The Justin Kelly Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy exclusively on arts organizations, demonstrated by two gifts totaling $200,000 to the MacPhail Center for Music to support the 'Music Up Tempo!' campaign. Their giving indicates a strong interest in sustaining and expanding community music education rather than a broad portfolio across causes or geographies.
Highly concentrated: large, repeat grants to a single grantee and project (campaign support for one music center) rather than many small or geographically dispersed gifts.
The Justin Kelly Family Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by a repeated commitment to MacPhail Center for Music, including two $100,000 gifts tied to the “Music Up Tempo!” campaign in 2024 and 2025. That pattern places music education and music-institution support at the center of its philanthropy. Across the latest grants, the foundation also backed a small set of arts-related groups in Minnesota, ranging from unrestricted support to project-specific and event-based gifts. Its giving profile suggests a narrow, arts-focused portfolio rather than broad programmatic spread. The largest awards went to a single Minneapolis music institution, while smaller grants reached organizations in St. Paul and Minneapolis. Those grants include support for Freewriters Mn for Free Writers Anthology printing and a general grant to Walker Art Center Inc. The result is a grant record built around sustaining cultural organizations, supporting arts participation, and helping specific creative projects move forward.
Community music education is the clearest theme in the foundation’s recent record. It gave $100,000 to MacPhail Center for Music in 2024 for the Music Up Tempo campaign and another $100,000 in 2025 for the “Music Up Tempo!” campaign. That same organization also received a $2,000 general and unrestricted grant in 2024. Beyond music instruction, the foundation supported arts participation and access. The Sanneh Foundation Inc. received $5,000 to purchase MN United tickets, showing interest in event attendance support. It also funded literary publishing with a $1,500 grant to Freewriters Mn for Free Writers Anthology printing. A $1,000 general grant to Walker Art Center Inc. adds another Minneapolis arts institution to the mix.
The foundation’s grant sizes are weighted toward a few larger awards, with typical giving at a p25 of $4,250, a median of $5,750, and a p75 of $29,875. The recent record also includes two $100,000 grants, which sit well above the core range. Several recipients appear more than once, including MacPhail Center for Music across 2024 and 2025, which points to repeat support rather than one-time-only giving. The foundation is not a grantmaker to individuals and does not make program-related investments. The available record does not show an application process.
$103K
$3.1M
$1.9M
$170K
Most grants fall between $4K and $30K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$30K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MN.
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Notable grantees: MacPhail Center for Music
The foundation’s grants stay in the United States, with all 7 recent grants going to US recipients. Minnesota is the clear center of gravity, with Minneapolis and St. Paul appearing repeatedly in the recent grants list and MN accounting for the largest share of grants by count. No grants in the provided record went to recipients in Delaware, despite the foundation’s headquarters being in Wilmington, DE. The recent pattern is concentrated in the Twin Cities, especially Minneapolis.
Its recent grants focus on arts organizations, especially music education and arts participation. The largest gifts went to MacPhail Center for Music for the Music Up Tempo campaign, and smaller awards supported ticket access, anthology printing, and a general grant to Walker Art Center Inc.
The foundation’s grant sizes are centered in the low thousands: p25 is $4,250, median grant size is $5,750, and p75 is $29,875. The recent record also includes larger $100,000 grants, showing that it makes occasional major awards alongside smaller gifts.
Yes. MacPhail Center for Music appears in multiple grant years, including two $100,000 campaign gifts in 2024 and 2025, plus a $2,000 general and unrestricted grant in 2024. That pattern shows repeat support for at least one organization.
Minnesota is the main state for giving by grant count, and the recent grants cluster in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The recipient-country distribution is entirely US-based in the data provided.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $100,000 | 2025 | "Music Up Tempo!" campaign |
| FREEWRITERS MN | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $1,500 | 2025 | for use by Free Writers Anthology Printing |
| WALKER ART CENTER INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $1,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| MACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $100,000 | 2024 | Music Up Tempo campaign |
| EQUASPACE | ST PAUL, MN | $6,500 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE SANNEH FOUNDATION INC | SAINT PAUL, MN | $5,000 | 2024 | TO purchase MN United tickets |
| MACPHAIL CENTER FOR MUSIC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $2,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
FREEWRITERS MN
$1,500for use by Free Writers Anthology Printing
WALKER ART CENTER INC
$1,000General & Unrestricted
EQUASPACE
$6,500General & Unrestricted
TO purchase MN United tickets