The Connolly Family Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education, making large, targeted gifts to university programs that advance business management and entrepreneurship. Its grants primarily endow academic positions and program funds (e.g., a business management minor endowment and an entrepreneurship chair), and funding is focused and repeatable rather than broadly distributed. The foundation appears to favor sustained institutional support at a small number of universities.
Connolly Family Foundation Inc’s clearest pattern is its repeated support for named university endowments that tie business education to entrepreneurship. The largest recent grants center on Washington & Lee University, where the foundation made multiple $231,000 gifts for the JL Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship Chair position fund and Chair position, showing a sustained commitment to one academic platform across more than one year. A second major thread runs through Tulane University’s business management minor endowed fund, with repeated gifts of roughly $192,857 to $192,858 for current use and for the endowed fund itself. Beyond those flagship commitments, the foundation also makes selective gifts to a small group of nonprofits and institutions, often at the $50,000 level, including support for workforce access, general operating needs, and education-linked programs. Its overall grantmaking is focused rather than broad, with recurring awards that reinforce specific named funds and programs instead of dispersing support across many unrelated causes. That pattern suggests a funder that prefers durable institutional relationships and targeted academic investment over one-off charitable giving.
Higher education is the foundation’s most visible theme, especially when the grant purpose is tied to business training or entrepreneurship. Tulane University received repeated gifts for the Connolly Family business management minor endowed fund, including current-use support attached to the endowment. Washington & Lee University was funded for the JL Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship Chair position, reinforcing the same academic emphasis. The foundation also supports workforce access and opportunity. Year Up Inc received multiple $50,000 grants for the Year Up Atlanta fund, the Atlanta chapter, and the “Closing the Opportunity Divide - Atlanta, Georgia year up” project. A third thread is community support in Atlanta-based programs. City of Refuge Inc received both general support and funding for the Eden Village Program, while Georgia Justice Project Inc and The Atlanta Opera Inc each received general and unrestricted support.
Typical grant size sits at $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $25,000 at the 75th percentile, but the recent record also includes repeated $50,000 awards and larger endowed commitments above $190,000. The pattern is more recurring than one-off: Washington & Lee University and Tulane University appear in multiple years, and several Atlanta-area nonprofits recur as well. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not make program-related investments. It also funds individuals. The record suggests targeted institutional support rather than broad-open grantmaking.
$1M
$32.1M
$4M
$1.5M
Most grants fall between $5K and $25K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in GA.
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Highly concentrated: few, large grants split between two primary university recipients with multiple repeat gifts to each, focused on endowed funds and faculty/chair support rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND, WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY, JL Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship (endowed chair)
Grantmaking is concentrated in the United States, with 151 grants in the recipient-country distribution. Georgia is the top state by grant count, and many recent awards go to Atlanta-area organizations or programs tied to Atlanta. Other visible recipient locations include Lexington, Virginia; New Orleans and Dallas for Tulane-related grants; Boston for Year Up; and St. Simons Island and Brookhaven in Georgia. The foundation’s HQ is in Wilmington, Delaware, but grants to Delaware recipients are absent in the provided data.
The foundation most often supports higher education and education-linked programs. Recent grants include repeated support for university endowments tied to business management and entrepreneurship, plus grants to workforce and community organizations such as Year Up Inc, City of Refuge Inc, and Georgia Justice Project Inc.
The grant-size distribution is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $25,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include recurring $50,000 grants and larger endowed gifts above $190,000.
Yes. Washington & Lee University appears in 2023 and 2024 with $231,000 grants, Tulane University appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with gifts around $192,857 to $192,858, and several Georgia-based nonprofits also recur across multiple years.
Georgia is the top state by grant count. Recent grants include multiple recipients in Atlanta, along with organizations in St. Simons Island and Brookhaven, which shows a strong concentration in that state.
It also funds individuals. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and the provided data indicates that it funds individuals, alongside grants to universities and nonprofit organizations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND | DALLAS, TX | $192,857 | 2026 | Connolly Family Business Management, Minor Endowed Fund |
| ATLANTA POLICE FOUNDATION INC | ATLANTA, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | Public Safety Training Center. |
| THE ATLANTA OPERA INC | ATLANTA, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | Studio Tour Program |
| ATLANTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC | ATLANTA, GA | $100,000 | 2026 | Centennial Campaign |
| YEAR UP INC | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | The Atlanta, Georgia Year Up Program |
| CITY OF REFUGE INC | ATLANTA, GA | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| GEORGE WEST MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION INC | BROOKHAVEN, GA | $50,000 | 2026 | Charitable Event |
| TRENTON YOUTH WRESTLING TRENTON YOUTH WRESTLING AN | TRENTON, NJ | $50,000 | 2026 | Campaign for the Trenton Youth and Learning Center |
| GEORGIA JUSTICE PROJECT INC | ATLANTA, GA | $50,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| SOCCER IN THE STREETS INC | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| COVENANT HOUSE GEORGIA INC | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| ATLANTA UNION MISSION CORPORATION HCSR | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| NORTHSIDE YOUTH ORGANIZATION INC | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2026 | Sharing the Gift Campaign. |
| ATLANTA YOUTH ACADEMIES INC | ATLANTA, GA | $15,000 | 2026 | Tuition Scholarship Fund |
| ATLANTA URBAN SQUASH INC | ATLANTA, GA | $15,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMP TWIN LAKES INC | ATLANTA, GA | $15,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| EAST LAKE FOUNDATION INC | ATLANTA, GA | $15,000 | 2026 | Drew Academy's College and Career Readiness Program |
| ATLANTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC | ATLANTA, GA | $15,000 | 2026 | Annual Education Program |
| KIDZ 2 LEADERS INC | MARIETTA, GA | $15,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| ANGEL FLIGHT SOARS INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| ELEVATE ATLANTA INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BUCKHEAD CHRISTIAN MINISTRY INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| NO LONGER BOUND INC | CUMMING, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | Transition Expansion. |
| BOBBY DODD INSTITUTE INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| ATLANTA-FULTON COUNTY ZOO INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | Education Programming. |
| CRISTO REY ATLANTA JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| BUCKHEAD CHRISTIAN MINISTRY INC | ATLANTA, GA | $8,500 | 2026 | Charitable Event |
| BUCKHEAD CHRISTIAN MINISTRY INC | ATLANTA, GA | $8,000 | 2026 | Charitable Event |
| WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY | LEXINGTON, VA | $5,000 | 2026 | W&L Fund for Area of Greatest Need |
| BLUE GRASS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC | LEXINGTON, KY | $5,000 | 2026 | LIGHT UP RACING FUND |
| SHEPHERD CENTER FOUNDATION INC | ATLANTA, GA | $5,000 | 2026 | Charitable Event |
| OPEN HAND ATLANTA INC | ATLANTA, GA | $5,000 | 2026 | Charitable Event |
| PEACHTREE ROAD METHODIST CHURCH | ATLANTA, GA | $2,500 | 2026 | The Preschool Parents Council Classroom run by Ms. Amanda / Ms.Sinclaire |
| RACE TRACK CHAPLAINCY OF AMERICA | ELMONT, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | Sponsor a Family For Christmas |
| RACE TRACK CHAPLAINCY OF AMERICA | ELMONT, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| THOROUGHBRED CHARITIES OF AMERICA INC | LEXINGTON, KY | $1,000 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE GIVING KITCHEN INITIATIVE INC | ATLANTA, GA | $500 | 2026 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND | DALLAS, TX | $192,857 | 2025 | Connolly Family Business Management, Minor Endowed fund |
| CITY OF REFUGE INC | ATLANTA, GA | $50,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| GEORGIA JUSTICE PROJECT INC | ATLANTA, GA | $50,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| GEORGE WEST MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION INC | BROOKHAVEN, GA | $50,000 | 2025 | Mark C. West Financial Aid Program |
| YEAR UP INC | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | Year Up Atlanta fund |
| EAST LAKE FOUNDATION INC | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2025 | College Career and Readiness Program |
| WILLIAM J PALMER PARKS FOUNDATION INC | COLORADO SPGS, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | Economic Empowerment fund |
| ATLANTA UNION MISSION CORPORATION HCSR | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| SOCCER IN THE STREETS INC | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMP TWIN LAKES INC | ATLANTA, GA | $25,000 | 2025 | Camper Scholarship Program |
| ATLANTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC | ATLANTA, GA | $15,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| GRAYSON-JOCKEY CLUB RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| ANGEL FLIGHT SOARS INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
Connolly Family Business Management, Minor Endowed Fund
ATLANTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
$100,000Centennial Campaign
General & Unrestricted
TRENTON YOUTH WRESTLING TRENTON YOUTH WRESTLING AN
$50,000Campaign for the Trenton Youth and Learning Center
ATLANTA URBAN SQUASH INC
$15,000General & Unrestricted
ATLANTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
$15,000Annual Education Program
ELEVATE ATLANTA INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
CRISTO REY ATLANTA JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
PEACHTREE ROAD METHODIST CHURCH
$2,500The Preschool Parents Council Classroom run by Ms. Amanda / Ms.Sinclaire
THOROUGHBRED CHARITIES OF AMERICA INC
$1,000General & Unrestricted
THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND
$192,857Connolly Family Business Management, Minor Endowed fund
ATLANTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
$15,000General & Unrestricted