The Charles and Sandra Johnston Foundation funds exclusively education-focused causes, with a dominant emphasis on a single higher-education institution. The foundation has made very large, repeated investments in Indian River State College and a much smaller award to a rural K–12 school, indicating a preference for targeted, place-based educational impact in Florida.
Highly concentrated giving: very few grants overall, one very large multi-grant recipient (repeat funding to a single college) plus an isolated smaller grant; prefers large, targeted gifts over many small awards.
The Charles and Sandra Johnston Foundation’s grantmaking is defined by a single relationship that dominates its recent record: Indian River State College Foundation Inc in Fort Pierce received $4,000,000 in 2024, $3,000,000 in 2023, another $3,000,000 in 2023, and $1,000,000 in 2025. That pattern points to a funder centered on higher education support at a specific Florida institution rather than a broad, many-issue portfolio. Beyond that major college relationship, the foundation has also backed a small number of other Florida education and community organizations, including Hope Rural School in Indiantown and Inlet Grove in Riviera Beach. The overall picture is a place-based education funder with strong ties to Florida’s Atlantic coast and nearby communities. Its recent grants include both large institutional gifts and much smaller awards, suggesting a mix of major capacity support and targeted local assistance. The foundation’s public record also shows occasional support for charitable and religious organizations, but education remains the consistent core of its giving.
Education is the clear center of this foundation’s work, with a strong tilt toward higher education. The most visible example is $4,000,000 to Indian River State College Foundation Inc for Educational purposes, followed by several additional gifts to the same institution across 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation also supports K-12 education: it gave $115,100 to Hope Rural School in Indiantown for Educational purposes in 2023, then made additional education grants of $10,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2025. In Riviera Beach, Inlet Grove received $50,000 in 2023, $15,000 in 2023, $10,000 in 2024, and $15,000 in 2025, showing sustained support for a school-based recipient. Beyond schools, the record includes gifts tied to community organizations such as Jacksonville Symphony and Jupiter Medical Center, but those appear alongside—not instead of—the foundation’s education focus.
The foundation’s grant size pattern is wide, with a p25 of $2,000, a median grant of $10,000, and a p75 of $20,000. That distribution sits alongside a few very large institutional awards, including multi-million-dollar gifts in the recent record. Grants appear to recur across years for several recipients, especially in education, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time checks. The foundation is not a funder of individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent record is fully U.S.-based, and the pattern of repeated awards to the same organizations indicates a concentrated, relationship-driven approach.
$153K
$1.8M
$537K
$153K
Most grants fall between $2K and $20K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$20K
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Notable grantees: Indian River State College Foundation Inc, Hope Rural School
Grantmaking is heavily Florida-centered: 71% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and Florida is also the top state by grant count. Fort Pierce, Indiantown, Riviera Beach, Jacksonville, and Jupiter appear repeatedly in the recent grants list. Outside Florida, the recent record includes awards to organizations in Sinsinawa, WI; Dover, NH; Boston, MA; Worcester, MA; and Washington, DC, but these are a small share of the total. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S., with 51 grants in the United States.
Education is the foundation’s core focus. The recent record is dominated by Indian River State College Foundation Inc in Fort Pierce, and the smaller grants also include K-12 education recipients such as Hope Rural School and Inlet Grove.
The grant-size distribution is centered around smaller awards: p25 is $2,000, median grant size is $10,000, and p75 is $20,000. The record also includes a few much larger gifts, especially to education institutions.
Yes, but most grants go to Florida recipients. Florida accounts for 71% of grants, while the recent record also includes recipients in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Washington, DC.
Yes. Indian River State College Foundation Inc appears multiple times across 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Inlet Grove and Hope Rural School also receive more than one grant in the recent record.
Recent education grantees include Indian River State College Foundation Inc in Fort Pierce, Hope Rural School in Indiantown, and Inlet Grove in Riviera Beach, all of which received grants in the foundation’s recent record.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayla's Acres | St Augustine, FL | $41,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Jacksonville Symphony | Jacksonville, FL | $30,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Dana Farber | Boston, MA | $21,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Mayo Clinic | Jacksonville, FL | $15,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Inlet Grove | Riviera Beach, FL | $10,000 | 2026 | Educational |
| Parish of the Assumption | Dover, NH | $10,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Hope Rural School | Indiantown, FL | $10,000 | 2026 | Educational |
| Pan-Mass Challenge | Needham, MA | $5,500 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Halo Rescue | Sebastian, FL | $5,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Safe Pet Rescue | St Augustine, FL | $2,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Fawn's Small Dog Rescue | Jacksonville, FL | $2,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Animal Welfare Society | Miami, FL | $1,000 | 2026 | Charitable |
| Indian River State College Foundation Inc | Fort Pierce, FL | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Jacksonville Symphony | Jacksonville, FL | $60,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Dana Farber | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| The ARC Jacksonville | Jacksonville, FL | $20,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Parish of the Assumption | Dover, NH | $20,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Inlet Grove | Riviera Beach, FL | $15,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Worcester Polytechnic | Worcester, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Hope Rural School | Indiantown, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Mayo Clinic | Jacksonville, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | Medical |
| Ayla's Acres | St Augustine, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| St Ann's Place | West Palm Beach, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Cummer Museum of Art | Jacksonville, FL | $2,500 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Wounded Warriors | Jacksonville, FL | $2,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Good Sheperd Food Bank | Auburn, ME | $2,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Pan-Mass Challenge | Needham, MA | $1,500 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Florida Sheriff's Association | Tallahassee, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Judicial Watch | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Yogi | Jacksonville, FL | $100 | 2025 | Charitable |
| Indian River State College Foundation Inc | Fort Pierce, FL | $4,000,000 | 2024 | Educational |
| Jacksonville Symphony | Jacksonville, FL | $30,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Sinsinawa Dominicans | Sinsinawa, WI | $30,000 | 2024 | Religious |
| Mayo Clinic | Jacksonville, FL | $25,000 | 2024 | Medical |
| Hope Rural School | Indiantown, FL | $10,000 | 2024 | Educational |
| Inlet Grove | Riviera Beach, FL | $10,000 | 2024 | Educational |
| Jupiter Medical Center | Jupiter, FL | $10,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Judicial Watch | Washington, DC | $5,300 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Our Lady Star Of The Sea | Ponte Vedra Beach, FL | $5,000 | 2024 | Religious |
| Cummer Museum of Art | Jacksonville, FL | $5,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Florida Sheriff's Association | Tallahassee, FL | $1,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| National MS Society | Waltham, MA | $500 | 2024 | Medical |
| Pan-Mass Challenge | Needham, MA | $500 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Boys Town | Boys Town, NE | $150 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Association of the Miraculous Medal | Perryville, MO | $100 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Indian River State College Foundation Inc | Fort Pierce, FL | $3,000,000 | 2023 | Educational |
| Indian River State College Foundation Inc | Fort Pierce, FL | $3,000,000 | 2023 | Educational |
| Hope Rural School | Indiantown, FL | $115,100 | 2023 | Educational |
| Jupiter Medical Center | Jupiter, FL | $51,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Inlet Grove | Riviera Beach, FL | $50,000 | 2023 | Educational |
Ayla's Acres
$41,000Charitable
Jacksonville Symphony
$30,000Charitable
Mayo Clinic
$15,000Medical
Inlet Grove
$10,000Educational
Parish of the Assumption
$10,000Charitable
Educational
Fawn's Small Dog Rescue
$2,000Charitable
Animal Welfare Society
$1,000Charitable
Jacksonville Symphony
$60,000Charitable
Parish of the Assumption
$20,000Charitable
Inlet Grove
$15,000Educational
Worcester Polytechnic
$10,000Charitable
Mayo Clinic
$5,000Medical
Ayla's Acres
$5,000Charitable
St Ann's Place
$5,000Charitable
Cummer Museum of Art
$2,500Charitable
Pan-Mass Challenge
$1,500Charitable
Yogi
$100Charitable
Jacksonville Symphony
$30,000Charitable
Sinsinawa Dominicans
$30,000Religious
Mayo Clinic
$25,000Medical
Inlet Grove
$10,000Educational
Our Lady Star Of The Sea
$5,000Religious
Cummer Museum of Art
$5,000Charitable
National MS Society
$500Medical
Pan-Mass Challenge
$500Charitable
Boys Town
$150Charitable
Association of the Miraculous Medal
$100Charitable
Inlet Grove
$50,000Educational