The Tanner Charitable Trust concentrates on large, strategic gifts that support cultural institutions and higher education, with a clear emphasis on Utah-based beneficiaries alongside a few prominent national universities. Major funding goes to performing arts (notably the Utah Symphony & Opera), university programs (University of Utah, Utah State, and Stanford), and a smaller but consistent commitment to civic nonprofits addressing children, homelessness, and land conservation. The foundation appears to favor multi‑year or repeat support for a small set of flagship organizations rather than many small, one‑off grants.
Concentrated giving: relatively few, large grants with repeated support to the same flagship grantees; primarily local/Utah focus with occasional high‑profile out‑of‑state donations.
Utah Symphony & Opera, Stanford University, Utah State University, University of Utah (Humanities), Shelter the Homeless
A single $615,000 grant to Utah Symphony and Opera captures the Tanner Charitable Trust’s pattern of large, targeted support for a small group of institutions. The trust gave another $500,000 to the same arts organization in 2024, alongside major gifts to Stanford University, Utah State University, and the University of Utah. That mix points to a funder that combines Utah-centered cultural support with selective higher-education giving, rather than broad-based community grantmaking. The trust’s recent grants also show a consistent civic and social-service thread. Utah recipients include Shelter the Homeless, The Children’s Center, Friends of the Children, One Refugee, and The Inn Between, while national or out-of-state beneficiaries such as The Nature Conservancy, Upwardly Global, and Ability Beyond Disability appear in the record as smaller but still meaningful awards. The foundation’s grant list suggests repeated support for certain organizations over time, especially in arts and education, with larger awards reserved for institutions that appear to play a central role in its giving. Overall, Tanner Charitable Trust funds arts, education, conservation, and selected civic organizations through concentrated grants rather than numerous small awards.
In the arts, the trust backed Utah Symphony and Opera with $615,000 in 2023 and $500,000 in 2024, and also supported Ballet West and Nova Chamber Music Series. Those gifts place performing arts among the clearest anchors in its recent record. Education is another major lane. The trust gave $500,000 to Stanford University in both 2023 and 2024, $280,000 to Utah State University in 2024, and $250,000 to University of Utah-humanities in 2023. It also supported University of Utah directly with $174,200 in 2024 and gave $100,000 to Tooele Technical College Foundation. Its civic and social-service grants include $250,000 to Shelter the Homeless, $250,000 to The Children’s Center, and $25,000 to One Refugee. Conservation appears as well through grants to The Nature Conservancy in 2023 and 2024.
Tanner Charitable Trust’s grant sizes cluster in a wide band: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $250,000. That spread fits a pattern of a few very large awards alongside many smaller ones. The recent list also shows repeat support across years for several recipients, including Utah Symphony and Opera, Stanford University, Utah State University, Success in Education Foundation, Upwardly Global, and The Nature Conservancy. The trust does not fund individuals and makes no program-related investments.
$2.1M
$3.2M
$231K
$2.1M
Most grants fall between $10K and $250K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$250K
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Giving is highly Utah-centered: 78% of grants go to recipients in Utah, and Utah is also the top state by grant count. Within the state, Salt Lake City appears repeatedly, along with Logan, West Valley City, Kearns, Tooele, Orem, Draper, Midvale, and American Fork. Outside Utah, the trust made grants to recipients in California, New York, Virginia, and Connecticut. All recent grants in the file went to U.S. recipients.
Recent grants center on arts, higher education, and civic organizations. The trust has supported Utah Symphony and Opera, Stanford University, Utah State University, Shelter the Homeless, The Children’s Center, and The Nature Conservancy.
The grant-size distribution is concentrated in larger awards: the 25th percentile is $10,000, the median is $50,000, and the 75th percentile is $250,000. Recent grants include both six-figure and smaller gifts.
Yes. Utah is the top state by grant count, and 78% of grants go to recipients in Utah. Salt Lake City appears often, along with Logan, West Valley City, Orem, Tooele, and other Utah communities.
Yes. The recent record shows repeat grants to Stanford University in 2023 and 2024, Utah Symphony and Opera in 2023 and 2024, Utah State University in 2023 and 2024, Success in Education Foundation in 2023 and 2024, Upwardly Global in 2023 and 2024, and The Nature Conservancy in 2023 and 2024.
No. The trust does not fund individuals and makes no program-related investments.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTAH SYMPHONY AND OPERA | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $1,500,000 | 2026 | ARTS |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $226,693 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| SUCCESS IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $125,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| TANNER LECTURES ON HUMAN VALUES | SALT LAKE, UT | $104,587 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $100,000 | 2026 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| GIFTED MUSIC SCHOOL | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $10,000 | 2026 | ARTS |
| NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | ALPHARETTA, GA | $7,500 | 2026 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| UTAH COALITION AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $5,000 | 2026 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| THE CHILDREN'S CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UT | $5,000 | 2026 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| SOUTH VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVEL FOUNDATION | SANDY, UT | $5,000 | 2026 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| SOMOS FOUNDATION | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $2,500 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UTAH SYMPHONY AND OPERA | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $500,000 | 2025 | ARTS |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $450,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| THE CHILDREN'S CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UT | $375,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY | LOGAN, UT | $250,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| SHELTER THE HOMELESS | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $250,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $200,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| FRIEND OF THE CHILDREN-UTAH | KEARNS, UT | $85,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| ONE REFUGEE | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $50,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| SUCCESS IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| GIFTED MUSIC SCHOOL | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $35,000 | 2025 | ARTS |
| UPWARDLY GLOBAL | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| TOOELE TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION | TOOELE, UT | $15,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UNITED WAY | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $10,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| VISUAL ARTS INSTITUTE | SOUTH SALT LAKE, UT | $10,000 | 2025 | ARTS |
| 90&9 | MIDVALE, UT | $5,000 | 2025 | ARTS |
| KIDS ON THE MOVE | OREM, UT | $5,000 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| THE NATIONAL TONGAN AMERICAN SOCIETY | MURRAY, UT | $1,500 | 2025 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $500,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| UTAH SYMPHONY AND OPERA | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $500,000 | 2024 | ARTS |
| UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY | LOGAN, UT | $280,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| THE CHILDREN'S CENTER | WEST VALLEY CITY, UT | $250,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $174,200 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| SUCCESS IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $125,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| TOOELE TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION | TOOELE, UT | $100,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $50,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| UPWARDLY GLOBAL | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| ONE REFUGEE | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $25,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| NOVA CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $20,000 | 2024 | ARTS |
| GIVING ANGELS | DRAPER, UT | $5,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| THE INN BETWEEN | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $5,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| ABILITY BEYOND DISABILITY | BETHEL, CT | $5,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| SOUND SUPPORT FOUNDATION | AMERICAN FORK, UT | $5,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| 90&9 | MIDVALE, UT | $5,000 | 2024 | ARTS |
| NAACP-UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $1,000 | 2024 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
| UTAH SYMPHONY AND OPERA | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $615,000 | 2023 | ARTS |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $500,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY | LOGAN, UT | $250,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION |
| SHELTER THE HOMELESS | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $250,000 | 2023 | CIVIC ORGANIZATION |
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$226,693EDUCATION
TANNER LECTURES ON HUMAN VALUES
$104,587EDUCATION
GIFTED MUSIC SCHOOL
$10,000ARTS
NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
$7,500CIVIC ORGANIZATION
UTAH COALITION AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY
$5,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
THE CHILDREN'S CENTER
$5,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
SOUTH VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVEL FOUNDATION
$5,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
SOMOS FOUNDATION
$2,500EDUCATION
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$1,000,000EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$450,000EDUCATION
THE CHILDREN'S CENTER
$375,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
$250,000EDUCATION
SHELTER THE HOMELESS
$250,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
FRIEND OF THE CHILDREN-UTAH
$85,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
ONE REFUGEE
$50,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
GIFTED MUSIC SCHOOL
$35,000ARTS
TOOELE TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$15,000EDUCATION
UNITED WAY
$10,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
VISUAL ARTS INSTITUTE
$10,000ARTS
90&9
$5,000ARTS
THE NATIONAL TONGAN AMERICAN SOCIETY
$1,500CIVIC ORGANIZATION
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$500,000EDUCATION
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
$280,000EDUCATION
THE CHILDREN'S CENTER
$250,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$174,200EDUCATION
TOOELE TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$100,000EDUCATION
ONE REFUGEE
$25,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
NOVA CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
$20,000ARTS
GIVING ANGELS
$5,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
ABILITY BEYOND DISABILITY
$5,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
SOUND SUPPORT FOUNDATION
$5,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
90&9
$5,000ARTS
NAACP-UTAH
$1,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$500,000EDUCATION
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
$250,000EDUCATION
SHELTER THE HOMELESS
$250,000CIVIC ORGANIZATION