The Carol H and Kevin W Sharer Education Foundation concentrates its giving almost exclusively on higher-education tuition support, funding public and private universities and colleges across the U.S. Grants are targeted toward student scholarships and tuition relief rather than programmatic operating support, with repeated multi-grant relationships at a small set of institutions. Their profile suggests a priority on enabling access to undergraduate and professional education through direct financial aid.
Concentrated, relatively large tuition-focused grants to a small number of repeat higher-education grantees nationwide rather than many small or diversified charitable causes.
The Carol H and Kevin W Sharer Education Foundation directs nearly all of its recent grantmaking to tuition support, with a pattern of large awards to a small set of colleges and university foundations. The biggest recent grants were two $273,000 awards tied to the University of California Berkeley Foundation and the University of California for education tuition support, alongside repeated support for Santa Monica College Foundation at the $230,400 level in both 2023 and 2024. That repeated structure points to a funder that favors direct student aid over broad program funding. The foundation’s recent grants also show sustained relationships with institutions that serve different stages of higher education. It gave $169,400 to the University of Colorado Foundation in 2024, and $120,000 to the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce Foundation for tuition support. Smaller awards extend the same pattern into school-based support and teacher preparation, including grants to Conservatory Lab Foundation and Colorado Mountain College. Across the record provided, the foundation’s giving is entirely domestic and centered on education access through institutional tuition relief.
Tuition support is the clearest thread in the foundation’s recent giving. It awarded $265,000 to University of California Berkeley Foundation for tuition support for education, showing a large commitment to student aid at a research university. Community college access appears as another recurring lane. The foundation gave $172,000 to Santa Monica College Foundation for tuition support for education, and the same institution also received $230,400 in both 2023 and 2024. Professional education is also part of the portfolio. A $120,000 grant to University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce Foundation was designated for tuition support for education, linking the foundation to business-school scholarships. Teacher preparation and school support show up at smaller amounts. Colorado Mountain College received $25,000 for a teacher education program, while Conservatory Lab Foundation received $25,000 for donation to school.
Grant sizes cluster around mid-sized tuition awards rather than very small operating grants. The typical range is $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $144,700 at the median, and $230,400 at the 75th percentile. The recent record also includes repeated awards to the same institutions across 2023 and 2024, especially Santa Monica College Foundation and University of Colorado Foundation, which suggests ongoing institutional relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation makes grants as a private education funder and also funds individuals, with no program-related investments recorded.
$806K
$19.9M
$2.4M
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $25K and $230K, with a median of $145K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$145K
75th Percentile
$230K
About 36% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: Santa Monica College Foundation, University of California, Berkeley Foundation, University of Colorado Foundation, University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce Foundation, University of California (system)
Grant recipients are all in the United States. California is the top state by grant count, reflecting repeated awards to Berkeley and Santa Monica. Colorado is also prominent through grants in Denver and Glenwood Springs, and Virginia appears through Charlottesville. Massachusetts shows up with Dorchester-based Conservatory Lab Foundation. The recipient city pattern is concentrated in a handful of education hubs rather than spread broadly across many regions.
Its recent grants center on tuition support for education, especially at universities, community colleges, and business-school programs. The record also includes a teacher education program grant and a donation to a school, showing some support beyond tuition relief, but student aid is the dominant pattern.
Yes. Santa Monica College Foundation received $230,400 in both 2023 and 2024, and University of Colorado Foundation received $82,200 in 2023 and $169,400 in 2024. That pattern indicates multi-year institutional relationships rather than isolated awards.
The grant-size distribution is $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $144,700 at the median, and $230,400 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $10,000 to $273,000, with several grants clustered around tuition-support amounts in the six-figure range.
Recipients include university foundations, college foundations, and school-related organizations. The data also classifies the foundation as funding individuals, which aligns with its tuition-support focus for students and education participants.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SANTA MONICA COLLEGE FOUNDATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $400,600 | 2026 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION | BERKELEY, CA | $367,240 | 2026 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| EL CAMINO COLLEGE FOUNDATION | TORRENCE, CA | $115,200 | 2026 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE FOUNDATION | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $25,000 | 2026 | TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| SANTA MONICA COLLEGE FOUNDATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $345,600 | 2025 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION | BERKELEY, CA | $287,240 | 2025 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| CONSERVATORY LAB FOUNDATION | DORCHESTER, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | DONATION TO SCHOOL |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION | BERKELEY, CA | $273,000 | 2024 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| University of California Berkeley Foundation | Berkeley, CA | $265,000 | 2024 | Tuition support for Education |
| SANTA MONICA COLLEGE FOUNDATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $230,400 | 2024 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| Santa Monica College Foundation | Santa Monica, CA | $172,000 | 2024 | Tuition support for Education |
| University of Colorado Foundation | Denver, CO | $169,400 | 2024 | Tuition support for Education |
| UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA MCINTIRE SCHOOL OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $120,000 | 2024 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $25,000 | 2024 | TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| CONSERVATORY LAB FOUNDATION | DORCHESTER, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | DONATION TO SCHOOL |
| Colorado Mountain College Foundation | Glenwood Springs, CO | $10,000 | 2024 | Tuition support for Education |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA | BERKELEY, CA | $273,000 | 2023 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| SANTA MONICA COLLEGE FOUNDATION | SANTA MONICA, CA | $230,400 | 2023 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION | DENVER, CO | $82,200 | 2023 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
| CONSERVATORY LAB FOUNDATION | DORCHESTER, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | DONATION TO SCHOOL |
| COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO | $10,000 | 2023 | TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION |
SANTA MONICA COLLEGE FOUNDATION
$345,600TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION
COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
$25,000TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
CONSERVATORY LAB FOUNDATION
$25,000DONATION TO SCHOOL
TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION
CONSERVATORY LAB FOUNDATION
$25,000DONATION TO SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
$273,000TUITION SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION
CONSERVATORY LAB FOUNDATION
$10,000DONATION TO SCHOOL