Protect the Groms focuses on improving outdoor safety and youth development in San Diego-area communities, with a strong emphasis on sun-protection infrastructure and programmatic sun-safety education for children and teens. The foundation frequently funds K–12 schools and youth-serving organizations—especially programs that combine outdoor activity with sun-safety messaging for underserved populations. Grants tend to support concrete, site-based needs (shade structures) as well as experiential programs that reach large numbers of young people.
Protect the Groms’ grantmaking is defined by shade infrastructure and sun-safety programming for youth, especially in San Diego-area communities. One of its larger recent grants went to Outdoor Outreach, where $50,000 supported adventure-based summer programming for more than 500 youth from San Diego’s most under-resourced communities and paired that work with sun-safety education. Another major grant, $47,750 to The Classical Academy, funded a shade structure, underscoring the foundation’s interest in site-based outdoor safety improvements at schools. The foundation also backs youth-serving organizations that blend outdoor activity with prevention education. In 2025, it gave $33,000 to Skate Like a Girl for summer camp programs serving 40 underserved youth and 280 adult participants, with an emphasis on positive youth development and sun safety practices. Recent grants also show repeated support for school and youth-service infrastructure projects, including shade structures for K–12 campuses and community organizations. The pattern points to direct, practical funding that supports outdoor participation while reducing exposure risks for children and teens.
A central theme is sun protection in school and camp settings. Protect the Groms gave $43,475 to NC Education Foundation for a shade structure, and $22,440 to Girl Scouts San Diego for the same purpose, showing continued support for built-environment fixes that make outdoor time safer. The foundation also funds youth development through outdoor programming. It awarded $50,000 to Outdoor Outreach to engage 500+ youth in adventure-based summer programming that serves as a catalyst for sun-safety education. Action sports and summer camp programming appear as another recurring interest. A $33,000 grant to Skate Like a Girl supported summer camp programs for underserved youth and adult participants while teaching sun safety practices. Smaller grants to City Surf Project Inc and Boys and Girls Club Vista fit the same pattern of youth-centered outdoor participation tied to safety and retention.
Protect the Groms makes mid-sized grants, with recent awards clustered around a $13,316 25th percentile, $33,000 median, and $46,375 75th percentile. The distribution includes both larger infrastructure grants and smaller site-specific awards, such as shade structures for schools and youth organizations. The foundation appears to fund on a repeated, programmatic basis rather than through one-off themes alone: shade structures recur across multiple years, and youth programming grants also show up in more than one cycle. It is classified as a Regular Funder and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$0
$211K
$140K
$2K
Most grants fall between $13K and $46K, with a median of $33K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$33K
75th Percentile
$46K
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A small number of moderately large, targeted grants (many in the $20k–$60k range) concentrated locally; repeated emphasis on single-purpose capital projects (shade structures) and a handful of program grants to established youth organizations rather than many tiny awards.
Notable grantees: OUTDOOR OUTREACH, Aspen View Academy, Skate Like a Girl, Girl Scouts San Diego, NC Education Foundation
Grantmaking is concentrated in California, which accounts for 73% of grants and is also the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients include San Diego, Escondido, Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside, and San Francisco, showing a strong tilt toward San Diego-area communities with some broader in-state support. The foundation also funded recipients outside California, including Castle Rock, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Edison, New Jersey. All recent grants in the data went to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants focus on shade structures and outdoor youth programming tied to sun safety. Multiple awards supported school and youth-site shade structures, while others funded adventure-based summer programs, skateboarding camps, and related education for children and teens.
Recent grant sizes center around a $13,316 25th percentile, $33,000 median, and $46,375 75th percentile. The recent list also includes both larger infrastructure grants and smaller awards in the same general range.
California is the top state by grant count, with 73% of grants going to recipients in CA. Recent California cities in the grant list include San Diego, Escondido, Carlsbad, Vista, Oceanside, and San Francisco.
Yes. The recent grants include direct support for outdoor and summer programming, such as funding adventure-based youth programming and skate camp activities, alongside separate awards for shade structures at schools and youth-serving sites.
No. While most grants go to California, the recent list also includes recipients in Castle Rock, Colorado; Seattle, Washington; and Edison, New Jersey, showing some geographic spread beyond the foundation’s main giving area.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspen View Academy | Castle Rock, CO | $60,000 | 2025 | Shade Structure |
| Skate Like a Girl | Seattle, WA | $33,000 | 2025 | To support summer camp programs benefiting 40 underserved youth and 280 adult participants focusing on promoting positive youth development and providing education on sun safety practices. |
| Boys and Girls Club Vista | Vista, CA | $12,000 | 2025 | Shade Structure |
| City Surf Project Inc | San Francisco, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | Shade Structure |
| NC EDUCATION FOUNDATION | VISTA, CA | $43,475 | 2024 | SHADE STRUCTURE |
| GIRL SCOUTS SAN DIEGO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $22,440 | 2024 | SHADE STRUCTURE |
| LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | EDISON, NJ | $14,633 | 2024 | SHADE STRUCTURE |
| WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER | OCEANSIDE, CA | $9,980 | 2024 | SHADE STRUCTURE |
| OUTDOOR OUTREACH | SAN DIEGO, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | ENGAGE 500+ YOUTH FROM SAN DIEGO'S MOST UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES IN ADVENTURE-BASED SUMMER PROGRAMMING THAT ENCOURAGES POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND SERVES AS A CATALYST FOR SUN SAFETY EDUCATION. |
| THE CLASSICAL ACADEMY | ESCONDIDO, CA | $47,750 | 2023 | SHADE STRUCTURE |
| HOPE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | CARLSBAD, CA | $45,000 | 2023 | SHADE STRUCTURE |
Aspen View Academy
$60,000Shade Structure
Skate Like a Girl
$33,000To support summer camp programs benefiting 40 underserved youth and 280 adult participants focusing on promoting positive youth development and providing education on sun safety practices.
NC EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$43,475SHADE STRUCTURE
SHADE STRUCTURE
LINCOLN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
$14,633SHADE STRUCTURE
ENGAGE 500+ YOUTH FROM SAN DIEGO'S MOST UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES IN ADVENTURE-BASED SUMMER PROGRAMMING THAT ENCOURAGES POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND SERVES AS A CATALYST FOR SUN SAFETY EDUCATION.
HOPE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
$45,000SHADE STRUCTURE