin Public Charter School, Orange County Classical Academy, and others. Many of those awards are repeated general-support grants.
The typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $40,000 at the median, and $75,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $30,000 to $200,000, with larger grants going to education and policy institutions.
Its grants are national, and all recent grants went to U.S. recipients. California receives 42% of grants, and Virginia is the top state by grant count. Recipient cities include Orange, Palo Alto, Monterey, Moraga, Upland, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Denver.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE INSTITUTE FOR WORLD POLITICS | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WASHINGTON LATIN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL | WASHINGTON, DC | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ORANGE COUNTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY | ORANGE, CA | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH | PALO ALTO, CA | $110,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NEW CIVIL LIBERTIES ALLIANCE | WASHINGTON, DC | $95,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN EXPRESSION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $85,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP | DENVER, CO | $55,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OPERATION UNDERGROUND RAILROAD INC | MURRAY, UT | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HUNTER SEVEN FOUNDATION | PROVIDENCE, RI | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SANTA CANTALINA SCHOOL | MONTEREY, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ST MARY'S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA | MORAGA, CA | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INTERCOLLEGIATE STUDIES INSTITUTE | WILMINGTON, DE | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INSTITUTE FOR HUMANE STUDIES | ARLINGTON, VA | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTAGE HEALTH FOUNDATION | MONTEREY, CA | $31,300 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CLAREMONT INSTITUTE | UPLAND, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HAND HELPING AFTER NEONATAL DEATH | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $13,700 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE PHILADELPHIA SOCIETY | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FEDERALIST SOCIETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE INSTITUTE FOR WORLD POLITICS | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH | PALO ALTO, CA | $110,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ORANGE COUNTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY | ORANGE, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WASHINGTON LATIN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN EXPRESSION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SANTA CANTALINA SCHOOL | MONTEREY, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NEW CIVIL LIBERTIES ALLIANCE | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP | DENVER, CO | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ST MARY'S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA | MORAGA, CA | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INTERCOLLEGIATE STUDIES INSTITUTE | WILMINGTON, DE | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INSTITUTE FOR HUMANE STUDIES | ARLINGTON, VA | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTAGE HEALTH FOUNDATION | MONTEREY, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CLAREMONT INSTITUTE | UPLAND, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HAND HELPING AFTER NEONATAL DEATH | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE PHILADELPHIA SOCIETY | GRAND RAPIDS, MI | $7,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE | CLAREMONT, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | N/A |
| HUNTER SEVEN FOUNDATION | PROVIDENCE, RI | $3,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FEDERALIST SOCIETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE INSTITUTE FOR WORLD POLITICS | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MOVING PICTURE INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $150,150 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH | PALO ALTO, CA | $140,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ORANGE COUNTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY | ORANGE, CA | $125,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WASHINGTON LATIN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL | WASHINGTON, DC | $105,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN EXPRESSION | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $85,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EDCHOICE FOUNDATION | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $75,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INTERCOLLEGIATE STUDIES INSTITUTE | WILMINGTON, DE | $60,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| INSTITUTE FOR HUMANE STUDIES | ARLINGTON, VA | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SANTA CANTALINA SCHOOL | MONTEREY, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP | DENVER, CO | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTAGE HEALTH FOUNDATION | MONTEREY, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
ORANGE COUNTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY
$125,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT
HUNTER SEVEN FOUNDATION
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SANTA CANTALINA SCHOOL
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ST MARY'S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA
$40,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CLAREMONT INSTITUTE
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HAND HELPING AFTER NEONATAL DEATH
$13,700GENERAL SUPPORT
THE PHILADELPHIA SOCIETY
$7,500GENERAL SUPPORT
FEDERALIST SOCIETY
$2,500GENERAL SUPPORT
ORANGE COUNTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SANTA CANTALINA SCHOOL
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ST MARY'S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA
$40,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CLAREMONT INSTITUTE
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HAND HELPING AFTER NEONATAL DEATH
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE PHILADELPHIA SOCIETY
$7,500GENERAL SUPPORT
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
$5,000N/A
HUNTER SEVEN FOUNDATION
$3,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FEDERALIST SOCIETY
$2,500GENERAL SUPPORT
ORANGE COUNTY CLASSICAL ACADEMY
$125,000GENERAL SUPPORT
EDCHOICE FOUNDATION
$75,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SANTA CANTALINA SCHOOL
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT