The Julian I. & Hope R. Edison Foundation concentrates its philanthropy in the St. Louis region, giving sizable, targeted gifts to higher education, Jewish communal life, and local health institutions. The foundation favors institutional support (library/endowment-type gifts and program support) and regularly funds Jewish organizations and major local nonprofits rather than many small community groups. Grants tend to be large and concentrated among a small set of repeat grantees, with an emphasis on strengthening civic, educational, and religious infrastructure.
A $1,020,000 grant to Washington University St. Louis for support of the university library stands out in the foundation’s recent giving. Julian I & Hope R Edison Foundation Inc uses large, targeted awards to strengthen institutions tied to education, Jewish communal life, health care, and civic infrastructure, with a clear preference for operating support and designated program support. The pattern includes repeated gifts to major St. Louis organizations as well as selected partners in New York. Recent support for Jewish Federation of St Louis, Temple Israel, and Barnes Jewish Hospital shows how the foundation combines community-based philanthropy with institution-building. It also backs cultural and public-serving organizations such as St Louis Art Museum Foundation, St Louis Public Radio, and Nine Network of Public Media, alongside faith and service institutions including St Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum and United Way of Greater St Louis. Across its recent grants, the foundation tends to fund established nonprofits rather than a broad array of small awards, and the largest gifts point to a strategy of reinforcing core operations, libraries, and recurring community services.
In Jewish communal support, the foundation made multiple general operating grants to Jewish Federation of St Louis, including $346,948 in 2023, $184,452 in 2024, and $187,014 in 2025, and it also gave $75,000 to Hillel at Binghampton and $20,000 to Uja Federation of New York. In health care, Barnes Jewish Hospital received three needy-families grants of $105,010 in 2023, $103,716 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2025. In education and youth-serving work, John Burroughs School received $109,461 in 2024 for general operating support, while St Louis Public Library received $20,000 in 2025 for literacy and after-school programs. The foundation also backs civic and cultural institutions, including $60,000 to Planned Parenthood and $37,104 to St Louis Art Museum Foundation for general operating support and a print fund.
Typical grants cluster in the low thousands and low tens of thousands, with p25 at $1,000, a median of $5,000, and p75 at $15,000. The recent record also shows a few much larger institutional awards, including a seven-figure library gift and repeated five- and six-figure operating grants. Grants recur across years for several recipients, including Jewish Federation of St Louis, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St Louis Psychoanalytic Institute, St Louis Art Museum Foundation, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and United Way of Greater St Louis. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its awards are primarily general operating support or other targeted institutional support.
$2.2M
$17.7M
$906K
$2.5M
Most grants fall between $1K and $15K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$15K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small portfolio of institutional grantees with multiple repeat gifts; regionally focused on St. Louis and oriented toward sustaining core organizational infrastructure rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: Washington University in St. Louis, Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Temple Israel, John Burroughs School
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local: 83% of grants go to recipients in Missouri, and all listed recent grants are in the United States. The largest concentration is in St. Louis, with multiple awards to recipients such as St Louis Public Radio, St Louis County Library, and St Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. New York is the top state by grant count outside Missouri, with grants to Binghampton, Brooklyn, New York City, and New York. The pattern points to a Missouri-centered portfolio with a smaller set of awards in New York.
The recent record centers on universities, Jewish communal institutions, health care organizations, schools, libraries, and local civic or cultural groups. Examples include Washington University St. Louis for a university library, Jewish Federation of St Louis for general operating support, Barnes Jewish Hospital for needy families, and St Louis Public Library for literacy and after-school programs.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is small on the low end and concentrated in modest awards: p25 is $1,000, the median is $5,000, and p75 is $15,000. The recent list also includes larger institutional gifts, such as a $1,020,000 award to Washington University St. Louis.
Yes. Missouri receives 83% of grants, and the recent grants are all to U.S. recipients. St. Louis appears most often in the recent record, while New York is the top state by grant count outside Missouri.
Several recipients appear across multiple years, showing a recurring pattern rather than isolated one-off support. Examples in the recent grants list include Jewish Federation of St Louis, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St Louis Psychoanalytic Institute, St Louis Art Museum Foundation, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and United Way of Greater St Louis.
The grants are mostly general operating support or other targeted institutional support. Named examples include operating support for Temple Israel, John Burroughs School, Planned Parenthood, and Vns Health of New York, plus designated support for a university library and for literacy and after-school programs.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,020,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARY |
| TEMPLE ISRAEL | ST LOUIS, MO | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $187,014 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BARNES JEWISH HOSPITAL | ST LOUIS, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT NEEDY FAMILIES |
| JEWISH ASSOCIATION SERVING THE AGING | BROOKLYN, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HILLEL AT BINGHAMPTON | BINGHAMPTON, NY | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | ST LOUIS, MO | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION | KANSAS CITY, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| VNS HEALTH OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS PSYCHOANALYTIC INSTITUTE | ST LOUIS, MO | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $25,025 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT AND PRINT FUND |
| ST LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO | ST LOUIS, MO | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| UNITED WAY OF GREATER ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS PUBLIC LIBRARY | ST LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT LITERACY AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS |
| ST LOUIS KAPLAN FELDMAN HOLOCAUST MUSEUM | ST LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| OPERATION FOOD SEARCH | ST LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY | ST LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| UJA FEDERATION OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK CITY, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| RADIO ARTS FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY | WALTHAM, MA | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | ST LOUIS, MO | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WILLIAM J BRENNAN JR CENTER FOR JUSTICE INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HARVEY KORNBLUM JEWISH FOOD PANTRY | ST LOUIS, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| JOHN BURROUGHS SCHOOL | ST LOUIS, MO | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CONGREGATION TEMPLE ISRAEL | ST LOUIS, MO | $6,089 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WASHINTGON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY | ST LOUIS, MO | $5,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| RIVER CITY JOURNALISM FUND | CLAYTON, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NANTUCKET COTTAGE HOSPITAL | NANTUCKET, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL | ST LOUIS, MO | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| COMMUNITY SCHOOL ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| OPERA THEATRE ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FOREST PARK FOREVER | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HARVARD CENTER FOR JEWISH STUDIES | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $250 | 2025 | JEWISH EDUCATION |
| ST LOUIS JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL | ST LOUIS, MO | $200 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT | ST LOUIS, MO | $200 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BEAVER COUNTY DAY SCHOOL | CHESTNUT HILL, MA | $100 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| OASIS INSTITUTE | ST LOUIS, MO | $100 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $184,452 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| JOHN BURROUGHS SCHOOL | ST LOUIS, MO | $109,461 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BARNES JEWISH HOSPITAL | ST LOUIS, MO | $103,716 | 2024 | SUPPORT NEEDY FAMILIES |
| ST LOUIS PSYCHOANALYTIC INSTITUTE | ST LOUIS, MO | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $37,104 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT AND PRINT FUND |
| BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NINE NETWORK OF PUBLIC MEDIA | ST LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ST LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | ST LOUIS, MO | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | ST LOUIS, MO | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
TEMPLE ISRAEL
$250,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
BARNES JEWISH HOSPITAL
$100,000SUPPORT NEEDY FAMILIES
HILLEL AT BINGHAMPTON
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$60,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
VNS HEALTH OF NEW YORK
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
ST LOUIS PSYCHOANALYTIC INSTITUTE
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
ST LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
$25,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
ST LOUIS PUBLIC LIBRARY
$20,000SUPPORT LITERACY AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
ST LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
RADIO ARTS FOUNDATION
$15,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
HARVEY KORNBLUM JEWISH FOOD PANTRY
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
CONGREGATION TEMPLE ISRAEL
$6,089GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
WASHINTGON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
$5,500GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
RIVER CITY JOURNALISM FUND
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
NANTUCKET COTTAGE HOSPITAL
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
$2,500GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF ST LOUIS
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
COMMUNITY SCHOOL ST LOUIS
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
OPERA THEATRE ST LOUIS
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
FOREST PARK FOREVER
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
HARVARD CENTER FOR JEWISH STUDIES
$250JEWISH EDUCATION
ST LOUIS JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
$200GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
ST LOUIS JEWISH LIGHT
$200GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
BARNES JEWISH HOSPITAL
$103,716SUPPORT NEEDY FAMILIES
ST LOUIS PSYCHOANALYTIC INSTITUTE
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT