The David and Linda Swain Foundation makes modest, targeted gifts to local community institutions with particular emphasis on coastal South Padre Island causes and a cluster of beneficiaries in the St. Louis / Missouri region. Their giving repeatedly supports K–12 and higher education, coastal conservation and nature organizations, faith-based congregations, and basic community services (food bank, Habitat, disaster relief). Grants are typically program or unrestricted support to operating nonprofits rather than capital mega‑projects.
A defining feature of the David and Linda Swain Foundation is its repeated support for South Padre Island religious and coastal institutions, alongside a steady Missouri education and public-service pattern. In the latest grants list, the largest award is $15,000 to Chapei by the Sea in South Padre Island for religious support, followed by multiple gifts in the $12,000 range to Chapel by the Sea in earlier years. That same coastal thread appears in grants to Sea Turtle Inc., South Padre Island Birding Center, and El Paseo Arts Foundation, while Missouri recipients include universities, community colleges, and local service organizations in St. Louis, Columbia, Kirksville, and Rolla. The foundation’s giving is modest in scale but frequent, with many grants clustered at $5,000 and several smaller awards as well. Its pattern suggests support for operating nonprofits serving community, education, faith, and conservation needs rather than large capital projects. The portfolio also includes basic-needs organizations such as food banks, disaster relief, and Habitat for Humanity, showing a mix of local community support and place-based giving.
Education is a major thread in the foundation’s grantmaking. In 2026, it gave $5,000 each to University of Missouri St Louis, St Louis Community College, Truman State University, and the University of Missouri in Columbia, and earlier gifts went to Truman State, Missouri S&T, Port Isabel High School, and the St. Louis community college system. The foundation also supports public-service organizations tied to immediate community needs. Examples include $5,000 to RGV Food Bank in Pharr, $7,500 to Willows Way in St. Charles, and $7,500 to American Red Cross in Washington, DC. Coastal conservation and wildlife work is another recurring area, with grants to Sea Turtle Inc. and South Padre Island Birding Center. Faith-based support appears through repeated gifts to Chapel by the Sea on South Padre Island.
Typical grants are small: the 25th percentile is $1,000, the median is $2,000, and the 75th percentile is $5,000. That distribution matches a pattern of many modest operating or program gifts rather than a few large awards. The foundation is active across multiple years, with recurring support visible for several organizations, including repeated gifts to the same faith and education beneficiaries over time. It is a private foundation, not a funder of individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. The recent-grants record suggests a straightforward grantmaking style centered on direct nonprofit support.
$152K
$3.1M
$423K
$199K
Most grants fall between $1K and $5K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$5K
About 27% of grants go to recipients in MO.
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Many small-to-midsize grants with frequent repeat funding to the same organizations; geographically concentrated in South Padre Island/Texas Gulf Coast and the St. Louis/Missouri area. Grants are primarily annual or recurring operating and program support rather than large one-time endowments.
Notable grantees: Sea Turtle Inc., Chapel by the Sea, Port Isabel High School, Truman State / Missouri higher-education institutions, RGV Food Bank
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States, and the foundation gives most often in Missouri. Texas also accounts for a substantial share of awards, including South Padre Island, Port Isabel, Pharr, and City of Padre Island recipients. Missouri recipients appear across St. Louis, Bridgeton, Columbia, Kirksville, Rolla, St. Charles, and Warrenton. Outside those states, recent grants also reached Americus, Georgia; Boone, Iowa; and Washington, DC. The geographic pattern combines a coastal South Padre Island cluster with a broader Missouri education and community-service footprint.
Its recent grants center on faith-based congregations, K–12 and higher education, coastal conservation and wildlife groups, and basic community services. The record also includes hospitals and family-support organizations, plus disaster relief and Habitat for Humanity.
The grant-size distribution is modest: 25th percentile $1,000, median $2,000, and 75th percentile $5,000. That indicates most awards are small operating or program grants.
No. Texas recipients are important, but Missouri is where the foundation gives most often. The recipient list is fully U.S.-based and also includes grants in Iowa, Georgia, and Washington, DC.
Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Chapel by the Sea, American Red Cross, Truman State, St. Louis-area community college entries, and university grants in Missouri. That shows a recurring pattern rather than isolated one-off gifts.
Recent awards include education at University of Missouri St Louis, St Louis Community College, and Truman State University; public service at Willows Way and Lifeline; and coastal support at Sea Turtle Inc. and South Padre Island Birding Center.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapei by the Sea | City of South Padre Is, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | Religious |
| American Red Cross | Washington, DC | $7,500 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Willows Way | St Charles, MO | $7,500 | 2026 | Public Service |
| El Paseo Arts Foundation | city of South Padre Is, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Habitat for Humanity | Americus, GA | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Rio Grand Valley Food Bank | Parr, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| South Padre Island Birding Center | City of South Padre Is, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| American Cancer Society | Hagerstown, MD | $5,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| University of Missouri of Sceince | Rolla, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Port Isabel High School | Port Isabel, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Sea Turtle Inc | City of South Padre Is, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Turning Point | Warrenton, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| University Missouri St Louis | St Louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | Education |
| St Louis Community College | St Louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | Education |
| University of Missouri Col | Columbia, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Lifeline | St Louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Truman State University | Kirksville, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Friends of Rescued Animals | City of Padre Island, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| DDRB of St Charles | St Charles, MO | $2,500 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Blue Sunday | Harlingen, TX | $2,500 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Fellowship of Cristrain Athletics | Columbia, MO | $2,500 | 2026 | Religious |
| Be the Match DKMS | New York, NY | $2,500 | 2026 | Medical |
| Folds of Honor | Owasso, OK | $2,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Community Living of St Charles | St Charles, MO | $2,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Muscular Dystrophy Assocation | Chicago, IL | $2,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Blood cancer | Washington, DC | $2,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Alzheimer Association | Chicago, IL | $2,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Nation Multiple Sclerosis | New York, NY | $2,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| ALS Disease | Arlington, VA | $2,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Ronald McDonald House- Har | Harlingen, TX | $1,500 | 2026 | Medical |
| Laguna Madre Christian Academy | Laguna Vista, TX | $1,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Ronald McDonald House-Chi | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Shriners | Tampa, FL | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Laguna Madre Youth Center | Port Isabel, TX | $1,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Faith Christian Church | Warrenton, MO | $1,000 | 2026 | Religious |
| Marine Military Academy | Harlingen, TX | $1,000 | 2026 | Education |
| Our Military Kids | Oakton, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| American Diabetes Foundation | Arlington, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| MD Anderson Center | Houston, TX | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Joy FM | Winston, NC | $1,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Evans scholars | Glenview, IL | $1,000 | 2026 | education |
| Salvation Army | Harlingen, TX | $1,000 | 2026 | public Service |
| Macular Degeneration | Northampton, MA | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| St Judes Childrens | Memphis, TN | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| St Louis Science Center | St Louis, MO | $1,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| Arthritis Foundation | Atlanta, GA | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Smile Train | Washington, DC | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| March of Dimes | Arlington, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | Medical |
| Autism Speaks | Boone, IA | $1,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
| American Foundation for Suicide P | New York, NY | $1,000 | 2026 | Public Service |
Chapei by the Sea
$15,000Religious
Willows Way
$7,500Public Service
El Paseo Arts Foundation
$5,000Public Service
Habitat for Humanity
$5,000Public Service
Rio Grand Valley Food Bank
$5,000Public Service
South Padre Island Birding Center
$5,000Public Service
American Cancer Society
$5,000Medical
University of Missouri of Sceince
$5,000Education
Port Isabel High School
$5,000Education
Turning Point
$5,000Public Service
University Missouri St Louis
$5,000Education
St Louis Community College
$5,000Education
University of Missouri Col
$5,000Education
Lifeline
$5,000Public Service
Truman State University
$5,000Education
Friends of Rescued Animals
$5,000Public Service
DDRB of St Charles
$2,500Public Service
Blue Sunday
$2,500Public Service
Fellowship of Cristrain Athletics
$2,500Religious
Be the Match DKMS
$2,500Medical
Community Living of St Charles
$2,000Public Service
Blood cancer
$2,000Medical
Alzheimer Association
$2,000Medical
Nation Multiple Sclerosis
$2,000Medical
ALS Disease
$2,000Medical
Ronald McDonald House- Har
$1,500Medical
Laguna Madre Christian Academy
$1,000Education
Ronald McDonald House-Chi
$1,000Medical
Shriners
$1,000Medical
Laguna Madre Youth Center
$1,000Public Service
Faith Christian Church
$1,000Religious
MD Anderson Center
$1,000Medical
Joy FM
$1,000Public Service
Evans scholars
$1,000education
Salvation Army
$1,000public Service
Macular Degeneration
$1,000Medical
St Judes Childrens
$1,000Medical
Smile Train
$1,000Medical
Autism Speaks
$1,000Public Service