The Garfield G Duncan Research Foundation concentrates its giving on Philadelphia-based higher education and hospital institutions, primarily supporting medical research, clinical services, and related academic activities. Nearly all funding goes to two repeat beneficiaries—Thomas Jefferson University and Pennsylvania Hospital—indicating a focused, locally oriented philanthropic strategy that favors institutional research and patient-care capacity.
Concentrated and local: relatively few, sizable grants directed to a small set of repeat grantees (multiple payments to the same institutions) rather than broad, distributed giving.
Notable grantees: Thomas Jefferson University, Pennsylvania Hospital, Other Philadelphia-based medical and academic institutions
Garfield G Duncan Research Foundation Inc concentrates its support on two Philadelphia institutions: Thomas Jefferson University and Pennsylvania Hospital. The recent grants point to a narrow institutional strategy, with funding directed to medical research, clinical services, and academic activity rather than a broad mix of nonprofits. A $40,000 grant in 2025 to Thomas Jefferson University is the largest recent award on file, and the foundation also made multiple $30,000 and $20,000 grants to the same two recipients across 2024 and 2025. That repetition shows a pattern of continued backing for organizations tied to research, training, and patient care in Philadelphia. The foundation’s giving profile is local and fully Pennsylvania-based, with every recent grant going to recipients in Philadelphia. Its awards are sized in a relatively tight range, suggesting a consistent approach to institutional support. The presence of both a university and a hospital in the recipient list indicates that the foundation’s priorities sit at the intersection of academic medicine and clinical services. Within that frame, Thomas Jefferson University and Pennsylvania Hospital appear as the core beneficiaries of the foundation’s grantmaking.
Medical research is a central theme in the foundation’s giving. Thomas Jefferson University received $40,000 in 2025 and two additional grants of $30,000 in 2024, showing repeated support for academic and research activity tied to the university. Clinical services and hospital support are also a clear priority. Pennsylvania Hospital received three grants on file, including $20,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2025, all to the Philadelphia hospital. The recipient mix also points to higher-education medical training and related academic programs. Because the foundation’s grants go to institutions rather than individuals, its support appears directed toward organizational capacity within Philadelphia’s medical and academic sector.
Grant sizes cluster tightly around institutional awards. The typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $30,000 at the 75th percentile, with a recent high of $40,000. The recent record also shows repeat funding to the same recipients across 2024 and 2025, indicating a continuing relationship rather than one-off gifts. Garfield G Duncan Research Foundation Inc does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grant pattern is local and highly concentrated in Philadelphia.
$160K
$145K
$11K
$81K
Most grants fall between $20K and $30K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$30K
About 100% of grants go to recipients in PA.
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All recent grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania, and all of those recipients were in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson University and Pennsylvania Hospital account for the visible geography of the foundation’s giving, so the place-based pattern is unmistakably local. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with six grants in the United States and none outside it.
It supports Philadelphia-based higher education and hospital institutions. The recent grants list shows Thomas Jefferson University and Pennsylvania Hospital as the recurring recipients, with funding tied to medical research, clinical services, patient care, and related academic activity.
The typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $30,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent high on file is a $40,000 grant.
Yes. All recent grants went to recipients in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The recipient country distribution is also entirely U.S.-based.
No. The foundation funds institutions rather than individuals, as shown by its support for Thomas Jefferson University and Pennsylvania Hospital.
Yes. Thomas Jefferson University appears three times in the recent grants list, and Pennsylvania Hospital appears three times as well, showing repeated support across 2024 and 2025.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $40,000 | 2025 | SEE PART IV |
| PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | SEE PART IV |
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $30,000 | 2024 | SEE PART IV |
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $30,000 | 2024 | SEE PART IV |
| PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2024 | SEE PART IV |
| PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2024 | SEE PART IV |
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
$40,000SEE PART IV
PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL
$20,000SEE PART IV
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
$30,000SEE PART IV
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
$30,000SEE PART IV
PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL
$20,000SEE PART IV
PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL
$20,000SEE PART IV