About Points of Light Foundation
At Points of Light, we inspire, equip and connect nonprofits/NGOs, businesses and individuals ready to apply their time, talent, voice and resources to solve society’s greatest challenges.
Focus Areas
Volunteer engagementCivic engagement researchNonprofit capacity (Service Enterprise)Corporate social responsibility and employee volunteeringRecognition and awards for volunteers
Who They Fund
local neighborhoods/residentscommunity-based organizations (CBOs)municipal or neighborhood associations
Funding Style
project-based grantsshort-term/community project funding
About Points of Light Foundation
Points of Light Foundation’s recent giving is centered on community improvement projects, with large awards flowing to local organizations, public agencies, and neighborhood-based initiatives across the United States. The biggest recent grant in the data is $500,000 to Central Alabama Community Foundation for a community improvement project, and another major award went to Veterans Community Project in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the same purpose. The pattern shows a funder that uses sizable project grants to support place-based work rather than individual giving. Across the recent grants list, the foundation backs a wide mix of recipients, including The Community Builders Inc in Boston and The City of Pontiac’s Ruth Peterson Senior Center in Michigan. Its grantmaking also reaches schools, police activities leagues, housing organizations, and faith-based service groups, which suggests a practical emphasis on local implementation and civic benefit. The organization’s stated work in volunteer engagement, civic engagement, nonprofit capacity, and employee volunteering aligns with that grant pattern. Grants are national in scope, but the recent portfolio remains overwhelmingly domestic, with all listed recipients in the United States.
What Points of Light Foundation Funds
Community improvement is the clearest throughline in the recent grants data. Points of Light Foundation gave $325,000 to Town of North Wilkesboro for a community improvement project, and $260,000 to Charlotte Urban Design Center (city of Charlotte) for the same category. Those awards point to support for local public-facing projects rather than broad operating support. The foundation also funds housing and shelter-related work. It gave $230,000 to Status Home (formerly Jerusalem House) in Atlanta for a community improvement project, and $210,000 to Insight Housing in Berkeley for the same purpose. Youth and family-serving organizations appear as well, including $220,000 to Girls Incorporated of Greater Indianapolis and $200,000 to Mackida Loveal & Trip Mentoring Outreach Center Inc, both tied to community improvement projects. Civic engagement runs through the broader program list, including the Points of Light Civic Accelerator and the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards.
How Points of Light Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10M
Total Assets
$20.1M
Total Revenue
$29.5M
Total Expenses
$29.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $45K and $125K, with a median of $90K.
25th Percentile
$45K
Median
$90K
75th Percentile
$125K
Geographic Reach
National50 states funded
About 2% of grants go to recipients in NC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
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