The Gary W Dietrich Family Foundation concentrates its giving on wildlife conservation with a strong emphasis on bird species and hands-on conservation training. Grants are directed to organizations that preserve hunting/conservation heritage, support waterfowl management apprenticeships, and operate avian rehabilitation and public education centers. Funding is steady and targeted, supporting the same small set of conservation organizations repeatedly rather than a broad portfolio.
The Gary W Dietrich Family Foundation’s most distinctive pattern is its repeated support for bird conservation and wildlife training, especially through the Avian Conservation Center and the South Carolina Waterfowl Association. Across recent years, the foundation has backed both raptor rehabilitation and waterfowl apprenticeship work, pairing habitat and species conservation with hands-on learning for early-career conservationists. It also returns to a small circle of related organizations rather than spreading gifts widely, which gives its grantmaking a clear conservation profile. The foundation’s grants show a mix of larger $10,000 awards and smaller operating or project grants, with recurring support for conservation institutions in South Carolina and beyond. The Boone and Crockett Club Foundation Inc appears as another repeated recipient, funded for general and unrestricted support as well as area-of-greatest-need giving. Alongside these conservation-focused awards, the foundation has made smaller gifts to educational, cultural, and community organizations, but those appear secondary to its wildlife and stewardship priorities.
Waterfowl conservation is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s portfolio. In 2025 and 2024, it gave $10,000 grants to the South Carolina Waterfowl Association for the Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program, showing direct support for apprenticeship-based conservation training. Raptor rehabilitation is another recurring area. The foundation awarded $10,000 to the Avian Conservation Center in Awendaw, SC for the Center for Birds of Prey Fund and also supported the organization in Charleston for Avian Conservation Center/Center for Birds of Prey funds. Land stewardship appears through grants to Congaree Land Trust for general and unrestricted support and to Lowcountry Land Trust Inc for Landscape Conservation Across SC’s Coastal Plain. The foundation also funded Montana Land Reliance for project support, linking its giving to conservation land work in more than one region.
Typical grants are modest but not token-sized: p25 is $2,000, median grant size is $2,250, and p75 is $10,000. The pattern is consistent with a small number of recurring awards at the top end and many smaller grants around the median. The foundation appears to favor repeated support rather than one-time relationships; several recipients recur across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Its structure looks like a family foundation, and the data shows no grants to individuals and no program-related investments.
$43K
$1.3M
$136K
$70K
Most grants fall between $2K and $10K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Highly concentrated: three repeat grantees each receiving equal mid-sized grants (three payments of $30,000), indicating recurring, targeted support to a small cohort of conservation organizations rather than one-off or widely distributed grants.
Notable grantees: South Carolina Waterfowl Association, Boone and Crockett Club Foundation Inc, Avian Conservation Center (Center for Birds of Prey)
Giving is regional, with 62% of grants to recipients in South Carolina. Recent awards also reached Michigan, Montana, and Minnesota. South Carolina recipients are concentrated in Awendaw, Charleston, Pinewood, Columbia, Cameron, and Orangeburg-area institutions, while out-of-state gifts went to Missoula, Helena, Hillsdale, and Rochester. By grant count, Michigan is the top state outside the foundation’s headquarters state.
It most often supports wildlife and avian conservation groups, especially organizations tied to birds of prey, waterfowl management, and conservation land stewardship. Recent grantees include the Avian Conservation Center, South Carolina Waterfowl Association, Boone and Crockett Club Foundation Inc, Congaree Land Trust, and Lowcountry Land Trust Inc.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including the Avian Conservation Center, South Carolina Waterfowl Association, Boone and Crockett Club Foundation Inc, Hillsdale College, Charleston Mens Chorus Inc, Congaree Land Trust, Cameron Community Club Inc, Montana Land Reliance, Mayo Clinic, and Roper St Francis Foundation.
The foundation’s typical grant size is small-to-mid range. The p25 grant is $2,000, the median is $2,250, and the p75 is $10,000, which indicates many awards cluster around a few thousand dollars with a smaller set of larger grants.
Most grants go to South Carolina recipients, which account for 62% of grants. Recent recipient cities in the state include Awendaw, Charleston, Pinewood, Columbia, Cameron, and Orangeburg-area organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER | AWENDAW, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | Birds of Prey fUND |
| SOUTH CAROLINA WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION | PINEWOOD, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program |
| BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC | MISSOULA, MT | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $4,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CONGAREE LAND TRUST | COLUMBIA, SC | $2,500 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHARLESTON MENS CHORUS INC | CHARLESTON, SC | $2,500 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $2,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMERON COMMUNITY CLUB INC | CAMERON, SC | $2,000 | 2025 | FUNDS FOR Cameron Volunteer Fire Training and Community Club property upgrades |
| AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER | AWENDAW, SC | $10,000 | 2024 | Center for Birds of Prey Fund |
| BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC | MISSOULA, MT | $10,000 | 2024 | Area of Greatest Need |
| SOUTH CAROLINA WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION | PINEWOOD, SC | $10,000 | 2024 | Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $4,000 | 2024 | Barney Charter School Initiative |
| CHARLESTON MENS CHORUS INC | CHARLESTON, SC | $2,500 | 2024 | Charleston Men's Chorus 2023-24 Season |
| CONGAREE LAND TRUST | COLUMBIA, SC | $2,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| LOWCOUNTRY LAND TRUST INC | CHARLESTON, SC | $2,000 | 2024 | Landscape Conservation Across SC's Coastal Plain |
| CAMERON COMMUNITY CLUB INC | CAMERON, SC | $2,000 | 2024 | Cameron volunteer fire training & community club property upgrades |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $2,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| MONTANA LAND RELIANCE | HELENA, MT | $2,000 | 2024 | 2023 Project Fund |
| ROPER ST FRANCIS FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, SC | $2,000 | 2024 | Area of Greatest Need |
| AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER | CHARLESTON, SC | $10,000 | 2023 | Avian Conservation Center/Center for Birds of Prey funds |
| SOUTH CAROLINA WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION | PINEWOOD, SC | $10,000 | 2023 | Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program |
| BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC | MISSOULA, MT | $10,000 | 2023 | Area of Greatest Need |
| HILLSDALE COLLEGE | HILLSDALE, MI | $4,000 | 2023 | Barney Charter School Initiative |
| CHARLESTON MENS CHORUS INC | CHARLESTON, SC | $2,500 | 2023 | Charleston Men's Chorus 2022-23 Season |
| LOWCOUNTRY LAND TRUST INC | CHARLESTON, SC | $2,000 | 2023 | Landscape Conservation Across SC's Coastal Plain |
| CONGAREE LAND TRUST | COLUMBIA, SC | $2,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| CAMERON COMMUNITY CLUB INC | CAMERON, SC | $2,000 | 2023 | funds for Cameron volunteer fire training and Community Club property upgrades |
| MONTANA LAND RELIANCE | HELENA, MT | $2,000 | 2023 | 2021 Project |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $2,000 | 2023 | General & Unrestricted |
| ROPER ST FRANCIS FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, SC | $2,000 | 2023 | Area of Greatest Need |
| ELLOREE HERITAGE MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER INC | ELLOREE, SC | $1,000 | 2023 | Building Repairs funds |
| THE YOUNG AMERICANS INC | CORONA, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | The Young Americans Michigan Summer Camps |
AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER
$10,000Birds of Prey fUND
Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program
BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
CHARLESTON MENS CHORUS INC
General & Unrestricted
MAYO CLINIC
$2,000General & Unrestricted
CAMERON COMMUNITY CLUB INC
$2,000FUNDS FOR Cameron Volunteer Fire Training and Community Club property upgrades
AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER
$10,000Center for Birds of Prey Fund
BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC
$10,000Area of Greatest Need
Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program
CHARLESTON MENS CHORUS INC
$2,500Charleston Men's Chorus 2023-24 Season
CAMERON COMMUNITY CLUB INC
$2,000Cameron volunteer fire training & community club property upgrades
MAYO CLINIC
$2,000General & Unrestricted
AVIAN CONSERVATION CENTER
$10,000Avian Conservation Center/Center for Birds of Prey funds
Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program
BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB FOUNDATION INC
$10,000Area of Greatest Need
CHARLESTON MENS CHORUS INC
$2,500Charleston Men's Chorus 2022-23 Season
CAMERON COMMUNITY CLUB INC
$2,000funds for Cameron volunteer fire training and Community Club property upgrades
MAYO CLINIC
$2,000General & Unrestricted
ELLOREE HERITAGE MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER INC
$1,000Building Repairs funds
THE YOUNG AMERICANS INC
$1,000The Young Americans Michigan Summer Camps