The Claws Foundation concentrates large, high-value gifts into a small number of organizations, with a strong emphasis on biomedical and scientific research (particularly institutions in the Philadelphia area), Jewish leadership/education, and a secondary interest in arts and direct social services. They fund research universities and institutes, major hospitals, Jewish thought leadership, and a few arts and human services organizations, often via repeat multi-million dollar awards or donor-advised passthroughs.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving with few large grants and multiple repeat awards to key institutional grantees; uses donor-advised or intermediary vehicles for some gifts. Geographic tilt toward Philadelphia-area biomedical institutions plus selective national arts and faith/immigrant-support recipients.
Claws Foundation C/o Sterling Foundation Management LLC makes large, unrestricted gifts to a relatively small set of organizations, with the biggest recent awards reaching $10.5 million and $10 million to Silver Valley Research Foundation for general support. The pattern points to a funder that backs operating capacity rather than project-specific work, and it does so at a scale that includes repeated multimillion-dollar grants to the same recipients over time. Biomedical and scientific research is a central thread. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia received $5 million in both 2024 and 2025 for general support, while Thomas Jefferson University received $3.5 million in 2023 and $3 million in 2025. The foundation also supports research-related intermediaries and donor-advised channels, including Fidelity Charitable. A second strand runs through Jewish leadership and education, with gifts to Shalom Hartman Institute and American Friends of Hebrew University. The portfolio also includes homelessness services for women through Women in Need Inc and several arts and culture institutions, indicating that the foundation’s giving is broad in subject matter even when it remains concentrated in a few organizations.
Biomedical research and medical institutions appear repeatedly in the grant record. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia received $5 million in 2024 and another $5 million in 2025 for general support, while Thomas Jefferson University was awarded $3.5 million in 2023 and $3 million in 2025. The foundation also supports translational research and research funding infrastructure. Silver Valley Research Foundation received $10.5 million in 2023 and $10 million in 2024, both listed as general support. In Jewish education and thought leadership, Shalom Hartman Institute received $3.25 million in 2023. American Friends of Hebrew University also appears in the record with a $500,000 grant in 2023. Outside those areas, Women in Need Inc received $3.005 million in 2023, $2.005 million in 2024, and $2.025 million in 2025 for general support.
The grant-size profile is weighted toward large awards: the 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $135,000, and the 75th percentile is $2,001,250. That spread matches a strategy built around substantial general-support grants rather than small-volume philanthropy. Recipients commonly reappear across multiple years. Silver Valley Research Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University, Women in Need Inc, Refuge Point, Fidelity Charitable, Calder Gardens, and Alliance for Decision Education each show repeat awards. The foundation is organized as a foundation with a c/o Sterling Foundation Management LLC structure, and the grants shown are non-program-specific operating support. No open application process is indicated in the data.
$18.5M
$6.2M
$377K
$18.8M
Most grants fall between $50K and $2M, with a median of $135K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$135K
75th Percentile
$2M
About 6% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Notable grantees: Silver Valley Research Foundation, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Wistar Institute, Women In Need, Inc., Shalom Hartman Institute
Giving is national, with every listed grant going to a U.S. recipient. The strongest cluster is in Pennsylvania, especially Philadelphia: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University, Calder Gardens, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Contemporary, and Art Philly 2026 all appear there. New York also receives multiple awards through grantees in New York and Beacon, while Cambridge, Massachusetts appears through Refuge Point. Although the foundation is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, only 4% of grants go to recipients in Virginia.
The record shows support for biomedical and scientific research institutions, Jewish education and thought organizations, homelessness services for women, and arts and culture groups. Examples include Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Shalom Hartman Institute, Women in Need Inc, and Dia Art Foundation.
No. The giving scope is national, and all listed recipients are in the United States. Pennsylvania, especially Philadelphia, appears most often among the recent grants, but the portfolio also includes New York, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Washington, DC, and Virginia.
Yes. Several organizations appear more than once in the recent grants list. Silver Valley Research Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University, Women in Need Inc, Refuge Point, Fidelity Charitable, Calder Gardens, and Alliance for Decision Education each received multiple awards across different years.
The grant-size distribution is heavily skewed toward larger awards. The 25th percentile is $50,000, the median is $135,000, and the 75th percentile is $2,001,250.
The recent grants are listed as general support, and the taxonomy identifies this as unrestricted or core organizational support. The pattern emphasizes flexible funding for operating expenses rather than project-specific grants.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $3,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DIA ART FOUNDATION | BEACON, NY | $2,534,565 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WOMEN IN NEED INC | NEW YORK, NY | $2,025,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALLIANCE FOR DECISION EDUCATION | BALA CYNWYD, PA | $1,500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CALDER GARDENS | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| REFUGE POINT | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $750,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FIDELITY CHARITABLE | COVINGTON, KY | $600,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HIRSHHORN MUSEUM | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF FACES | RESTON, VA | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOCA RATON REGIONAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | BOCA RATON, FL | $150,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN | FAIRFIELD, CT | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE PUBLIC THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRANKLIN INSTITUTE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WISTAR INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LANKENAU MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | WYNNEWOOD, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GREENWICH HOUSE | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ORPHANED STARFISH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SKIN CANCER FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MUSKET RIDGE JUNIOR ACADEMY | RESTON, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SILVER VALLEY RESEARCH FOUNDATION | RESTON, VA | $10,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| REFUGE POINT | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $5,750,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $5,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FIDELITY CHARITABLE | COVINGTON, KY | $3,400,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WOMEN IN NEED INC | NEW YORK, NY | $2,005,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CALDER GARDENS | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $2,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALLIANCE FOR DECISION EDUCATION | BALA CYNWYD, PA | $1,000,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ART PHILLY 2026 | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PHILADELPHIA CONTEMPORARY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BETH DAVID REFORM CONGREGATION | GLADWYNE, PA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FRANKLIN INSTITUTE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN | FAIRFIELD, CT | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE PUBLIC THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WISTAR INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GREENWICH HOUSE | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOCA RATON REGIONAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | BOCA RATON, FL | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GALLOPNYC | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ORPHANED STARFISH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DRAMA CLUB NY | JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ST JUDES RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SILVER VALLEY RESEARCH FOUNDATION | RESTON, VA | $10,500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FIDELITY CHARITABLE | COVINGTON, KY | $5,700,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WISTAR INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $3,500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SHALOM HARTMAN INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $3,250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WOMEN IN NEED INC | NEW YORK, NY | $3,005,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,900,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
DIA ART FOUNDATION
$2,534,565GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT
FIDELITY CHARITABLE
$600,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SAVE THE CHILDREN
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE PUBLIC THEATER
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WISTAR INSTITUTE
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ORPHANED STARFISH FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SKIN CANCER FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MUSKET RIDGE JUNIOR ACADEMY
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SILVER VALLEY RESEARCH FOUNDATION
$10,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ART PHILLY 2026
$200,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BETH DAVID REFORM CONGREGATION
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WISTAR INSTITUTE
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GALLOPNYC
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ORPHANED STARFISH FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
DRAMA CLUB NY
$2,500GENERAL SUPPORT
SILVER VALLEY RESEARCH FOUNDATION
$10,500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WISTAR INSTITUTE
$5,000,000GENERAL SUPPORT