The Farrington Foundation makes a small number of relatively large, unrestricted grants focused on community institutions and practical service organizations, with a noticeable geographic tilt toward North Carolina. Recipients tend to be education providers (K–12), public media outlets, animal welfare advocacy, and housing/rehabilitation organizations. The foundation favors general operating support and often makes repeat grants to the same organizations.
Concentrated giving: few but sizeable grants, frequent repeat funding to core grantees, and a preference for general operating support rather than project‑restricted gifts. Geographic concentration around North Carolina despite NJ headquarters.
A defining feature of Farrington Foundation’s recent giving is its repeated support for Island Cat Allies, including a $42,500 grant in 2023 and two $40,000 grants in 2024 and 2025. That pattern points to a funder that backs organizations over multiple years rather than making isolated awards. Across the latest grants, the foundation favors unrestricted or general operating support, with grants going to community institutions, public media, animal welfare groups, and housing organizations. The foundation also gives meaningful support to education and public information work. Kerr-vance Academy received $40,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024, while UNC at Chapel Hill Public Radio received $30,000 in 2025 after two earlier $20,000 awards. Habitat for Humanity International Inc appears in the list as well, and the foundation’s grants include both regional and national nonprofits. In the recent sample, grant sizes cluster around five-figure awards, and the pattern suggests a preference for core support that can strengthen day-to-day operations rather than project-only funding.
One recurring theme is animal welfare. Island Cat Allies in Emerald Isle, NC received the largest grant in the set, $42,500 in 2023, followed by $40,000 in 2024 and $40,000 in 2025, all for general operating or unrestricted general support. Education is another clear area. Kerr-vance Academy in Henderson, NC received $40,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024 for general operating support. Public media also appears repeatedly. UNC at Chapel Hill Public Radio received $20,000 in 2023, $20,000 in 2024, and $30,000 in 2025, with the later grant labeled unrestricted general support. The North Carolina Public Television Fdn in RTP, NC received $20,000 in 2023 for general operating support. Housing and community services show up through Habitat for Humanity International Inc and Carteret Community Theatre, along with grants to Samaratians Purse and the NC Coastal Federation.
Typical grant sizes cluster tightly around five-figure awards: the 25th percentile and median are both $10,000, while the 75th percentile is $27,500. That indicates a base level of support at $10,000, with a smaller set of larger awards. The recent list also shows repeat grants to the same organizations across multiple years, especially Island Cat Allies, Kerr-vance Academy, UNC at Chapel Hill Public Radio, Propublica, and Habitat for Humanity International Inc. The foundation is a grantmaking foundation rather than an operating charity, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The pattern in the grants data is dominated by general operating and unrestricted general support.
$139K
$709K
$137K
$188K
Most grants fall between $10K and $28K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$28K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NC.
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Notable grantees: Island Cat Allies, Kerr‑Vance Academy, UNC at Chapel Hill Public Radio, Habitat for Humanity International, Inc., The North Carolina Public Television Foundation
Farrington Foundation gives nationally, but the recent grants cluster heavily in North Carolina. Recipient cities in the list include Emerald Isle, Henderson, Chapel Hill, Newport, Morehead City, New Bern, Boone, Wake Forest, and Louisburg. Outside North Carolina, grants went to New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Green Valley. The grant list shows 100% of recent grants to U.S. recipients, and North Carolina appears repeatedly across education, media, housing, and animal welfare grantees.
The recent grants point to community institutions and practical service organizations: K–12 education, public broadcasting, animal welfare, housing, and related community groups. Named recipients include schools, public radio and television, a cat welfare organization, Habitat for Humanity International Inc, and other local nonprofits.
The foundation’s grant-size profile is centered on $10,000 awards: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $27,500. Recent grants also show larger repeat awards such as $30,000, $40,000, and $42,500.
Yes. The recent grants are heavily labeled general operating, unrestricted general, or unrestricted general support. That pattern appears across multiple years and across different types of organizations, including education, public media, animal welfare, housing, and community nonprofits.
Yes. Several organizations appear more than once in the recent grant list, including Island Cat Allies, Kerr-vance Academy, UNC at Chapel Hill Public Radio, Propublica, and Habitat for Humanity International Inc. The repeated awards span 2023 through 2025.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISLAND CAT ALLIES | EMERALD ISLE, NC | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| KERR-VANCE ACADEMY | HENDERSON, NC | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $20,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| THE GUARDIAN ORG FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP | ST PAUL, MN | $11,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| SMILE TRAIN | NEW YORK CITY, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| BEAUFORT COMMUNITY CAT PROJECT | BEAUFORT, NC | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO - NPR | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| CARTERET COMMUNITY THEATRE | MOREHEAD CITY, NC | $5,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| CATO INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| ACLU OF NORTH CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $1,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| THE CONVERSATION | WALTHAM, MA | $1,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| ISLAND CAT ALLIES | EMERALD ISLE, NC | $40,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $30,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| CARTERET COMMUNITY THEATRE | MOREHEAD CITY, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC | NEWPORT, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| NC COASTAL FEDERATION | NEWPORT, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| SAMARATIANS PURSE | BOONE, NC | $10,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| ISLAND CAT ALLIES | EMERALD ISLE, NC | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC | NEWPORT, NC | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| KERR-VANCE ACADEMY | HENDERSON, NC | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ISLAND CAT ALLIES | EMERALD ISLE, NC | $42,500 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| KERR-VANCE ACADEMY | HENDERSON, NC | $40,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THE NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC TELEVISION FDN | RTP, NC | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PUBLIC RADIO EAST FOUNDATION | NEW BERN, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CARE | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PROPUBLICA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| CARTERET COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION | MOREHEAD CITY, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| SAVING GRACE ANIMALS FOR ADOPTION INC | WAKE FOREST, NC | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ANIMAL LEAGUE OF GREEN VALLEY | GREEN VALLEY, AZ | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT CHORALE | LOUISBURG, NC | $1,500 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
ISLAND CAT ALLIES
$25,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
KERR-VANCE ACADEMY
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO
$20,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
BEAUFORT COMMUNITY CAT PROJECT
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
CARTERET COMMUNITY THEATRE
$5,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
ACLU OF NORTH CAROLINA
$1,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
ISLAND CAT ALLIES
$40,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO
$30,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
CARTERET COMMUNITY THEATRE
$20,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
NC COASTAL FEDERATION
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
SAMARATIANS PURSE
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
ISLAND CAT ALLIES
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC
$30,000GENERAL OPERATING
KERR-VANCE ACADEMY
$30,000GENERAL OPERATING
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
ISLAND CAT ALLIES
$42,500GENERAL OPERATING
KERR-VANCE ACADEMY
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC RADIO
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
PUBLIC RADIO EAST FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
CARTERET COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING
ANIMAL LEAGUE OF GREEN VALLEY
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING
THE NORTHEAST PIEDMONT CHORALE
$1,500GENERAL OPERATING