The Donna & Christopher Matthews Family Foundation concentrates its giving on workforce re-entry and job-readiness services, primarily supporting organizations that help unemployed and underemployed individuals secure employment. It also funds veteran recovery and support services and, to a lesser extent, local animal rescue and rehabilitation. The foundation favors practical, service-oriented nonprofits that provide direct assistance and skills development rather than advocacy or research.
A repeated commitment to Working Wardrobes anchors the Donna & Christopher Matthews Family Foundation’s grantmaking: the organization received $56,300 in 2024, $50,000 in 2025, and $50,000 in 2023 for career development programs serving unemployed and underemployed individuals. That pattern points to a funder that backs practical, service-oriented nonprofits with direct employment support rather than advocacy or research. Across the latest grants, the foundation also supported veterans through Operation Second Chance with $30,000 in 2025 for support, awareness, and aid for veterans. Its portfolio extends to local animal welfare as well, with grants to The Little Red Dog Inc for rescue and rehabilitation of dogs and cats. The foundation’s recent giving is focused on organizations that provide concrete assistance such as job placement, reintegration support, and animal rescue services. With annual grants of $211,300 and total assets of $389,380, the foundation gives at a scale that allows for targeted, program-specific awards. Its recent grants show a small set of recipients receiving support across multiple years, which suggests a steady relationship-based approach to funding.
In workforce re-entry, the foundation’s clearest pattern is support for job-readiness and employment services. Working Wardrobes received three grants tied to career development programs for unemployed and underemployed individuals, including $56,300 in 2024 and $50,000 in both 2023 and 2025. Veteran support is another recurring area. In 2025, Operation Second Chance received $30,000 for support, awareness, and aid for veterans, placing military reintegration and outreach within the foundation’s stated priorities. Animal welfare appears as a smaller but consistent part of the portfolio. The Little Red Dog Inc received $15,000 in 2024 and $10,000 in 2025 for rescue and rehabilitation of dogs and cats. These grants show a preference for direct service delivery in each cause area.
Typical grant size is in the middle tens of thousands: p25 is $18,750, median is $40,000, and p75 is $50,000. The recent record shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, especially Working Wardrobes and The Little Red Dog Inc, alongside one-off support such as Operation Second Chance. The foundation is a family foundation, and the available data shows program-specific grants rather than individual aid or program-related investments. The grant history also indicates a local pattern, with most giving concentrated in California.
$60K
$437K
$114K
$66K
Most grants fall between $19K and $50K, with a median of $40K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$40K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Concentrated giving: a small number of grants with a heavy emphasis on repeat, sizable support to a single core grantee (Working Wardrobes received ~78% of total giving across three grants), plus a few targeted gifts to mission-aligned organizations (veteran services, animal rescue).
Notable grantees: Working Wardrobes, Operation Second Chance, The Little Red Dog Inc
The foundation’s giving is overwhelmingly California-based: 83% of grants went to recipients in its headquarters state. Santa Ana and Laguna Hills appear in the recent grants, both in Orange County, while Germantown, Maryland, shows that the foundation also makes occasional out-of-state awards. All recent grants in the provided data went to U.S. recipients, with no non-U.S. grant destinations shown.
Its clearest focus is workforce re-entry and job-readiness services for unemployed and underemployed adults. The recent record also includes veteran support and local animal rescue and rehabilitation, but employment-related services are the most consistent theme.
The middle of its grant distribution sits in the tens of thousands: p25 is $18,750, median grant size is $40,000, and p75 is $50,000. Recent awards include several grants at or near that range.
Yes. Working Wardrobes appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and The Little Red Dog Inc appears in 2024 and 2025. That pattern suggests repeated support for selected grantees rather than only one-time awards.
The foundation favors direct-service nonprofits that provide concrete help such as employment support, reintegration services for veterans, and animal rescue and rehabilitation. The recent grants are program-specific and tied to service delivery rather than research or advocacy.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WORKING WARDROBES | SANTA ANA, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS. |
| THE LITTLE RED DOG INC | LAGUNA HILLS, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | RESCUE AND REHABILITATION OF DOGS & CATS |
| WORKING WARDROBES | SANTA ANA, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS. |
| OPERATION SECOND CHANCE | GERMANTOWN, MD | $30,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT, RAISE AWARENESS, AND AID OUR VETERANS |
| THE LITTLE RED DOG INC | LAGUNA HILLS, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | RESCUE AND REHABILITATION OF DOGS & CATS |
| WORKING WARDROBES | SANTA ANA, CA | $56,300 | 2024 | CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS. |
| THE LITTLE RED DOG INC | LAGUNA HILLS, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | RESCUE AND REHABILITATION OF DOGS & CATS |
| WORKING WARDROBES | SANTA ANA, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS. |
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS.
THE LITTLE RED DOG INC
$10,000RESCUE AND REHABILITATION OF DOGS & CATS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS.
THE LITTLE RED DOG INC
$10,000RESCUE AND REHABILITATION OF DOGS & CATS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS.
THE LITTLE RED DOG INC
$15,000RESCUE AND REHABILITATION OF DOGS & CATS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TO HELP UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS.