About Kelson Foundation
The Kelson Foundation concentrates large, institutional gifts to support higher education innovation and democratic resilience. Most of its funding goes to a single college through repeat, multi-million-dollar endowment gifts, with a smaller but notable commitment to national civic/democracy work. Its pattern suggests a preference for sustaining institutional capacity and long-term initiatives rather than many small community grants.
Focus Areas
Higher education innovation endowments (e.g., college innovation hubs)College-based entrepreneurship and curriculum developmentDemocracy and civic resilience funds (national advocacy/grantmaking intermediaries)
Who They Fund
nonprofit legal clinics and academic centersearly childhood students and familiesimmigrant youth and communitieswomen leaders and women in politicsincarcerated or formerly incarcerated individualsfarm workers
About Kelson Foundation
Kelson Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by repeated $1 million endowment grants to Middlebury College for The Elizabeth Hackett Robinson ’84 Innovation Hub Endowed Fund, signaling a strong preference for building durable institutional capacity rather than distributing many smaller awards. Alongside that higher-education commitment, the foundation has also backed civic-democracy work at scale, including a $1 million grant to Amalgamated Charitable Foundation for the Democracy Frontlines Fund and multiple five-figure and six-figure awards to organizations working on elections, civil rights, and related legal advocacy. The foundation’s grantmaking pattern shows a mix of large, recurring support and targeted project funding. In higher education, it has repeatedly funded innovation and campus-based programs; in democracy work, it has supported intermediaries and legal organizations that operate across multiple policy areas, including election law, redistricting, prison reform, and women’s political leadership. Recent grants also reach California-based community and environmental organizations, but the overall profile remains dominated by institutional gifts and multi-year relationships with a small set of recipients.
What Kelson Foundation Funds
Higher education innovation is the clearest theme in Kelson Foundation’s recent grants. The foundation gave $1 million to Middlebury College for The Elizabeth Hackett Robinson ’84 Innovation Hub Endowed Fund in 2025, following the same amount in 2024 and 2023. It also awarded $250,000 to Rhode Island School of Design in 2024 for general support and another $250,000 in 2023 for the President’s Discretionary Fund. Democracy and election work is another major focus. Kelson Foundation gave $500,000 to George Washington University for the GW School of Law Multi-Racial Democracy Project and $250,000 to Cornell University for the MGGG Redistricting Lab. On the civic-infrastructure side, it supported the New Venture Fund with $250,000 for the Center for Secure and Modern Elections and $250,000 for the Fines and Fees Justice Center. The foundation also funds women’s political participation and leadership, including $300,000 grants to Vote Mama Foundation, RepresentWomen, and Vote Run Lead.
How Kelson Foundation Gives
Kelson Foundation’s typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $82,500 at the 75th percentile, but its recent top awards are much larger, with several $250,000 to $1,000,000 grants. The pattern is concentrated and repeat-based: Middlebury College appears in three consecutive years at $1 million, and other recipients such as New Venture Fund, RepresentWomen, and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area recur across multiple years. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its active program is labeled General Grantmaking, with unrestricted and project grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$7.2M
Total Assets
$149M
Total Revenue
$8.1M
Total Expenses
$7.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $83K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$83K
Geographic Reach
Regional24 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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