The David Alden and Dina Al-Sabah Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on a small number of sizable, unrestricted gifts to education and medical research/healthcare organizations. Giving is split between strong support for an elite Washington, DC independent school and major cancer research initiatives, with supplemental funding for pediatric hospitals. Grants are typically general operating support and include repeat awards to the same organizations.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants with repeat funding to a handful of core grantees; gifts are primarily unrestricted/general operating support and split between local education and national health research/hospital beneficiaries.
The David Alden and Dina Al-sabah Family Foundation’s recent giving is marked by a repeated pattern of large general operating grants to a small set of organizations, led by Georgetown Day School and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The school received $200,000 in both 2023 and 2025 for general operating expenses, while the Entertainment Industry Foundation received $100,000 in 2025 and was also funded in 2023 and 2024 through its Stand Up To Cancer work. That combination points to a funder that backs institutional stability as much as program activity. The foundation also supports medical research and healthcare organizations through unrestricted gifts. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital received $33,000 in 2023, and Children’s National received $25,000 in 2024. Additional grants went to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Saint John’s Health Center, reinforcing a clear emphasis on education, cancer-related philanthropy, and pediatric health. Across these awards, the foundation appears to favor operating support over restricted project grants, with several recipients appearing more than once in the recent record.
In education, the foundation’s strongest recent commitment is to Georgetown Day School, which received $200,000 in both 2023 and 2025 for general operating expenses. It also supported Georgetown University with $12,500 in 2024 and George Washington Scholarship with $12,500 in 2025, showing attention to Washington, DC-area education across school and scholarship settings. In cancer research and awareness, the Entertainment Industry Foundation received $100,000 in 2025 for general operating expenses, following comparable support in 2023 and 2024 through its Stand Up To Cancer work. The foundation also gave $20,000 in 2024 to Dana Farber Cancer Institute and $15,000 in 2023 to Dana Darber Cancer Institute, both for general operating expenses. Pediatric and hospital support is another recurring theme. St Jude Children’s Research Hospital received $33,000 in 2023, while Children’s National received $25,000 in 2024 and Saint John’s Health Center received $10,000 in 2023.
Typical grants cluster at a modest-to-mid-sized level, with a p25 of $11,875, a median of $17,500, and a p75 of $49,750. The recent record shows a small number of larger awards alongside many general operating gifts in the $10,000 to $25,000 range. Recipients often appear across multiple years, including Georgetown Day School, the Entertainment Industry Foundation/Stand Up To Cancer, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Little Folks School, and Washington Performing Arts. The foundation is a family foundation and does not fund individuals. The grants shown are all operating support rather than project-specific awards.
$351K
$0
$401K
$368K
Most grants fall between $12K and $50K, with a median of $18K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$18K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Notable grantees: Georgetown Day School, Entertainment Industry Foundation / Stand Up To Cancer, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Children’s National
The foundation gives nationally, but the recent record is heavily centered in Washington, DC and nearby locations. Recipients in Washington, DC include Georgetown Day School, Washington Performing Arts, Georgetown University, George Washington Scholarship, and Little Folks School. Outside the District, grants reached Los Angeles, Memphis, Boston, Silver Spring, and Santa Monica. All 17 recent grants in the dataset went to US recipients, and 42% of grants were made to recipients in the HQ state of DC.
Its recent grants center on education, cancer research and awareness, and pediatric medical or hospital support. Georgetown Day School received two $200,000 general operating grants, the Entertainment Industry Foundation received multiple $100,000 awards tied to Stand Up To Cancer and general operations, and health-related support went to organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Children’s National.
The recent grants are consistently listed as general operating expenses. That pattern includes the largest awards to Georgetown Day School and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, as well as grants to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Washington Performing Arts, and Little Folks School.
The grant-size distribution is $11,875 at the 25th percentile, $17,500 at the median, and $49,750 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $10,000 to $200,000, with several grants in the $12,500 to $25,000 range and a few larger $100,000 and $200,000 gifts.
Yes. Georgetown Day School appears in both 2023 and 2025 at $200,000 each time. The Entertainment Industry Foundation appears in 2025 and was also funded in 2023 and 2024 through Stand Up To Cancer. Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Little Folks School, and Washington Performing Arts also show repeated awards.
The foundation gives nationally, but recipient locations are concentrated in Washington, DC and nearby cities. The top state by grant count is Tennessee, and 42% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state of DC. Recent recipients also include Los Angeles, Memphis, Boston, Silver Spring, and Santa Monica.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL | Washington, DC | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION | Los Angeles, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| DANA FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | Boston, MA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS | Washington, DC | $18,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| GEORGE WASHINGTON SCHOLARSHIP | Washington, DC | $12,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION- STAND UP TO CANCER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| CHILDREN'S NATIONAL | SILVER SPRING, MD | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| DANA DARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | BOSTON, MA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $12,500 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| LITTLE FOLKS SCHOOL | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| GEORGETOWN DAY SCHOOL | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION- STAND UP TO CANCER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $33,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| DANA DARBER CANCER INSTITUTE | BOSTON, MA | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| LITTLE FOLKS SCHOOL | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| SAINT JOHN'S HEALTH CENTER | SANTA MONICA, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
GEORGE WASHINGTON SCHOLARSHIP
$12,500GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
CHILDREN'S NATIONAL
$25,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
LITTLE FOLKS SCHOOL
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
LITTLE FOLKS SCHOOL
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES