The Cairn Foundation appears to prioritize large-scale support for national park conservation and protected lands. Its sole recorded grant is a seven-figure award to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation for nature support, indicating interest in land stewardship, park infrastructure, and visitor/nature programming. The foundation gives in a targeted, high-impact way rather than spreading small gifts across many organizations.
A single seven-figure grant to Grand Teton National Park Foundation for “support nature” defines The Cairn Foundation Inc’s recent giving. That award, combined with repeated support for protected lands and park-related programs, points to a funder that concentrates on conservation, stewardship, and recreation access rather than broad, dispersed philanthropy. The foundation’s pattern includes grants for nature conservation programs, outdoor recreation opportunities, adaptive sports, music exploration, international travel bursaries, and kindness camps, showing a mix of environmental and community-focused interests. The Cairn Foundation Inc also gives across multiple years to some of the same organizations, which suggests an ongoing relationship model rather than one-off project support. Coombs Outdoors received grants in both 2024 and 2025 for outdoor recreation opportunities, while The Nature Conservancy in Indiana appeared in three separate grant years for nature conservation programs. Teton Adaptive Sports Inc also received repeated support for sports opportunities for disabled participants. The scale ranges from large institutional funding to smaller program grants, with several awards clustered in the $15,000 to $50,000 range alongside the flagship million-dollar grant.
Environmental funding is the foundation’s clearest theme. In 2025, it gave $35,000 to The Nature Conservancy in Indiana for support nature conservation programs, and it backed Acres Land Trust with $50,000 in 2024 for Greenhurst Commons funding. The largest recorded grant, $1,000,000 to Grand Teton National Park Foundation, was also tied to nature support. Outdoor access and recreation appear alongside conservation. Coombs Outdoors received $40,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for outdoor recreation opportunities, while Teton Adaptive Sports Inc received $15,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for sports opportunities for disabled participants. The foundation also funded community-based enrichment: Believe in a Dream received $40,000 in 2024 and $30,000 in 2023 for exploration of music, and Sam’s Wish Inc received $8,000 in 2023 and 2024 for kindness camp.
The Cairn Foundation Inc’s typical grant size is $15,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $40,000 at the 75th percentile, though its recent activity includes a $1,000,000 award. The record shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, including Coombs Outdoors, The Nature Conservancy in Indiana, Teton Adaptive Sports Inc, Friends of the University of Surrey, and Sam’s Wish Inc. That pattern suggests ongoing support rather than isolated gifts. The foundation is not reported to fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$1.1M
$1.5M
$189K
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $15K and $40K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$40K
About 35% of grants go to recipients in WY.
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Concentrated, single large grant(s) to an environmental conservation partner — appears to favor one high-impact award rather than many small or distributed grants.
Notable grantees: Grand Teton National Park Foundation
The foundation gives most often in Wyoming, which accounts for the top share of its grant count, and 35% of grants went to recipients in Indiana, the headquarters state. Recipient locations in the recent grants list include Moose, WY; Jackson, WY; Teton Village, WY; Auburn, IN; Huntertown, IN; Fort Wayne, IN; Carmel, IN; and New York, NY. All recorded grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants point to nature conservation, protected lands, outdoor recreation opportunities, adaptive sports for disabled participants, music exploration, international travel bursaries, and kindness camps. The largest award supported Grand Teton National Park Foundation for nature work, and several other grants supported conservation and access-related programming.
Yes. The record shows multiple-year support for several recipients: Coombs Outdoors in 2024 and 2025, The Nature Conservancy in Indiana in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Teton Adaptive Sports Inc in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Friends of the University of Surrey in 2023 and 2024, and Sam’s Wish Inc in 2023 and 2024.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution centers at $15,000 for the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $40,000 at the 75th percentile. Most named awards fall within that range, even though the dataset also includes a $1,000,000 grant.
Wyoming is the top state by grant count. Indiana is also significant, with 35% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. The recent grants list includes recipient cities in both states, such as Moose, Jackson, and Teton Village in Wyoming, and Auburn, Huntertown, Fort Wayne, and Carmel in Indiana.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and the record shows grants going to organizations such as Grand Teton National Park Foundation, The Nature Conservancy in Indiana, Teton Adaptive Sports Inc, and Sam’s Wish Inc.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATIO | MOOSE, WY | $1,000,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT NATURE |
| COOMBS OUTDOORS | JACKSON, WY | $40,000 | 2025 | OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN INDIANA | ARLINGTON, VA | $35,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS |
| TETON ADAPTIVE SPORTS INC | TETON VILLAGE, WY | $15,000 | 2025 | SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED |
| ACRES LAND TRUST | HUNTERTOWN, IN | $50,000 | 2024 | GREENHURST COMMONS FUNDING |
| COOMBS OUTDOORS | JACKSON, WY | $40,000 | 2024 | OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES |
| BELIEVE IN A DREAM | FORT WAYNE, IN | $40,000 | 2024 | EXPLORATION OF MUSIC |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN INDIANA | ARLINGTON, VA | $25,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS |
| TETON ADAPTIVE SPORTS INC | TETON VILLAGE, WY | $15,000 | 2024 | SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED |
| FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SURREY | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT INT'L TRAVEL BURSARIES |
| SAM'S WISH INC | CARMEL, IN | $8,000 | 2024 | KINDNESS CAMP |
| DEKALB CENTRAL FOUNDATION | AUBURN, IN | $50,000 | 2023 | UNDERWRITE WEIGHT ROOM |
| BELIEVE IN A DREAM | FORT WAYNE, IN | $30,000 | 2023 | EXPLORATION OF MUSIC |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN INDIANA | ARLINGTON, VA | $25,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS |
| FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SURREY | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT INT'L TRAVEL BURSARIES |
| TETON ADAPTIVE SPORTS INC | TETON VILLAGE, WY | $15,000 | 2023 | SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED |
| SAM'S WISH INC | CARMEL, IN | $8,000 | 2023 | KINDNESS CAMP |
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATIO
$1,000,000SUPPORT NATURE
COOMBS OUTDOORS
$40,000OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN INDIANA
$35,000SUPPORT NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
TETON ADAPTIVE SPORTS INC
$15,000SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED
ACRES LAND TRUST
$50,000GREENHURST COMMONS FUNDING
COOMBS OUTDOORS
$40,000OUTDOOR RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES
BELIEVE IN A DREAM
$40,000EXPLORATION OF MUSIC
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN INDIANA
$25,000SUPPORT NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
TETON ADAPTIVE SPORTS INC
$15,000SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED
FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SURREY
$15,000SUPPORT INT'L TRAVEL BURSARIES
SAM'S WISH INC
$8,000KINDNESS CAMP
DEKALB CENTRAL FOUNDATION
$50,000UNDERWRITE WEIGHT ROOM
BELIEVE IN A DREAM
$30,000EXPLORATION OF MUSIC
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IN INDIANA
$25,000SUPPORT NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS
FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SURREY
$15,000SUPPORT INT'L TRAVEL BURSARIES
TETON ADAPTIVE SPORTS INC
$15,000SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED
SAM'S WISH INC
$8,000KINDNESS CAMP