About Pharos Foundation
Pharos Foundation directs large, strategic gifts to public policy and education-advocacy organizations rather than many small charities. Their three grants indicate a focus on influencing policy and system-level change—supporting a national conservative policy think tank, a major education reform funder, and a state-level policy group. Grants are unrestricted/GENERAL CHARITABLE SUPPORT, suggesting flexibility to fund broad advocacy and operations.
Focus Areas
National conservative public policy and research (think tanks)Education system change and school-reform fundingState-level policy advocacy (e.g., Arizona education policy)
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated giving: very large, few grants focused on advocacy and policy organizations; favors big, unrestricted awards to a small set of influential grantees rather than broad, distributed giving.
Funding Style
unrestricted/general operating supportundesignated/general charitable supportflexible core support
Notable grantees: Heritage Foundation, City Fund, Arizona LEADS
About Pharos Foundation
Pharos Foundation pairs large checks with a narrow mission: using education policy and system change to improve outcomes for at-risk and underserved students from pre-K through graduation. Its recent grants include a $2,000,000 general charitable support award to City Fund in Beaverton, Oregon, and a $1,500,680 gift to Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, showing a preference for organizations working at the policy and systems level. The foundation also backed Arizona Leads with $500,000 and Phoenix Union High School Dist 210 with $455,000, both in 2023, reinforcing a strong Arizona presence alongside national grantmaking. Its active grant programs emphasize innovative thinking, scalable models, and policy changes rather than narrow project support. Recent recipients range from national policy organizations such as The Heritage Foundation and Hoover Institution to education-focused groups including KIPP New Jersey, Vela Education Fund, and All in Education. Grants are described as general charitable support, giving the foundation flexibility to support operations and broad advocacy aligned with its mission.
What Pharos Foundation Funds
Education policy reform is central to the foundation’s giving. It awarded $400,000 to Northern Arizona University Foundat in 2025 and $455,000 to Phoenix Union High School Dist 210 in 2023, both under general charitable support. The grant list also shows support for school-choice and alternative education models through KIPP New Jersey, which received $250,000 in 2023. Beyond direct education providers, Pharos Foundation backs policy and research groups that shape the education landscape, including a 2025 grant to Common Sense Institute for $50,000. These awards fit the stated goal of supporting innovative thinking and systemic change for at-risk and underserved students.
How Pharos Foundation Gives
Pharos Foundation’s typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $143,750 at the 75th percentile, which points to a mix of smaller awards and a smaller number of much larger commitments. The funder is a regular grantmaker rather than a DAF and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its recent grants are mostly unrestricted general charitable support, which suggests flexible core funding. The same organizations can appear more than once: All in Education and Hoover Institution each received multiple awards, and Grand Teton Music Festival and Children's Learning Center also show repeat support across years.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.2M
Total Assets
$31.6M
Total Revenue
$121K
Total Expenses
$2.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $144K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$144K
Geographic Reach
National13 states funded
About 13% of grants go to recipients in AZ.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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