The Jack Beaty Educational Scholarship Foundation is a small, focused private funder that directs most of its resources to scholarships and education endowments, primarily supporting individual student aid and school-based financial sustainability. Grants skew toward regional and faith-affiliated educational institutions, with a mix of local New Mexico organizations and larger scholarship funds that place students into higher education or service programs.
Highly concentrated giving: very few, relatively large grants per cycle focused on scholarship funds and endowments rather than many small gifts; consistent preference for sustaining student aid and institutional scholarship capacity.
Jack Beaty Educational Scholarship Foundation C/o Kurt Sommer centers its giving on scholarships and education endowments, with grants that reach individual students, schools, and scholarship intermediaries. A standout pattern in the recent grants is a $240,000 scholarship award to International Scholarship Fund in Nashville, paired with a $85,000 endowment-and-scholarship grant to First Serve Nm Inc in Santa Fe. That mix shows a funder willing to use both large scholarship awards and longer-term support for education programs. The foundation’s recent awards also point to a strong New Mexico orientation. Santa Fe institutions such as St Michaels High School and the Iaia Foundation each received sizable support, while Albuquerque-based organizations like New Mexico Community Trust and Unm Foundation also appear among the larger awards. The foundation supports postsecondary access, tuition assistance, and school-based scholarship funds, and it also backs teaching-related programming and program-specific student support. Its grantmaking includes direct awards to organizations serving students, as well as support for endowed scholarships that can sustain aid over time. The recent record shows a consistent interest in institutions tied to New Mexico students, along with a few larger scholarship commitments outside the state.
Scholarship support is the clearest throughline in the foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $60,000 to St Michaels High School for scholarship support, $50,000 to Northern Nm College Foundation for scholarship support, and $50,000 to New Mexico School for the Arts for scholarship support. Those awards show attention to both secondary and postsecondary pathways. The foundation also supports organizations that administer student aid at scale. It awarded $50,000 to Unm Foundation for scholarship support and $50,000 to New Mexico Community Trust for scholarship support, indicating a preference for institutional vehicles that can distribute aid to students. Beyond scholarships, the foundation funded a $50,000 teaching program grant to Actec Foundation and a $25,000 ALTO program grant to Santa Fe Opera. It also made a $25,000 scholarship grant to Excellent Schools Nm, extending its support to education-focused nonprofits beyond traditional schools.
$313K
$6.6M
$339K
$462K
Most grants fall between $7K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Notable grantees: International Scholarship Fund, First Serve NM Inc, St Michaels High School
Typical grant sizes cluster around a median of $25,000, with a lower quartile of $7,250 and an upper quartile of $50,000. The recent record includes both smaller awards in the $2,000 to $10,000 range and larger commitments such as $85,000 and $240,000, showing a wide spread within a scholarship-centered portfolio. The pattern is not one-off: First Serve Nm Inc, New Mexico Community Trust, Colorado Mesa University, and St Michaels High School each appear more than once in the recent list. The foundation is a private grantmaker that also funds individuals, and its active programs accept unsolicited requests for scholarships and organizational grants. The program structure includes direct scholarship aid, organizational grants, and competitive grants for New Mexico student-serving programs.
Grantmaking is regional and heavily concentrated in New Mexico. Seventy percent of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state, and Santa Fe appears repeatedly in the recent grants list through First Serve Nm Inc, St Michaels High School, Iaia Foundation, Santa Fe Opera, Lensic Performing Arts, and Life Circle. Albuquerque also shows up multiple times, including New Mexico Community Trust, Unm Foundation, and Excellent Schools Nm. Outside New Mexico, the foundation made awards to recipients in Colorado, Maryland, Washington, DC, Tennessee, and one recipient in Grand Junction, CO. The top state by grant count is Colorado, even though most awards still land in New Mexico.
Its recent grants are dominated by scholarships and education endowments. Named awards include $85,000 to First Serve Nm Inc for endowment and scholarship support, $60,000 to St Michaels High School for scholarship support, and $50,000 each to several education nonprofits and institutions for scholarship-related purposes.
Yes. The foundation funds individuals and organizations. In the recent grants list, Ali Djim received $2,000 for books and tuition, while organizations such as Colorado Mesa University and New Mexico Community Trust received scholarship grants.
Typical grant size is centered at a median of $25,000, with a lower quartile of $7,250 and an upper quartile of $50,000. The recent list also includes smaller grants at $2,000 and $2,500, plus larger awards of $85,000 and $240,000.
The giving is regional, with 70% of grants going to recipients in New Mexico. Santa Fe and Albuquerque appear frequently among recipients, and the foundation also gives to organizations in Colorado, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Tennessee.
Yes. The active scholarship and organizational grant programs both accept unsolicited applications. Those programs are open to New Mexico students and to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions serving New Mexico students.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Jack Beaty Educational Scholarship Foundation C/O Kurt Sommer that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Funds are given to nonprofit organizations and institutions for programs which benefit New Mexico students. Applicants should be organizations/institutions with an appropriate project that serves New Mexico students.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND | NASHVILLE, TN | $180,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| FIRST SERVE NM INC | SANTA FE, NM | $55,000 | 2026 | ENDOWMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP |
| SANTA FE OPERA | SANTA FE, NM | $25,000 | 2026 | ALTO PROGRAM |
| NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY TRUST | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $10,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS | SANTA FE, NM | $10,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| NM COMMUNITY COLLEGE | ESPANOLA, NM | $10,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| ST MICHAELS HIGH SCHOOL | SANTA FE, NM | $9,500 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| MAY CENTER FOR LEARNING | SANTA FE, NM | $5,000 | 2026 | SUPPPORT |
| COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY | GRAND JUNCTION, CO | $4,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| COOKING WITH KIDS | SANTA FE, NM | $2,500 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF SF | SANTA FE, NM | $1,000 | 2026 | TUTORING |
| LIFE CENTER FOUNDATION | SANTA FE, NM | $500 | 2026 | SUPPORT SERVICES |
| INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND | NASHVILLE, TN | $240,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| FIRST SERVE NM INC | SANTA FE, NM | $85,000 | 2025 | ENDOWMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP |
| ACTEC FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | TEACHING PROGRAM |
| UNM FOUNDATION | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $50,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| IAIA FOUNDATION | SANTA FE, NM | $50,000 | 2025 | ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIP |
| SANTA FE OPERA | SANTA FE, NM | $25,000 | 2025 | ALTO PROGRAM |
| EXCELLENT SCHOOLS NM | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $25,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY TRUST | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $10,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| ST MICHAELS HIGH SCHOOL | SANTA FE, NM | $8,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS | SANTA FE, NM | $5,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY | GRAND JUNCTION, CO | $4,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| LIFE CIRCLE | SANTA FE, NM | $2,500 | 2025 | SUPPORT SERVICES |
| ST MICHAELS HIGH SCHOOL | SANTA FE, NM | $60,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| NORTHERN NM COLLEGE FOUNDATION | ESPANOLA, NM | $50,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY TRUST | ALBUQUERQUE, NM | $50,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $10,000 | 2024 | TUITION |
| FIRST SERVE NM INC | SANTA FE, NM | $10,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| ALI DJIM | SILVER SPRINGS, MD | $2,000 | 2024 | BOOKS AND TUITION |
| COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY | GRAND JUNCTION, CO | $2,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| NEW MEXICO SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS | SANTA FE, NM | $50,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP |
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$180,000SCHOLARSHIP
SANTA FE OPERA
$25,000ALTO PROGRAM
NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY TRUST
$10,000SCHOLARSHIP
LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS
$10,000SCHOLARSHIP
NM COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$10,000SCHOLARSHIP
ST MICHAELS HIGH SCHOOL
$9,500SCHOLARSHIP
MAY CENTER FOR LEARNING
$5,000SUPPPORT
COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY
$4,000SCHOLARSHIP
COOKING WITH KIDS
$2,500SCHOLARSHIP
LITERACY VOLUNTEERS OF SF
$1,000TUTORING
LIFE CENTER FOUNDATION
$500SUPPORT SERVICES
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$240,000SCHOLARSHIP
IAIA FOUNDATION
$50,000ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIP
SANTA FE OPERA
$25,000ALTO PROGRAM
EXCELLENT SCHOOLS NM
$25,000SCHOLARSHIP
NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY TRUST
$10,000SCHOLARSHIP
ST MICHAELS HIGH SCHOOL
$8,000SCHOLARSHIP
LENSIC PERFORMING ARTS
$5,000SCHOLARSHIP
COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY
$4,000SCHOLARSHIP
LIFE CIRCLE
$2,500SUPPORT SERVICES
ST MICHAELS HIGH SCHOOL
$60,000SCHOLARSHIP
NORTHERN NM COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$50,000SCHOLARSHIP
NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY TRUST
$50,000SCHOLARSHIP
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
$10,000TUITION
ALI DJIM
$2,000BOOKS AND TUITION