The Helena Foundation makes a small number of very large, locally focused grants—primarily unrestricted operating support to other foundations and meaningful capital or operating gifts to prominent Annapolis institutions. Its funding emphasizes health care infrastructure in Anne Arundel County and civic/cultural preservation in Annapolis, while channeling substantial resources through a few partner foundations that likely fund or incubate local initiatives.
Highly concentrated: very few, large grants dominated by three equal-size operating grants to other foundations, plus mid-size gifts to prominent local healthcare and historic preservation organizations; appears targeted to local impact rather than broad diversification.
The Helena Foundation Inc. makes unusually large operating grants to a small set of partner foundations, with three 2024 gifts of $1,330,140 each to The Dovana Foundation Inc, The Blue Waters Foundation Inc, and The Mhe Foundationinc. That pattern points to a funding approach centered on infrastructure and delegated philanthropy rather than many small awards. Alongside those foundation grants, the record shows sizable support for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County institutions, including a $507,192 capital grant to Anne Arundel Medical Center and a $318,014 operating grant to Historic Annapolis. The foundation also backs conservation and civic organizations tied to the Chesapeake region, such as Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Conservacy, Scenic Rivers Land Trust, and Watershed Stewards Academy. Its grant list includes operating, capital, endowment, and combined operating-and-endowment support, which suggests a flexible toolkit used to strengthen organizations at different stages of need. The overall pattern is concentrated, place-based, and anchored in a few repeat institutional relationships.
Health care infrastructure appears as one of the clearest themes in the grant record. In 2023, The Helena Foundation Inc. gave $507,192 to Anne Arundel Medical Center for capital support, indicating interest in facility development. Cultural and civic preservation is another strand: the foundation awarded $318,014 to Historic Annapolis for operating support, $62,973 to Annapolis Opera, and $35,000 to Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, all in Annapolis. Conservation and environmental work also show up through recurring support to Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Conservacy, Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Watershed Stewards Academy, and a $25,000 grant to Severn River Association. The foundation also backed the Land Trust Alliance with $8,000 for conservation defense clearinghouse work, tying its giving to conservation capacity and legal-defense infrastructure.
The Helena Foundation Inc. gives at a high dollar range: the p25 grant size is $15,000, the median is $42,751, and the p75 is $204,078. The pattern is highly concentrated, with a handful of very large operating grants and a smaller cluster of mid-sized awards. Recipients appear across 2023 and 2024, showing some continuity in grantmaking rather than a single-year burst. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its grant record shows a mix of operating, capital, endowment, and combined operating-and-endowment support.
$4M
$0
$3K
$4M
Most grants fall between $15K and $204K, with a median of $43K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$43K
75th Percentile
$204K
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Notable grantees: THE DOVANA FOUNDATION INC, THE MHE FOUNDATIONINC, THE BLUE WATERS FOUNDATION INC, ANNE ARUNDEL MEDICAL CENTER, HISTORIC ANNAPOLIS
Grantmaking is regional and heavily centered in Maryland. Recipients in Annapolis appear frequently, including Historic Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Conservacy, Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Annapolis Opera, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and Hammond-harwood House. Baltimore also appears through Anne Arundel Medical Center’s in-state peer institutions like Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Univ of MD at Baltimore. Outside Maryland, grants in the recent list went to Malibu, Cambridge, Boston, Omaha, Orlando, Norwood, Washington, DC, and Davidsonville. California is the top state by grant count, while 76% of grants went to recipients in Maryland.
The recent record centers on foundations, health care, cultural institutions, and conservation organizations. Named recipients include The Dovana Foundation Inc, Anne Arundel Medical Center, Historic Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Land Trust Alliance, with support types ranging from operating to capital and endowment grants.
Yes. Maryland recipients received 76% of the grants in the recent record. Annapolis is especially prominent, and Baltimore also appears among the Maryland grantee locations.
The grant-size distribution is $15,000 at the 25th percentile, $42,751 at the median, and $204,078 at the 75th percentile. The recent record also includes several grants above $1.3 million and a cluster of awards in the tens or low hundreds of thousands.
Yes. The recent grants include operating support, capital grants, endowment support, and combined operating-and-endowment awards. Examples in the record span all four forms.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BLUE WATERS FOUNDATION INC | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $1,330,140 | 2024 | OPERATING |
| THE MHE FOUNDATIONINC | EDGEWATER, MD | $1,330,140 | 2024 | OPERATING |
| THE DOVANA FOUNDATION INC | MALIBU, CA | $1,330,140 | 2024 | OPERATING |
| ANNE ARUNDEL MEDICAL CENTER | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $507,192 | 2023 | CAPITAL |
| HISTORIC ANNAPOLIS | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $318,014 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| WHEELOCK COLLEGE | BOSTON, MA | $261,211 | 2023 | OPERATING & ENDOWMENT |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $251,425 | 2023 | CAPITAL |
| CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $205,579 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| ENOCH PRATT FREE LIBRARY | BALTIMORE, MD | $204,078 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| CHESAPEAKE CONSERVACY | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $203,895 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| SCENIC RIVERS LAND TRUST | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $144,956 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| WATERSHED STEWARDS ACADEMY | MILLERSVILLE, MD | $124,536 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| THE EARL FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND | ORLANDO, FL | $100,757 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| UNIV OF MD AT BALTIMORE | BALTIMORE, MD | $84,167 | 2023 | OPERATING, CAPITAL & ENDOWMENT |
| ANNAPOLIS OPERA | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $62,973 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| FOREVER MARYLAND | FOREST HILL, MD | $43,658 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA | OMAHA, NE | $42,751 | 2023 | OPERATING & ENDOWMENT |
| ANNAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $35,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| SEVERN RIVER ASSOCIATION | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $25,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| FOUNDRY GALLERY | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| HAMMOND-HARWOOD HOUSE | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $25,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| CHESAPEAKE ARTS CENTER | BROOKLYN PARK, MD | $20,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| ARTS COUNCIL OF ANNE ARUNDEL CNTY | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $20,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| ANNE ARUNDEL LIBRARY FOUNDATION | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $15,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| MARYLAND FEDERATION OF ART | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $15,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| CREATING COMMUNITIES | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| TALENT MACHINE | DAVIDSONVILLE, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| EXPLORATION SCHOOL INC | NORWOOD, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| LAND TRUST ALLIANCE | WASHINGTON, DC | $8,000 | 2023 | CONSRVATION DEFENSE CLEARINGHOUSE |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF AA COUNTY | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $5,500 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| SEVERN RIVERKEEPER PROGRAM | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $5,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| WORLD ARTISTS EXPERIENCES | ARNOLD, MD | $5,000 | 2023 | OPERATING |
| ANNAPOLIS GREEN | ANNAPOLIS, MD | $2,500 | 2023 | OPERATING |
THE BLUE WATERS FOUNDATION INC
$1,330,140OPERATING
THE MHE FOUNDATIONINC
$1,330,140OPERATING
THE DOVANA FOUNDATION INC
$1,330,140OPERATING
HISTORIC ANNAPOLIS
$318,014OPERATING
WHEELOCK COLLEGE
$261,211OPERATING & ENDOWMENT
SCENIC RIVERS LAND TRUST
$144,956OPERATING
WATERSHED STEWARDS ACADEMY
$124,536OPERATING
THE EARL FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND
$100,757OPERATING
UNIV OF MD AT BALTIMORE
$84,167OPERATING, CAPITAL & ENDOWMENT
ANNAPOLIS OPERA
$62,973OPERATING
FOREVER MARYLAND
$43,658OPERATING
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
$42,751OPERATING & ENDOWMENT
ANNAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
$35,000OPERATING
FOUNDRY GALLERY
$25,000OPERATING
HAMMOND-HARWOOD HOUSE
$25,000OPERATING
CHESAPEAKE ARTS CENTER
$20,000OPERATING
ARTS COUNCIL OF ANNE ARUNDEL CNTY
$20,000OPERATING
ANNE ARUNDEL LIBRARY FOUNDATION
$15,000OPERATING
MARYLAND FEDERATION OF ART
$15,000OPERATING
CREATING COMMUNITIES
$10,000OPERATING
TALENT MACHINE
$10,000OPERATING
EXPLORATION SCHOOL INC
$10,000OPERATING
SEVERN RIVERKEEPER PROGRAM
$5,000OPERATING
WORLD ARTISTS EXPERIENCES
$5,000OPERATING
ANNAPOLIS GREEN
$2,500OPERATING