The Root Family Foundation focuses its giving on sustaining local community institutions in the Volusia/Flagler County area, with large unrestricted operational support. Its recent grants show a strong commitment to a major regional arts and science museum and to the local United Way, indicating an emphasis on core operating stability for civic cultural and community-service infrastructure.
Highly concentrated: very few, large operational grants to local institutions rather than many small awards. Funding appears place-based and directed to sustaining organizational operations.
Notable grantees: Museum of Arts & Sciences (Daytona Beach / Volusia County), United Way of Volusia‑Flagler
Root Family Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by a $500,000 operational grant to the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach, a signal that the foundation favors core support for local institutions rather than project-only funding. Across the latest grants, the pattern is clear: operating dollars flow to organizations that hold civic, cultural, and social-service roles in the Volusia-Flagler area and beyond. The foundation also backed United Way of VolusiaFlagler with two operational grants in 2024 and 2025, including a $162,500 award and a $25,000 award, showing repeat support for a regional community-service coordinator. The grant list shows a broad mix of nonprofits, but the recurring thread is unrestricted operational support. Recipients include museums, United Ways, humane and health organizations, shelters, and family-service groups. Within Florida, awards reach Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Port Orange, St. Petersburg, Miami, Cape Coral, West Palm Beach, Eustis, and other communities. The foundation’s giving is regional in scope, with most grants staying close to its Volusia/Flagler base while also extending to select organizations in other states.
Operational support is the dominant theme in the foundation’s giving. In cultural infrastructure, it gave $500,000 to Museum of Arts & Sciences for operational needs, indicating a focus on keeping a major regional museum functioning day to day. In community coordination, it supported United Way of VolusiaFlagler with operational grants of $162,500 in 2024 and $25,000 in 2025. The foundation also funds animal welfare, health, and family-service organizations. Examples include $12,000 to Halifax Humane Society for operational support and $7,000 to the American Heart Association for operational support. In family and safety services, it gave $6,000 to First Step Shelter for operational support and $25,000 to Voices for Children for operational support. Smaller operational grants also reached churches, aging services, and local pantry and brigade groups.
Typical grants are modest to mid-sized: the 25th percentile is $750, the median is $3,500, and the 75th percentile is $11,000. That distribution sits alongside a few much larger operational awards, including the $500,000 museum grant and the $162,500 award to United Way of VolusiaFlagler. The recent list also shows repeat support to some recipients across years, including United Way of VolusiaFlagler, La'akea Foundation, and Pawlicious Poochie Pet Rescue. The foundation is a private family foundation, makes no program-related investments, and gives through grantmaking rather than individual aid.
$884K
$8.3M
$669K
$919K
Most grants fall between $750 and $11K, with a median of $4K.
25th Percentile
$750
Median
$4K
75th Percentile
$11K
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Florida receives the bulk of the foundation’s grants, with 65% of awards going to recipients in the HQ state. The most common recipient locations include Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Port Orange, St. Petersburg, Miami, Cape Coral, and West Palm Beach. Outside Florida, the list reaches Honolulu and Paia in Hawaii, Twin Falls and Ketchum in Idaho, Terre Haute in Indiana, Davis in California, Portland in Oregon, Middleburg in Virginia, Dallas in Texas, and Columbia Falls in Maine. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
Its recent grants mostly fund operational needs for community institutions: a museum, a United Way, humane and health organizations, shelters, churches, aging services, and family-support groups. The largest award in the recent list was $500,000 for operational support to the Museum of Arts & Sciences.
Yes. United Way of VolusiaFlagler appears in both 2024 and 2025, La'akea Foundation appears in both years, and Pawlicious Poochie Pet Rescue also appears in both years. That pattern suggests some recurring support rather than only one-time awards.
The grant-size distribution is centered at relatively small awards: the 25th percentile is $750, the median is $3,500, and the 75th percentile is $11,000. Recent giving also includes larger outliers, such as $162,500 and $500,000.
Florida is the top state by grant count, and 65% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent Florida recipients include organizations in Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Port Orange, St. Petersburg, Miami, Cape Coral, West Palm Beach, and Eustis.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSEUM OF ARTS & SCIENCES | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $500,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| OCEARCH | CAPE CORAL, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| HEARTS FOR MOMS | WEST PALM BEACH, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| JAE FOUNDATION | TWIN FALLS, ID | $35,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| LA'AKEA FOUNDATION | PAIA, HI | $32,500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| UNITED WAY OF VOLUSIAFLAGLER | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| VOICES FOR CHILDREN | MIAMI, FL | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| VIGO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY | TERRE HAUTE, IN | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| ROWDY RODEO | HAIKU, HI | $25,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| ST THOMAS EPISCOPAL CHURCH | EUSTIS, FL | $20,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| HALIFAX HUMANE SOCIETY | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $12,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| CONKLIN DAVIS CENTER | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| FOXCROFT SCHOOL | MIDDLEBURG, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION | DALLAS, TX | $7,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| PAWLICIOUS POOCHIE PET RESCUE | ST PETERSBURG, FL | $7,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| FIRST STEP SHELTER | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $6,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA | COLUMBIA FALLS, ME | $6,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| VOLUSIA COUNTY BASKET BRIGADE | PORT ORANGE, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| ALOHA VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION | PUKALANI, HI | $5,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| ONCE UPON A ROOM - SUMMERLIN | BRADENTON, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| SMA HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $3,500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNCIL | APOPKA, FL | $3,500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| CATALYST GLOBAL YOUTH INITIATIVE | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $3,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| ROBERT L VOGES MEMORIAL | ORMOND BEACH, FL | $2,500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| PROVISION PACKS PANTRY | ORMOND BEACH, FL | $2,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| STEPHEN SILLER TUNNELS TO TOWERS FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $1,500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| PREGNANCY CRISIS CENTER | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| ADVOCATES FOR SURVIVORS | HOUSTON, TX | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| SEABURY HALL - MAUI HAWAII | MAKAWAO, HI | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| THE JESUS CLINIC | DAYTONA BEACH, FL | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| DAYTONA DREAM CENTER | ORMOND BEACH, FL | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| STETSON UNIVERSITY | DELAND, FL | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| K9 LINE INC | EDGEWATER, FL | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| REBOS CLUB OF NSB | EDGEWATER, FL | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| CAMP BOGGY CREEK | EUSTIS, FL | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| UPSTREAM | DAMARISCOTTA, ME | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| FLAGLER COUNTY EDUCATION DIRECT SUPPORT | BUNNELL, FL | $500 | 2025 | OPERATIONAL |
| United Way of VolusiaFlagler | Daytona Beach, FL | $162,500 | 2024 | Operational |
| JAE Foundation | Twin Falls, ID | $59,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| Hawaii Community Foundation | Honolulu, HI | $55,500 | 2024 | Operational |
| Veteran Point | Ormond Beach, FL | $25,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| La'akea Foundation | Paia, HI | $25,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| Project Hawaii | Keaau, HI | $15,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| Primally Playful Foundation | Davis, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| Pawlicious Poochie Pet Rescue | St Petersburg, FL | $12,500 | 2024 | Operational |
| Friends of the Children | Portland, OR | $10,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| The Sun Club Inc | Ketchum, ID | $10,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| Council on Aging | Daytona Beach, FL | $8,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| Provision Packs Pantry | Ormond Beach, FL | $6,000 | 2024 | Operational |
| Volusia County Basket Brigade | Port Orange, FL | $5,500 | 2024 | Operational |
MUSEUM OF ARTS & SCIENCES
$500,000OPERATIONAL
OCEARCH
$50,000OPERATIONAL
HEARTS FOR MOMS
$50,000OPERATIONAL
JAE FOUNDATION
$35,000OPERATIONAL
LA'AKEA FOUNDATION
$32,500OPERATIONAL
UNITED WAY OF VOLUSIAFLAGLER
$25,000OPERATIONAL
VOICES FOR CHILDREN
OPERATIONAL
ROWDY RODEO
$25,000OPERATIONAL
ST THOMAS EPISCOPAL CHURCH
$20,000OPERATIONAL
HALIFAX HUMANE SOCIETY
$12,000OPERATIONAL
CONKLIN DAVIS CENTER
$10,000OPERATIONAL
FIRST STEP SHELTER
$6,000OPERATIONAL
VOLUSIA COUNTY BASKET BRIGADE
$5,000OPERATIONAL
ALOHA VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION
$5,000OPERATIONAL
ONCE UPON A ROOM - SUMMERLIN
$5,000OPERATIONAL
SMA HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION
$3,500OPERATIONAL
CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNCIL
$3,500OPERATIONAL
CATALYST GLOBAL YOUTH INITIATIVE
$3,000OPERATIONAL
ROBERT L VOGES MEMORIAL
$2,500OPERATIONAL
PROVISION PACKS PANTRY
$2,000OPERATIONAL
PREGNANCY CRISIS CENTER
$1,000OPERATIONAL
ADVOCATES FOR SURVIVORS
$1,000OPERATIONAL
SEABURY HALL - MAUI HAWAII
$1,000OPERATIONAL
THE JESUS CLINIC
$500OPERATIONAL
DAYTONA DREAM CENTER
$500OPERATIONAL
K9 LINE INC
$500OPERATIONAL
REBOS CLUB OF NSB
$500OPERATIONAL
UPSTREAM
$500OPERATIONAL
FLAGLER COUNTY EDUCATION DIRECT SUPPORT
$500OPERATIONAL
United Way of VolusiaFlagler
$162,500Operational
JAE Foundation
$59,000Operational
Veteran Point
$25,000Operational
La'akea Foundation
$25,000Operational
Project Hawaii
$15,000Operational
Primally Playful Foundation
$15,000Operational
Friends of the Children
$10,000Operational
The Sun Club Inc
$10,000Operational
Provision Packs Pantry
$6,000Operational
Volusia County Basket Brigade
$5,500Operational