The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust concentrates its philanthropy on aviation/aerospace and STEM public education, favoring museums, science centers, and technical universities. It regularly provides sizable general‑operating support to aviation heritage and discovery institutions and to higher‑education engineering programs, including repeat gifts to a small set of national and regional organizations. The foundation’s giving reflects an interest in informal STEM learning, preservation of aviation and military history, and support for aeronautical education.
Concentrated, large-dollar grants with repeat funding to a core group of national and regional institutions; predominantly general‑operating support rather than project‑specific grants.
Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust’s largest recent grant went to Florida Institute of Technology Inc: $1,000,000 in 2025 for general operating support. That single award fits a broader pattern of large unrestricted gifts to aviation and STEM institutions, especially universities, museums, and science centers. The trust’s recent grants show repeated support for organizations tied to aeronautics education, informal science learning, and aviation history preservation. General operating grants of $500,000 also went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2023 and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in 2024 and 2025. Other recurring recipients include Embry-riddle Aeronautical, Museum of Discovery and Science Inc, Buehler Challenger Science Center Fdn, and Eaa Aviation Foundation Inc. The trust also funded military history and aeronautical education organizations such as National United States Armed Forces Museum, Intrepid Museum Foundation Inc, Women in Aviation International, and Aopa Foundation. Across its recent giving, the trust appears to favor established institutions with ongoing operating needs rather than project-only awards. Its grants include both higher-education engineering and aeronautics programs and public-facing organizations that teach STEM through exhibits, outreach, and collections.
Aviation and aerospace institutions are a central theme. In 2025, Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust gave $500,000 to Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum for general operating support, and in 2023 it gave $300,000 to Eaa Aviation Foundation Inc for the same purpose. Earlier and later awards to these groups point to sustained support for aviation heritage organizations. The trust also backs informal STEM education. It provided $400,000 in 2023 and another $400,000 in 2024 to Museum of Discovery and Science Inc, both for general operating support, and gave $300,000 in 2024 to Buehler Challenger Science Center Fdn for charitable purposes, followed by $300,000 in 2025 for general operating support. Higher education is another clear area. Florida Institute of Technology Inc received $500,000 in 2023 and $1,000,000 in 2025, while The Johns Hopkins University received $400,000 in 2025. These grants align with aeronautical and engineering education.
$2.5M
$64.6M
$3.5M
$3.1M
Most grants fall between $101K and $375K, with a median of $260K.
25th Percentile
$101K
Median
$260K
75th Percentile
$375K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in FL.
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Notable grantees: Florida Institute of Technology, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Buehler Challenger Science Center Foundation, EAA Aviation Foundation, Museum of Discovery and Science
The typical grant size is substantial: the 25th percentile is $101,250, the median is $260,000, and the 75th percentile is $375,000. Recent awards are mostly general operating grants, with one charitable-purpose award among the listed grants. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including Florida Institute of Technology Inc, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Museum of Discovery and Science Inc, Buehler Challenger Science Center Fdn, Eaa Aviation Foundation Inc, and National United States Armed Forces Museum. The trust is structured as a perpetual trust rather than an operating charity, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
The trust gives nationally, and all listed recent grants went to US recipients. Florida appears most often, with grants to recipients in Melbourne, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and others. Other repeated locations include Honolulu, Houston, and Paramus. Outside Florida, grants reached Cambridge, Baltimore, New York, Denton, Oshkosh, Billings, Macon, GERMANTOWN, FREDERICK, WINDSOR LOCKS, and NORTH WALES.
The recent grants show support for aviation and aerospace museums, STEM science centers, and higher-education engineering and aeronautics programs. Recipients include Florida Institute of Technology Inc, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Museum of Discovery and Science Inc, and The Johns Hopkins University.
Yes. The listed recent grants are overwhelmingly general operating gifts, including awards to Florida Institute of Technology Inc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and National United States Armed Forces Museum.
Aviation and aerospace heritage, informal STEM education, and aeronautical higher education appear most often. The grant list includes museums and science centers alongside universities and aviation associations, with multiple repeat awards to each of those categories.
No. The recent grant list shows 27 grants, and all 27 went to US recipients.
Yes. Florida Institute of Technology Inc, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Museum of Discovery and Science Inc, Buehler Challenger Science Center Fdn, Eaa Aviation Foundation Inc, and National United States Armed Forces Museum each received multiple grants across 2023 through 2025.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INC | MELBOURNE, FL | $1,000,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PEARL HARBOR AVIATION MUSEUM | HONOLULU, HI | $500,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $400,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BUEHLER CHALLENGER SCIENCE CENTER FDN | PARAMUS, NJ | $300,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| NATIONAL UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES MUSEUM | HOUSTON, TX | $270,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PEARL HARBOR AVIATION MUSEUM | HONOLULU, HI | $500,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY AND SCIENCE INC | FT LAUDERDALE, FL | $400,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BUEHLER CHALLENGER SCIENCE CENTER FDN | PARAMUS, NJ | $300,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC | OSHKOSH, WI | $300,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| NATIONAL UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES MUSEUM | HOUSTON, TX | $270,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA FOUNDATION | ORLANDO, FL | $250,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | BILLINGS, MT | $160,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BROWARD COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL | $150,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATI | MACON, GA | $105,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| INTREPID MUSEUM FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS FOUNDATION INC | DENTON, TX | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| AOPA FOUNDATION | FREDERICK, MD | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| WOMEN IN AVIATION INTERNATIONAL | GERMANTOWN, OH | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| AIR RACE CLASSIC INC | NORTH WALES, PA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INC | MELBOURNE, FL | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY AND SCIENCE INC | FT LAUDERDALE, FL | $400,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC | OSHKOSH, WI | $300,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BUEHLER CHALLENGER SCIENCE CENTER FDN | PARAMUS, NJ | $300,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE PURPOSE |
| NATIONAL UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES MUSEUM | HOUSTON, TX | $150,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CONNECTICUT AERONAUTICAL HISTORICAL ASSO | WINDSOR LOCKS, CT | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
$400,000GENERAL OPERATING
BUEHLER CHALLENGER SCIENCE CENTER FDN
$300,000GENERAL OPERATING
NATIONAL UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES MUSEUM
$270,000GENERAL OPERATING
GENERAL OPERATING
MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY AND SCIENCE INC
$400,000GENERAL OPERATING
BUEHLER CHALLENGER SCIENCE CENTER FDN
$300,000CHARITABLE PURPOSE
NATIONAL UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES MUSEUM
$270,000GENERAL OPERATING
ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
$160,000GENERAL OPERATING
MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATI
$105,000GENERAL OPERATING
WOMEN IN AVIATION INTERNATIONAL
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING
AIR RACE CLASSIC INC
$30,000GENERAL OPERATING
MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY AND SCIENCE INC
$400,000GENERAL OPERATING
BUEHLER CHALLENGER SCIENCE CENTER FDN
$300,000CHARITABLE PURPOSE
NATIONAL UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES MUSEUM
$150,000GENERAL OPERATING
CONNECTICUT AERONAUTICAL HISTORICAL ASSO
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING