The Esther B O'Keeffe Charitable Foundation concentrates its funding on youth education and development in the Palm Beach/Florida area, with a clear preference for private Christian-affiliated education and practical youth programs. Grants are sizable and targeted — supporting a single private academy's curricular expansion (a pre-law program), regional youth economic education, and occasional faith-based disaster relief. The foundation favors repeat, relationship-based support to a small set of grantees rather than broad one-off giving.
A $1,000,000 grant for the O'Keefe Pre-Law Studies Program at The Kings Academy appears in both 2023 and 2024, and that repeat commitment is a clear signal of how the Esther B O'keeffe Charitable Foundation gives. The foundation backs a small set of specific programs rather than a broad, open-ended portfolio, with grants often tied to named initiatives in education, youth development, and relief work. Its largest recent awards support a private Christian secondary school in West Palm Beach and a youth financial literacy provider in the same city, alongside targeted support for disaster response and local community programs. The pattern is relationship-based and program-specific. Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches received $350,000 in both 2023 and 2024 for general programs, while Samaritans Purse received a $350,000 hurricane relief grant in 2023. Smaller awards extend the same local orientation to organizations such as Jack the Bike Man - Childrens Bicycle Charity and the Society of the Four Arts. Taken together, the grants point to a funder focused on youth education, practical development, and select community support in Florida.
Education programming is a central theme. The foundation gave $1,000,000 to The Kings Academy for the O'Keefe Pre-Law Studies Program in 2023 and repeated the same grant in 2024, indicating sustained support for a defined school-based initiative. Youth economic education is another recurring area. Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches received $350,000 in 2023 and another $350,000 in 2024 for general programs, placing financial literacy and entrepreneurship within the foundation’s giving. The portfolio also includes relief and direct-service work. In 2023, Samaritans Purse received $350,000 for hurricane relief, and Jack the Bike Man - Childrens Bicycle Charity received $100,000 for bicycle charity, showing support for emergency response and transportation-related help. Cultural and community programming appears as well through a $25,000 grant to the Society of the Four Arts for general programs.
Typical grants cluster at a large-program level, with p25 at $225,000, a median of $350,000, and p75 at $675,000. The recent record shows repetition across years rather than one-time awards: The Kings Academy and Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches each received the same named support in 2023 and 2024. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its giving reads as direct charitable grantmaking, with awards directed to specific programs or general programs at a limited set of organizations.
$655K
$33.4M
$4M
$1.5M
Most grants fall between $225K and $675K, with a median of $350K.
25th Percentile
$225K
Median
$350K
75th Percentile
$675K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of repeat grantees with a local/regional focus; typically multi-grant relationships rather than many small, one-time awards.
Notable grantees: The Kings Academy, Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches, Samaritan’s Purse
Giving is highly concentrated in Florida, where 86% of grants go, and the top grant-making state is FL. West Palm Beach appears repeatedly in the recent grants list, including awards to The Kings Academy, Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches, and Jack the Bike Man - Childrens Bicycle Charity. Palm Beach also appears through the Society of the Four Arts grant. Outside Florida, the recent record includes one grant to Boone, North Carolina through Samaritans Purse.
The recent grants point to youth education and development, especially a pre-law program at The Kings Academy and general programs at Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches. The foundation also supports hurricane relief, bicycle charity work, and general community programs.
Yes. The Kings Academy received $1,000,000 in 2023 and another $1,000,000 in 2024 for the O'Keefe Pre-Law Studies Program. Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches also received $350,000 in both 2023 and 2024 for general programs.
Typical awards are large. The grant-size distribution shows p25 at $225,000, a median of $350,000, and p75 at $675,000. The recent record includes $1,000,000 awards as well as smaller grants of $100,000 and $25,000.
Florida is the primary geography. The top state by grant count is FL, and 86% of grants go to recipients in Florida. Recent Florida recipients include organizations in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach.
No. The foundation funds organizations rather than individuals, and it does not make program-related investments.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NONA CHURCH INC | ORLANDO, FL | $500,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NEW IMAGE YOUTH CENTER | ORLANDO, FL | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHARTIABLE FOUNDATION INC (DBA - NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FDN) | ALPHARETTA, GA | $45,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HONOR HOUSE MINISTRIES | KATY, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL | ORLANDO, FL | $25,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA INC | ORLANDO, FL | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MEDECINES SANS FRONTIERES USA INC (DBA - DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA INC) | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NONA CHURCH INC | ORLANDO, FL | $270,000 | 2025 | FUNDING FOR YOUNG ADULTS |
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA INC | ORLANDO, FL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PROGRAMS |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | KIRKSVILLE, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SAFE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA | ORLANDO, FL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HONOR HOUSE MINISTRIES | KATY, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PROGRAMS |
| THE KINGS ACADEMY | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $1,000,000 | 2024 | O'KEEFE PRE-LAW STUDIES PROGRAM |
| JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE PALM BEACHES | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $350,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PROGRAMS |
| THE KINGS ACADEMY | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $1,000,000 | 2023 | O'KEEFE PRE-LAW STUDIES PROGRAM |
| SAMARITANS PURSE | BOONE, NC | $350,000 | 2023 | HURRICANE RELIEF |
| JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE PALM BEACHES | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $350,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PROGRAMS |
| JACK THE BIKE MAN - CHILDRENS BICYCLE CHARITY | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $100,000 | 2023 | BICYCLE CHARITY |
| SOCIETY OF THE FOUR ARTS | PALM BEACH, FL | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PROGRAMS |
NONA CHURCH INC
$500,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NEW IMAGE YOUTH CENTER
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHARTIABLE FOUNDATION INC (DBA - NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FDN)
$45,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HONOR HOUSE MINISTRIES
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GENERAL SUPPORT
MEDECINES SANS FRONTIERES USA INC (DBA - DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA INC)
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NONA CHURCH INC
$270,000FUNDING FOR YOUNG ADULTS
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SAFE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HONOR HOUSE MINISTRIES
$20,000GENERAL PROGRAMS
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE PALM BEACHES
$350,000GENERAL PROGRAMS
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE PALM BEACHES
$350,000GENERAL PROGRAMS