Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation
ActiveMutual & Membership BenefitFunds Individuals
BOSTON, MAWebsite
About Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation
The Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation focuses almost exclusively on strengthening local philanthropic infrastructure by providing large, unrestricted operating support to community foundations across the United States. Their grants fund regional community foundations (often as multi-grant relationships), suggesting a strategy of enabling place-based grantmaking and flexible community response rather than project-specific funding. The foundation concentrates on a small number of sizable gifts rather than many small awards.
Focus Areas
Unrestricted operating support for regional community foundationsCapacity-building for place-based philanthropy (home/community grantmaking)Support for community foundations in Sun Belt and Northeast regions
Who They Fund
underserved and marginalized urban communities (e.g., Greater Newark)children and adolescents (including afterschool program participants)youth aging out of foster care / vulnerable youthjustice-involved individualsHispanic-Latinx communities
About Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation
The Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation makes large, recurring operating grants to community foundations, with the biggest awards in the recent record going to Community Foundation of Broward, Santa Fe Community Foundation, North Carolina Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties Inc, and Community Foundation of New Jersey. That pattern points to a funder that prefers to strengthen local grantmaking institutions rather than finance isolated projects. Its recent grants also show a clear interest in behavioral health and recovery services, including support for organizations working with youth, families, and people facing homelessness, foster-care transitions, and crisis needs. The foundation’s giving is concentrated among a relatively small number of recipients, and several organizations appear more than once across the recent grants list. Community foundations receive the largest checks, often as general operating support, while smaller awards go to direct-service nonprofits working in mental health, disaster response, and youth transition services. Grants also reach organizations serving underserved communities in places such as Greater Newark, Buffalo, Santa Fe, and Palm Beach County. The record includes support for both planning and expansion, suggesting a mix of institutional strengthening and program growth.
What Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation Funds
Community foundation support is the backbone of this funder’s portfolio. In 2025, it gave $525,000 to Community Foundation of Broward for general operating support, and it also made $520,000 to Santa Fe Community Foundation for general operating support. Behavioral health is another visible thread. The foundation awarded $50,000 to Youth Development Clinic in Newark for expanding access to mental health services for underserved and marginalized residents in Greater Newark, and it gave $50,000 to Crisis Center of Northern New Mexico for behavioral health support. Youth and transition services appear as well. Flite Center received $50,000 for helping youth aging out of foster care move toward independence through housing, education, employment, and system-of-care coordination. In Maine, Bangor Region YMCA received $50,000 to build capacity for mental wellness equity among children through planning and phased program expansion.
How Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.4M
Total Assets
$80.8M
Total Revenue
$5.8M
Total Expenses
$5.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $50K and $280K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$280K
Geographic Reach
National10 states funded
About 0% of grants go to recipients in FL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Celia Lipton Farris and Victor W Farris Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 144 | $14.8M | 94.7% |
| 2 |
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