The Jon L Hagler Foundation makes a small number of large, general-purpose grants to national institutions engaged in public affairs, higher education, civic legacy work, and health care. Its giving is both national and local (notably a major Boston hospital) and includes repeat support for a single media organization. Grants are typically unrestricted/general support rather than project-specific.
Concentrated portfolio with few, large grants; tendency to make multi-year or repeated payments to core national institutions; predominantly general-purpose funding rather than program-specific awards.
Notable grantees: Foundation for National Progress (Mother Jones), Texas A&M Foundation (FEA Scholarships), George and Barbara Bush Foundation, Brigham and Women's Hospital
A $650,000 general grant to the Foundation for National Progress in 2025 stands out in the Jon L Hagler Foundation’s recent record, and it is joined by repeated support for the same media organization across multiple years. The foundation’s giving also reaches beyond journalism: it has backed the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, Texas A&M-linked scholarship support, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. That mix points to a funder that uses general grants to support public affairs, higher education, civic legacy work, and health care rather than narrow project funding. The pattern is not one of many small awards. Instead, a small number of grants make up most of the visible activity, with several awards in the six-figure range and multiple grants to the same recipients over time. Alongside those larger commitments, the foundation also makes smaller general grants to institutions in Massachusetts, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States. Its portfolio includes both national organizations and place-based institutions, suggesting a broad institutional giving strategy with a few recurring priorities.
One clear theme is journalism and public affairs. The Jon L Hagler Foundation gave $650,000 in 2025 to the Foundation for National Progress and had also supported it with $250,000 in 2023 and $100,000 in 2024, all as general grants. Higher education is another visible area. It awarded $250,000 in 2023 to Texas A&M Foundation Fea Scholarships, and it also gave $10,000 in both 2024 and 2025 to Harvard Business School. Civic legacy and public policy show up in its support for the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, which received a $250,000 general grant in 2025. Health care appears as well through a $113,557 general grant to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2023.
Recent grants show a wide spread in size, from a median of $2,500 to a p75 of $25,000, with the 25th percentile at $1,000. The largest visible award is $650,000, indicating that the foundation can make very large grants alongside smaller ones. Its giving is predominantly to institutions, not individuals, and the grants shown are all general grants. Several recipients appear more than once across 2023 to 2025, including the Foundation for National Progress, Harvard Business School, Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Assoc, Heifer International, Wbur Public Radio, and Wgbh Educational Foundation.
$6K
$1.6M
$62K
$14K
Most grants fall between $1K and $25K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$25K
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The foundation gives nationally, and every recent grant listed went to a U.S. recipient. Texas appears most often in the grant record, with repeated grants to organizations in College Station, Bryan, Waco, and Waco-linked recipients. Massachusetts also receives substantial support, especially Boston, which appears for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Business School, Wbur Public Radio, Wgbh - Frontline Journalist Fund, Wgbh Educational Foundation, and Dover Council on Aging. Outside those two states, recent grants also reached San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Arlington, VA.
Its recent grants focus on institutions in journalism, higher education, civic legacy and public policy, and health care. Examples include general support for the Foundation for National Progress, Texas A&M Foundation Fea Scholarships, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Yes. The Foundation for National Progress appears three times in the recent grant list: $250,000 in 2023, $100,000 in 2024, and $650,000 in 2025. Harvard Business School and Wgbh Educational Foundation also each received grants in more than one year.
The grant-size distribution centers on smaller awards, with a p25 of $1,000, a median of $2,500, and a p75 of $25,000. At the same time, the foundation also made several six-figure grants, including a $650,000 award in 2025.
Texas is the top state by grant count. Recent Texas recipients include organizations in College Station, Bryan, and Waco, while Massachusetts, especially Boston, also appears repeatedly in the grant record.
The recent grants are listed as general grants. That includes large awards to the Foundation for National Progress, George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and Texas A&M Foundation Fea Scholarships, as well as smaller grants to public radio and educational institutions.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SARC | BRYAN, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL GRANT |
| AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION | AUGUSTA, ME | $500 | 2026 | GENERAL GRANT |
| FOUNDATION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS (MOTHER JONES) | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $650,000 | 2025 | GENERAL GRANT |
| GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION | COLLEGE STATION, TX | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL GRANT |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL GRANT |
| SARC | BRYAN, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL GRANT |
| WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL GRANT |
| FOUNDATION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS (MOTHER JONES) | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| HEIFER INTERNATIONAL | ALBERT LEA, MN | $4,500 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | BOSTON, MA | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| WBUR PUBLIC RADIO | BOSTON, MA | $2,500 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION | AUGUSTA, ME | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| STIRWELL 501C3 | WACO, TX | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| TEXAS AGGIE CORPS OF CADETS ASSOC | BRYAN, TX | $500 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANTGENERAL GRANT |
| DISABLED AMERICA VETERANS | CINCINNATI, OH | $250 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FOUNDAITON | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL | $100 | 2024 | GENERAL GRANT |
| TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION FEA SCHOLARSHIPS | COLLEGE STATION, TN | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| FOUNDATION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS (MOTHER JONES) | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $113,557 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| TEXAS AGGIE CORPS OF CADETS ASSOC | BRYAN, TX | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANTGENERAL GRANT |
| WBUR PUBLIC RADIO | BOSTON, MA | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| WGBH - FRONTLINE JOURNALIST FUND | BOSTON, MA | $2,500 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| HEIFER INTERNATIONAL | ALBERT LEA, MN | $1,775 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| NATION BUILDERS | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| NATURE CONSERVATORY | ARLINGTON, VA | $500 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
| DOVER COUNCIL ON AGING | DOVER, MA | $250 | 2023 | GENERAL GRANT |
SARC
$5,000GENERAL GRANT
AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION
$500GENERAL GRANT
FOUNDATION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS (MOTHER JONES)
$650,000GENERAL GRANT
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
$10,000GENERAL GRANT
SARC
$5,000GENERAL GRANT
WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
$2,500GENERAL GRANT
FOUNDATION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS (MOTHER JONES)
$100,000GENERAL GRANT
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
$10,000GENERAL GRANT
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
$4,500GENERAL GRANT
WBUR PUBLIC RADIO
$2,500GENERAL GRANT
AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION
$1,000GENERAL GRANT
STIRWELL 501C3
$1,000GENERAL GRANT
DISABLED AMERICA VETERANS
$250GENERAL GRANT
TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION FEA SCHOLARSHIPS
$250,000GENERAL GRANT
FOUNDATION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS (MOTHER JONES)
$250,000GENERAL GRANT
BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
$113,557GENERAL GRANT
WBUR PUBLIC RADIO
$3,000GENERAL GRANT
NATION BUILDERS
$1,000GENERAL GRANT
DOVER COUNCIL ON AGING
$250GENERAL GRANT