The Emily Bayless Graham Charitable Trust concentrates its philanthropy on local arts and arts education in the Annapolis area, channeling most of its funding to a small set of cultural institutions and one independent school. The trust provides substantial, repeat support to performing-arts organizations and arts programming that serve the community, indicating a preference for sustaining local cultural infrastructure and arts learning opportunities. Its giving is highly place-based and focused rather than broadly diversified.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a few recurring local grantees — multiple, sizable awards to the Maryland Center for the Arts plus repeat grants to one independent school and support for a community ballet company.
Emily Bayless Graham Charitable Trust Courtney McGrath Spangler & T McGrath gives at a level that supports a small set of cultural institutions with repeated, substantial awards. Its recent grants show a clear pattern: funding for arts organizations and arts education in the Annapolis area, with a strong emphasis on sustaining local programming rather than spreading support across many fields. The largest grant on file went to Maryland Center for the Arts in Bel Air, followed by additional awards to the same organization in later years, including another $173,221 grant in 2024 and a $50,000 grant in 2025. That repeat support suggests an ongoing relationship with grantees that serve arts audiences and students. The trust also backs school-linked arts education, as seen in grants to Key School in Annapolis for educational organizations, and it supports performing-arts learning through Greater Annapolis Ballet and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. Across the recent record, the funding pattern is highly place-based and centered on arts access, arts instruction, and local cultural institutions.
Arts education is a consistent theme. In 2025, the trust gave $50,000 to Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis for Educational Organization for the Arts, and another $50,000 to Greater Annapolis Ballet in Annapolis for Educational Organization for the Arts. Those grants point to support for instruction, performance training, and arts learning opportunities. School-based arts support also appears in funding for Key School in Annapolis, which received $50,000 in 2024 and additional $50,000 grants in 2025 for Educational Organizations. On the institutional arts side, Maryland Center for the Arts in Bel Air received $219,419 in 2023, $173,221 in 2024, and $50,000 in 2025, all designated To fund the arts. The mix of awards shows a focus on both arts organizations and education-oriented arts programming.
The typical grant size sits in a fairly tight band: the 25th percentile is $111,610, the median is $173,221, and the 75th percentile is $196,320. That points to relatively substantial awards, even though several recent grants were $50,000. The trust also shows repeat giving rather than one-off support: Maryland Center for the Arts, Greater Annapolis Ballet, and Key School each appear in multiple years. The structure looks like a charitable trust rather than an operating foundation, and the grants are programmatic in nature, with purposes such as “To fund the arts” and “Educational Organization for the Arts.” No application process is indicated in the data.
$150K
$3.3M
$414K
$202K
Most grants fall between $112K and $196K, with a median of $173K.
25th Percentile
$112K
Median
$173K
75th Percentile
$196K
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Notable grantees: Maryland Center for the Arts, Key School, Greater Annapolis Ballet
Grantmaking is entirely local, with 100% of grants going to recipients in Maryland. The strongest cluster is in Annapolis, where Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Greater Annapolis Ballet, and Key School all received funding. Bel Air also appears as a recipient city through Maryland Center for the Arts. The recipient-country distribution is exclusively U.S.-based, and the giving pattern stays within the foundation’s Maryland footprint.
Its recent grants concentrate on arts organizations and arts education. Named recipients include Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and Greater Annapolis Ballet for Educational Organization for the Arts, along with Maryland Center for the Arts with funding To fund the arts.
Yes. Maryland Center for the Arts appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Greater Annapolis Ballet appears in 2025; and Key School appears in 2024 and 2025. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards.
The grant-size distribution is substantial: p25 is $111,610, the median is $173,221, and p75 is $196,320. Recent awards also include several $50,000 grants.
Its giving is local and entirely in Maryland. The recent record includes grantees in Annapolis and Bel Air, and 100% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, Maryland.
The recipients are arts organizations and educational organizations. Recent examples include Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Greater Annapolis Ballet, Key School, and Maryland Center for the Arts.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland Center for the Arts | Bel Air, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | To fund the arts. |
| Greater Annapolis Ballet | Annapolis, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | To Fund Educational Organization for the Arts |
| Key School | Annapolis, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | To Fund Educational Organizations |
| Key School | Annapolis, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | To Fund Educational Organizations |
| Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts | Annapolis, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | To fund Educational Organization for the Arts. |
| Greater Annapolis Ballet | Annapolis, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | To Fund Educational Organization for the Arts |
| Maryland Center for the Arts | Bel Air, MD | $173,221 | 2024 | To fund the arts. |
| Key School | Annapolis, MD | $50,000 | 2024 | To Fund Educational Organizations |
| Maryland Center for the Arts | Bel Air, MD | $219,419 | 2023 | To fund the arts. |
Maryland Center for the Arts
$50,000To fund the arts.
Greater Annapolis Ballet
$50,000To Fund Educational Organization for the Arts
To fund Educational Organization for the Arts.
Greater Annapolis Ballet
To Fund Educational Organization for the Arts
Maryland Center for the Arts
$173,221To fund the arts.
Maryland Center for the Arts
$219,419To fund the arts.