The Peter B. and Adeline W. Ruffin Foundation focuses heavily on education, making large, targeted gifts to secondary boarding schools and higher-education scholarship programs. Their grants are concentrated and strategic — often earmarked for scholarships or endowments — and favor a small number of substantial awards rather than many small grants. Recipients include both private prep schools and university foundations, suggesting an interest in supporting student access and institutional capacity at selective schools and colleges.
Concentrated giving with few, very large grants; repeated support to the same institutions (multiple large gifts to university foundations) and a clear preference for scholarship/endowment funding rather than many small or grassroots grants.
A defining feature of Peter B and Adeline W Ruffin Foundation Inc is the size of its education commitments: a $625,000 unrestricted grant to The College Foundation of Uva in 2025, followed by another $600,000 scholarship grant to the same Charlottesville organization in 2024. That pattern points to a funder that backs student access and institutional capacity through large, targeted awards rather than broad small-grant activity. The foundation’s recent gifts also show sustained support for secondary boarding schools and college scholarship vehicles, including $500,000 to Woodbury Schools in 2024 and $500,000 to Woodberry Forest School in 2025. Beyond those core education recipients, it has also made major unrestricted grants to universities and scholarship-related entities such as University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Saint Mary's Scholarship Fund. The overall picture is of a grantmaker that uses substantial awards to strengthen schools, scholarship funds, and the organizations that underwrite them. Its giving includes both unrestricted support and scholarship-designated grants, indicating flexibility in how it structures education philanthropy.
Education access and affordability is the clearest thread in the foundation’s recent grantmaking. It gave $250,000 to St Marys College in 2024 for scholarship support, then added $100,000 to Saint Mary's Scholarship Fund in 2025. The same theme appears in its higher-education support: $75,000 went to the American Indian College Fund in 2025, extending aid to students through a national scholarship intermediary. The foundation also funds institutions that serve students directly. Teach for America received $50,000 in 2025, while Kipp Foundation was awarded $50,000 the same year. These grants suggest interest in both tuition assistance and broader educational pathways. The recipient mix includes university foundations, scholarship funds, and school-based organizations, with no narrow single-program concentration beyond education.
Typical awards cluster at a mid-to-large scale: the reported p25 is $15,000, median is $35,000, and p75 is $50,000. The recent grants list shows a clear tilt toward larger strategic gifts, with several six-figure awards and multiple grants repeated across 2024 and 2025 to the same education institutions and related funds. That repeat pattern suggests ongoing support rather than one-off giving. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, and it funds individuals as well as organizations. Its grants include both unrestricted and scholarship-specific support, with some awards designated as general operating or flexible funding.
$4.6M
$2.3M
$4.1M
$4.8M
Most grants fall between $15K and $50K, with a median of $35K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$35K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 8% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Notable grantees: The College Foundation of UVA / The College Foundation of UVA (scholarship endowment), Woodbury Schools, Woodberry Forest School, University of Notre Dame
The foundation gives nationally, with all recent listed grants going to U.S. recipients. Grant activity is most concentrated in Connecticut by recipient count, even though the foundation is headquartered in Johns Island, South Carolina. Recent awards also land in Virginia, Indiana, New York, and Massachusetts, including Charlottesville, Woodberry Forest, and Notre Dame. South Carolina recipients represent 10% of grants, showing that most of the giving goes beyond the HQ state.
The recent grants point most clearly to education-focused organizations: university foundations, scholarship funds, private and boarding schools, and higher-education institutions. It also funds a smaller set of nonprofits outside education, including humanitarian, hunger relief, and children’s service organizations.
Typical grant sizes are $15,000 at the 25th percentile, $35,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants range much higher than that, with multiple awards in the $100,000 to $625,000 range.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated support across years for several education recipients, including The College Foundation of Uva in 2024 and 2025, St Marys College in 2024 and 2024 again, and Malta House of Good Counsel in both 2024 and 2025.
By recipient count, Connecticut is the top state, even though the foundation is headquartered in Johns Island, South Carolina. Recent Connecticut recipients include organizations in Norwalk and Stamford, alongside many awards to recipients in Virginia, Indiana, and New York.
Yes. The foundation’s profile indicates that it funds individuals, and its grant pattern includes scholarship support and scholarship funds, which are consistent with direct aid for students and other individual beneficiaries.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE COLLEGE FOUNDATION OF UVA | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $625,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | BOONE, IA | $500,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| WOODBERRY FOREST SCHOOL | WOODBERRY FOREST, VA | $500,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE | NOTRE DAME, IN | $250,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FEEDING AMERICA | CHICAGO, IL | $250,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| THURGOOD MARSHAL COLLEGE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $250,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| TUNNELS TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $150,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CARE USA | ATLANTA, GA | $150,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| FIRST RESPONDERS CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| KERR COUNTY FLOOD RELIEF FUND | KERRVILLE, TX | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| GIVEWELL TOP CHARITIES FUND | OAKLAND, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF NY | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS TOWN | BOYS TOWN, NE | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| SAINT MARY'S SCHOLARSHIP FUND | NOTRE DAME, IN | $100,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND | DENVER, CO | $75,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| HOPE FOR FAMILIES CENTER | VERO BEACH, FL | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FOLDS OF HONOR | OWASSA, OK | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| RON JOHNSON SCHOLAR PROGRAM | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GYAC | VERO BEACH, FL | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| UNITED WAY OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| INDIAN RIVER FOOD BANK | VERO BEACH, FL | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| MALTA HOUSE OF GOOD COUNSEL | BALLSTON SPA, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TEACH FOR AMERICA | BOSTON, MA | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| KIPP FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| VIRGINIA ATHLETIC FOUNDATION | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $45,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE ELM PROJECT | STAMFORD, CT | $40,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| KIAWAH CARES FOUNDATION | KIAWAH ISLAND, SC | $35,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| SAINT IGNATIUS SCHOOL | BRONX, NY | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CORNELIA CONNOLY CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SOUNDWATERS | STAMFORD, CT | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| COVENANT HOUSE | TOPEKA, KS | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| BARRIER ISLAND FREE CLINIC | JOHNS ISLAND, SC | $30,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND | SMITHTOWN, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FIDELCO GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION | BLOOMFIELD, CT | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CITYLAX | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FORDHAM PREP | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FRIENDS OF FISHER HOUSE | CHARLESTON, SC | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BROOKLYN JESUIT PREP | BROOKLYN, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| STUDENT SPONSOR PARTNERS | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CRISTO REY HIGH SCHOOL | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAINT DOMINIC'S FAMILY SERVICES | BRONX, NY | $15,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TYKES AND TEENS | STURT, FL | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| ELIZABETH SETON CHILDREN CENTER | YONKERS, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| ENVIORMENTAL LEARNING CENTER | VERO BEACH, FL | $10,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE MADELEVA FUND | NOTRE DAME, IN | $6,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTIVE |
| GYAC YOUTH ORCHESTRA | VERO BEACH, FL | $5,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
AMERICAN RED CROSS
$500,000UNRESTRICTIVE
SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE
$250,000UNRESTRICTED
THURGOOD MARSHAL COLLEGE FUND
UNRESTRICTIVE
TUNNELS TO TOWERS FOUNDATION
$150,000UNRESTRICTED
CARE USA
$150,000UNRESTRICTIVE
KERR COUNTY FLOOD RELIEF FUND
$100,000UNRESTRICTIVE
GIVEWELL TOP CHARITIES FUND
$100,000UNRESTRICTIVE
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$100,000UNRESTRICTED
CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF NY
$100,000UNRESTRICTIVE
FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS TOWN
$100,000UNRESTRICTIVE
SAINT MARY'S SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$100,000UNRESTRICTIVE
RON JOHNSON SCHOLAR PROGRAM
$50,000UNRESTRICTED
GYAC
$50,000UNRESTRICTED
INDIAN RIVER FOOD BANK
$50,000UNRESTRICTIVE
MALTA HOUSE OF GOOD COUNSEL
$50,000UNRESTRICTED
TEACH FOR AMERICA
$50,000UNRESTRICTIVE
VIRGINIA ATHLETIC FOUNDATION
$45,000UNRESTRICTED
THE ELM PROJECT
$40,000UNRESTRICTIVE
KIAWAH CARES FOUNDATION
$35,000UNRESTRICTED
SAINT IGNATIUS SCHOOL
$30,000UNRESTRICTED
CORNELIA CONNOLY CENTER
$30,000UNRESTRICTED
SOUNDWATERS
$30,000UNRESTRICTED
COVENANT HOUSE
$30,000UNRESTRICTIVE
CITYLAX
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
FORDHAM PREP
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
FRIENDS OF FISHER HOUSE
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
STUDENT SPONSOR PARTNERS
$20,000UNRESTRICTED
ELIZABETH SETON CHILDREN CENTER
$10,000UNRESTRICTIVE
ENVIORMENTAL LEARNING CENTER
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE MADELEVA FUND
$6,000UNRESTRICTIVE
GYAC YOUTH ORCHESTRA
$5,000UNRESTRICTED