The Knipper Family Foundation concentrates its giving on environmental conservation and local faith-based support, demonstrated by a large unrestricted gift to The Nature Conservancy and a substantial donation to a Lutheran congregation. Grants are few but sizable, indicating preference for major, mission-driven organizations rather than many small awards. The foundation appears to balance national conservation impact with local community/religious engagement.
Concentrated giving: very small portfolio (two grants) with large, one-off gifts; majority of funding directed to a single national environmental NGO with a smaller but significant donation to a local church.
A single unrestricted $404,231 grant to The Nature Conservancy accounts for most of the foundation’s recent giving and shows the scale at which James and Teresa Knipper Family Foundation Inc operates. The grant was made to further the organization’s mission, and it sits alongside a smaller but still substantial $60,000 award to St Paul's Lutheran Church. Those two gifts point to a pattern of making relatively few grants, but at amounts large enough to support core work rather than one-off projects. The foundation’s recent record also includes repeat support for The University of Virginia Health Foundation and Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton, suggesting that once an organization is selected, it may receive follow-on funding in later years. The overall picture is a funder that backs mission-level work in conservation, faith-based service, health-related philanthropy, and community support, with emphasis on organizational sustainability and discretionary use rather than tightly scoped programs.
Environmental conservation is a clear anchor for the foundation’s giving. In 2025, it awarded $404,231 to The Nature Conservancy to further the organization’s mission, a grant that dwarfs the others in the recent file. Faith-based support is another thread: St Paul's Lutheran Church received $60,000 in 2025 for the same broad purpose. Health-related philanthropy appears through The University of Virginia Health Foundation, which received $30,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2025. Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton also appears twice, with grants of $30,000 in 2023 and $15,000 in 2024, indicating continued support over multiple years.
Typical awards are sizable: the grant-size distribution sits at $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $45,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants show repeat funding across years for the same organizations, including The University of Virginia Health Foundation and Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton. The foundation is a private family foundation and does not fund individuals. The recent grants are described with mission-support language, and the pattern points to discretionary or general operating support rather than highly restricted project funding.
$805K
$1.2M
$2M
$808K
Most grants fall between $25K and $45K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$45K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in IA.
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Notable grantees: The Nature Conservancy, St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Grant recipients are all in the US. The highest concentration by recipient location is in Virginia, driven by Arlington-based The Nature Conservancy and another Virginia recipient in the recent file. Other named recipient locations include Erie, Pennsylvania; Boone, Iowa; and Trenton, New Jersey. The foundation’s giving footprint is regional, but the recent grants show a mix of locations rather than a single-city focus.
The recent grants point to environmental conservation, faith-based institutions, health-related philanthropy, and Catholic charitable services. Examples in the file include The Nature Conservancy, St Paul's Lutheran Church, The University of Virginia Health Foundation, and Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is relatively concentrated: $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $30,000 at the median, and $45,000 at the 75th percentile. That suggests it usually makes mid-sized grants rather than many small awards.
Yes. The recent grants show repeat awards to The University of Virginia Health Foundation in 2024 and 2025, and to Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton in 2023 and 2024. That indicates follow-on support rather than purely one-time giving.
The largest recent grant is $404,231 to The Nature Conservancy in 2025. The grant was made to further the organization’s mission.
By recipient count, Virginia is the top state in the recent grants file. The recent list includes Arlington, Virginia, which is the location tied to The Nature Conservancy award.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $750,000 | 2026 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF TRENTON | TRENTON, NJ | $55,000 | 2026 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $404,231 | 2025 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| ST PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH | ERIE, PA | $60,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH FOUNDATION | BOONE, IA | $20,000 | 2025 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH FOUNDATION | BOONE, IA | $30,000 | 2024 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF TRENTON | TRENTON, NJ | $15,000 | 2024 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH FOUNDATION | BOONE, IA | $30,000 | 2023 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF TRENTON | TRENTON, NJ | $30,000 | 2023 | TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION |
ST PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH
$60,000TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION
THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA HEALTH FOUNDATION
$20,000TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION
TO FURTHER ORGANIZATION'S MISSION