The Jon L & Beverly A Thompson Foundation concentrates its giving into a small number of large, discretionary gifts that advance higher education, evangelical Christian relief work, and conservative legal causes. Grants are often unrestricted or for emergency relief, and the foundation repeatedly funds a handful of organizations (notably Samaritan’s Purse and Alliance Defending Freedom) while also making major institutional investments such as a multi‑million unrestricted gift to the University of Florida. Although based in Dallas, the foundation’s support is national and international in scope, with a mix of humanitarian relief and faith‑aligned policy/legal work.
A $6.46 million unrestricted gift to the University of Florida Foundation stands out as the largest recent grant from Jon L & Beverly a Thompson Foundation. That award points to a funder willing to make very large, flexible institutional bets while also backing emergency response, faith-based humanitarian work, and conservative legal advocacy. The foundation’s recent giving shows repeated support for Samaritan’s Purse and Alliance Defending Freedom, alongside major grants to universities and research institutions. The pattern is broad in purpose but selective in recipients. One set of grants supports humanitarian relief in the United States, Israel, and Ukraine, plus clean water projects and disaster response. Another set funds legal and public-policy work through unrestricted support. A third channel backs research and education, including prostate cancer research, nervous system repair, and a university unrestricted grant. The foundation also appears to fund faith-centered programming such as Greatest Journey and persecuted Christian relief. Across these categories, the grants are often substantial and sometimes repeated across multiple years, suggesting a small-grantee, high-commitment approach rather than a wide distribution model.
In humanitarian aid, the foundation gave $1 million to Samaritan’s Purse for Southwest Florida hurricane response and another $1 million to Legacy Foundation of Shell Point for hurricane employee relief. It also supported Samaritan’s Purse with $600,000 for relief in the United States and $400,000 for relief in Israel. Faith-based programming appears alongside relief work. Samaritan’s Purse received $300,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025 for Greatest Journey, and $100,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for persecuted Christians. Focus on the Family received $175,000 for Operation Ultrasound and $75,000 for Highest Needs. The foundation also funds medical and scientific work. The University of Texas in Houston received $100,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for prostate cancer research, while the National Multiple Sclerosis Society received $100,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for nervous system repair.
Grant sizes cluster at the high end: p25 is $100,000, median is $200,000, and p75 is $500,000. The recent record shows repeated gifts to the same organizations over multiple years, especially Samaritan’s Purse and Alliance Defending Freedom, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards. The foundation’s annual giving is large relative to its asset base, and the grants shown are primarily discretionary, unrestricted, or purpose-specific support. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$2.9M
$14.6M
$2.4M
$3M
Most grants fall between $100K and $500K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$100K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$500K
About 9% of grants go to recipients in NC.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a small set of repeat grantees and a few one-off large institutional gifts; several multi-grant relationships (e.g., Samaritan’s Purse, Alliance Defending Freedom) alongside single very large donations.
Notable grantees: University of Florida Foundation, Samaritan's Purse, Alliance Defending Freedom, Legacy Foundation of Shell Point
The foundation’s grants are entirely to U.S. recipients in the data, with 100% of grants going to domestic organizations. North Carolina is the top state by grant count, driven by repeated awards to Boone-based Samaritan’s Purse. Other recipient cities that appear frequently include Scottsdale, Gainesville, Houston, Fort Myers, Colorado Springs, and Fort Lauderdale. Texas recipients account for 9% of grants, which is distinct from the foundation’s Dallas headquarters.
The foundation backs humanitarian relief, faith-based work, legal advocacy, universities, and medical research. Recent grants include relief in the United States, Israel, and Ukraine; unrestricted support for a university; and research awards for prostate cancer and nervous system repair.
Yes. Samaritan’s Purse appears across multiple years and multiple purposes, including relief, clean water, Greatest Journey, persecuted Christians, and health-related support. Alliance Defending Freedom also received unrestricted grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The distribution is weighted toward large gifts. The 25th percentile is $100,000, the median is $200,000, and the 75th percentile is $500,000, with several grants at $500,000 and one unrestricted grant above $6 million.
Most grants in the data go to recipients in North Carolina, led by repeated awards to Boone-based Samaritan’s Purse. All listed grants are to U.S. recipients, and Texas recipients make up 9% of grants.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $600,000 | 2026 | RELIEF |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $500,000 | 2026 | CLEAN WATER |
| ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $500,000 | 2026 | DIRECTED TO HIGHEST NEED |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $350,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE DOUGLAS S. |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $300,000 | 2026 | THE GREATEST JOURNEY |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $200,000 | 2026 | HEAL OUR PATRIOTS |
| FOCUS ON THE FAMILY | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $175,000 | 2026 | OPERATION ULTRASOUND |
| MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER | HOUSTON, TX | $100,000 | 2026 | PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $100,000 | 2026 | PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS |
| NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY | FT LAUDERDALE, FL | $100,000 | 2026 | NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $600,000 | 2025 | RELIEF IN THE UNITED STATES |
| ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $500,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $500,000 | 2025 | CLEAN WATER PROJECTS |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $300,000 | 2025 | GREATEST JOURNEY |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | HEAL OUR PATRIOTS |
| FOCUS ON THE FAMILY | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $175,000 | 2025 | OPERATION ULTRASOUND |
| NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY | FT LAUDERDALE, FL | $100,000 | 2025 | NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS | HOUSTON, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH |
| FOCUS ON THE FAMILY | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $75,000 | 2025 | HIGHEST NEEDS |
| FOCUS ON THE FAMILY | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | MY CHOICE NETWORK |
| FOCUS ON THE FAMILY | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | BRING YOUR BIBLE TO SCHOOL |
| FOCUS ON THE FAMILY | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | SEE LIFE 2024 |
| ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $500,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $500,000 | 2024 | CLEAN WATER PROJECTS |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $400,000 | 2024 | RELIEF IN ISRAEL |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $300,000 | 2024 | GREATEST JOURNEY |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $200,000 | 2024 | RELIEF IN UKRAINE |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $200,000 | 2024 | RELIEF IN THE UNITED STATES |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $200,000 | 2024 | HEAL OUR PATRIOTS |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS | HOUSTON, TX | $100,000 | 2024 | PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH |
| NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY | FT LAUDERDALE, FL | $100,000 | 2024 | NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $100,000 | 2024 | PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS |
| UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOUNDATION | GAINESVILLE, FL | $6,460,109 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $1,000,000 | 2023 | SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HURRICANE |
| LEGACY FOUNDATION OF SHELL POINT | FORT MYERS, FL | $1,000,000 | 2023 | HURRICANE EMPLOYEE RELIEF |
| ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $500,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $400,000 | 2023 | CLEAN WATER PROJECTS |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $300,000 | 2023 | GREATEST JOURNEY |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $200,000 | 2023 | HEAL OUR PATRIOTS |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $100,000 | 2023 | PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS | HOUSTON, TX | $100,000 | 2023 | PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH |
| NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY | FT LAUDERDALE, FL | $100,000 | 2023 | NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR |
HEAL OUR PATRIOTS
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
$175,000OPERATION ULTRASOUND
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
$100,000PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH
NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY
$100,000NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
$175,000OPERATION ULTRASOUND
NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY
$100,000NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
$100,000PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
$75,000HIGHEST NEEDS
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
$50,000MY CHOICE NETWORK
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
$50,000BRING YOUR BIBLE TO SCHOOL
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
$50,000SEE LIFE 2024
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
$100,000PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH
NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY
$100,000NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
$100,000PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH
NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY
$100,000NERVOUS SYSTEM REPAIR