The Jackson S. and March F. Chao Foundation concentrates its modest giving on local children’s needs in the Seattle region, splitting support between pediatric illness-related services and a faith-based or independent elementary school. Their grants are focused and pragmatic—helping sustain a regional Ronald McDonald House and directly supporting the learning environment at Epiphany School—indicating a priority on child welfare and K–8 education infrastructure in Western Washington.
A recurring pattern in the Jackson S and March F Chao Foundation’s recent grants is its sustained support for Seattle-area children’s institutions, especially Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska and Epiphany School. Those two recipients appear in multiple years and at several award levels, suggesting a practical, repeat-touch approach rather than one-off project gifts. The foundation also extends that child-centered portfolio into related work: A Child's Notebook and Denise Louie Education Center both received support for education-related purposes, while Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Swedish Foundation show an additional interest in health and research. The foundation’s giving is modest in scale and tightly targeted, with grants commonly landing in the five-figure range and often tied to direct service or learning-environment support. Its grant list also includes assistance to food security, shelter, and Taiwanese community organizations, indicating a mix of child welfare, community support, and mission-specific local philanthropy. Across the recent record, the foundation favors organizations serving Seattle and nearby Washington communities, with a smaller number of grants reaching the Bay Area.
In child illness support, the foundation gave $30,000 in 2024 to Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska for child illness support, and it followed with a $25,000 grant in 2025 for the same purpose. That same organization also received a $5,000 grant in 2023. Education is another clear thread. Epiphany School received $25,000 in 2024 and $25,000 in 2025 for learning environment support, after a $20,000 grant in 2023 for the same purpose. The foundation also supported A Child's Notebook with $20,000 in 2025 and $10,000 in 2024 for child education support. The grant list includes health-related and community-specific giving as well. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center received $20,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for cancer research support, while Ma-tsu Temple of USA received $5,000 in 2025 and $3,000 in 2024 for Taiwanese community support.
Typical grant size clusters around $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $20,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows repeated support to several of the same organizations across multiple years, including Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska, Epiphany School, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Denise Louie Education Center, Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank, Union Gospel Mission, and Ma-tsu Temple of USA. That pattern points to recurring support rather than purely one-time awards. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals.
$150K
$2.8M
$689K
$156K
Most grants fall between $5K and $20K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$20K
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Concentrated, small-scale portfolio: few grants (4) totaling $105k, with repeated, sizable donations to two local organizations rather than broadly distributed giving.
Notable grantees: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska, Epiphany School
Giving is highly local: 92% of grants go to recipients in Washington, and the recent list is entirely domestic. Seattle is the clear center of activity, with many awards to organizations there, including recipients in child illness, education, cancer research, food security, shelter, and general support. Outside Seattle, the foundation gave to Bothell and Langley in Washington and to San Francisco, California. California is the top state by grant count, reflecting a smaller but visible cluster there.
The recent grants show support for child illness services, learning-environment support for schools, child education programs, cancer research, food security, shelter, and Taiwanese community organizations. Several awards also went to general support for local nonprofits serving Seattle and nearby Washington communities.
Typical grants are modest: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $20,000. Recent awards include both smaller $3,000-$5,000 gifts and repeated $20,000-$30,000 grants to priority organizations.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska, Epiphany School, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Denise Louie Education Center, Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank, Union Gospel Mission, and Ma-tsu Temple of USA.
Most grants go to Washington recipients, with 92% of grants in the HQ state. Seattle appears most often in the recent grant list, and the broader geographic scope is local. California also appears in the recipient list through San Francisco-based Ma-tsu Temple of USA.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPIPHANY SCHOOL | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2025 | LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF WESTERN WASHINGTON & ALASKA | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2025 | CHILD ILLNESS SUPPORT |
| FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $20,000 | 2025 | CANCER RESEARCH SUPPORT |
| A CHILD'S NOTEBOOK | SEATTLE, WA | $20,000 | 2025 | CHILD EDUCATION SUPPORT |
| SWEDISH FOUNDATION | BOTHELL, WA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $15,000 | 2025 | LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT |
| PIKE MARKET SENIOR CENTER AND FOOD BANK | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | FOOD SECURITY SUPPORT |
| UNION GOSPEL MISSION | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OPERATION NIGHTWATCH | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | SHELTER SUPPORT |
| MA-TSU TEMPLE OF USA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | TAIWANESE COMMUNITY SUPPORT |
| CAMPUS STEWARDS OF SOUTH WHIDBEY | LANGLEY, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF WESTERN WASHINGTON & ALASKA | SEATTLE, WA | $30,000 | 2024 | CHILD ILLNESS SUPPORT |
| EPIPHANY SCHOOL | SEATTLE, WA | $25,000 | 2024 | LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT |
| FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $20,000 | 2024 | CANCER RESEARCH SUPPORT |
| A CHILD'S NOTEBOOK | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | CHILD EDUCATION SUPPORT |
| DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT |
| UNION GOSPEL MISSION | SPOKANE, WA | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PIKE MARKET SENIOR CENTER AND FOOD BANK | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2024 | FOOD SECURITY SUPPORT |
| MA-TSU TEMPLE OF USA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $3,000 | 2024 | TAIWANESE COMMUNITY SUPPORT |
| FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $20,000 | 2023 | CANCER RESEARCH SUPPORT |
| EPIPHANY SCHOOL | SEATTLE, WA | $20,000 | 2023 | LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT |
| DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2023 | LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF WESTERN WASHINGTON & ALASKA | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2023 | CHILD ILLNESS SUPPORT |
| SWEDISH MEDICAL CENTER FOUNDATION | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2023 | HEALTHCARE RESEARCH |
CHILD ILLNESS SUPPORT
A CHILD'S NOTEBOOK
$20,000CHILD EDUCATION SUPPORT
SWEDISH FOUNDATION
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT
UNION GOSPEL MISSION
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MA-TSU TEMPLE OF USA
$5,000TAIWANESE COMMUNITY SUPPORT
CAMPUS STEWARDS OF SOUTH WHIDBEY
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CHILD ILLNESS SUPPORT
A CHILD'S NOTEBOOK
$10,000CHILD EDUCATION SUPPORT
UNION GOSPEL MISSION
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MA-TSU TEMPLE OF USA
$3,000TAIWANESE COMMUNITY SUPPORT
CHILD ILLNESS SUPPORT