James K Adams & Arlene L Adams Foundation
ActiveEducationFunds Individuals
About James K Adams & Arlene L Adams Foundation
The James K Adams & Arlene L Adams Foundation concentrates almost all of its philanthropy on postsecondary tuition support, directing sizable awards to individual financial assistance and to a local private university. Grants indicate a focused interest in helping students pay college costs, with at least one institutional partner in the Boiling Springs/Harrisburg area. The foundation’s giving is narrowly targeted rather than broadly diversified across causes.
Focus Areas
College tuition scholarships and direct financial aid for studentsScholarship and tuition support for Messiah University (Boiling Springs, PA / local private higher education)
Who They Fund
college studentspostsecondary/undergraduate studentsindividual enrolled students
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: very few grants (two) with large dollar amounts focused on tuition assistance; funding is targeted to individual financial aid programs and a local university rather than dispersed across many organizations.
Funding Style
direct financial assistance
About James K Adams & Arlene L Adams Foundation
The James K Adams & Arlene L Adams Foundation’s giving is defined by direct college-tuition support, including a large award to Financial Assistance Education in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, for college tuition. That same pattern appears across the foundation’s recent grants: most recipients are individual students or colleges, and the stated purpose is consistently tuition payment. The foundation also backs a local higher-education institution repeatedly, with grants to Messiah University in 2024 and 2025 for tuition support. Beyond those larger awards, the foundation distributes a steady series of smaller tuition grants to undergraduate and postsecondary students at a mix of public and private institutions. Recent recipients include Penn State University, West Chester University, Bucknell University, Lancaster Bible College, Geneva College, and Millersville University. The overall picture is narrow and consistent: support for students meeting college costs, alongside institutional tuition aid at selected campuses. The grant list shows this is not broad thematic philanthropy; it is concentrated financial assistance for education, especially postsecondary affordability and tuition-specific aid.
What James K Adams & Arlene L Adams Foundation Funds
A central topic in the foundation’s grantmaking is postsecondary affordability. It supported Penn State University twice, with grants of $17,000 in 2025 and $12,000 in 2024, both marked to pay tuition. West Chester University also received tuition support in two years, including $16,000 in 2025 and $6,000 in 2024. The foundation also funds private and religiously affiliated colleges. Recent examples include Bucknell University at $10,000, Lancaster Bible College at $10,000 in 2024 and again in 2025, and Geneva College at $10,000 in 2025, each for tuition. That pattern aligns with the foundation’s repeated support for student financial aid rather than program grants. Individual financial assistance is another clear theme. A grant to Financial Assistance Education in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, was recorded at $172,000 for college tuition, showing that direct aid to enrolled students is part of the foundation’s approach.
How James K Adams & Arlene L Adams Foundation Gives
Typical grant size sits in a tight band: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $8,000, and the 75th percentile is $10,000. That distribution matches a grant program built around repeated tuition awards rather than very large institutional commitments. The recent list also shows recurring recipients across multiple years, including Messiah University, Penn State University, West Chester University, Bob Jones University, University of Delaware, Bloomsburg University, Millersville University, Hacc, and Maranatha Baptist University. The foundation funds individuals as well as institutions, and no program-related investments are reported.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$157K
Total Assets
$0
Total Revenue
$156K
Total Expenses
$164K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$10K
Geographic Reach
Regional7 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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