James Family Charitable Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismMakes PRIsFunds Individuals
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VAWebsite
About James Family Charitable Foundation
The James Family Charitable Foundation appears to be newly active or primarily focused on funding its own donor-advised/charitable trust rather than making public-facing grants. Both recorded grants (the entire $16.725M) were directed to The James Family Charitable Trust via National Philanthropic Trust for general purposes, indicating use of a pass-through vehicle or capitalization of a related trust. There is no evidence from these records of programmatic, geographic, or beneficiary-specific giving yet.
Focus Areas
Capitalization of a family charitable trust / donor-advised fundPrivate foundation to donor-advised fund passthroughsFoundation establishment and internal restructuring
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated and internal: very few (2) large grants all to a single related entity; no external or program-specific grants recorded—suggests initial capitalization or internal fund management rather than active external grantmaking.
Funding Style
donor-advised fund capitalizationpass-through funding to related entitiesinternal capitalization/endowment-buildingnon-programmatic/administrative focus
About James Family Charitable Foundation
The James Family Charitable Foundation’s public record is dominated by one pattern: large transfers to The James Family Charitable Trust c/o National Philanthropic Trust in both 2023 and 2025, totaling $16.725 million. That pass-through activity sits alongside a smaller but broader set of public grants that reaches conservation, education, arts, and community organizations. In 2025, the foundation gave $600,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society and $325,000 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its 2023 grants show similar breadth, including $305,000 to Trout Unlimited, $200,000 to The Obama Foundation, and $193,900 to Central Park Conservancy. The recent record also includes support for schools and cultural institutions such as Trey Whitfield School, American Museum of Natural History, and The Graduate Center. Across the available grants, the foundation appears active in general-purpose giving rather than narrow project-specific awards. The pattern suggests a funder that has both internal trust capitalization and outside charitable support in its recent history, with some gifts reaching major New York institutions and others going to environmental and education groups elsewhere in the United States.
What James Family Charitable Foundation Funds
Environmental and land conservation appear in several grants. In 2025, the foundation gave $260,000 to The Montana Council of Trout Unlimited and $70,000 to The Montana Land Reliance, while 2023 support included $305,000 to Trout Unlimited and $65,000 to Ocean Conservancy. It also backed biodiversity and wildlife work with $600,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society and $52,265 to Rainforest Foundation Fund. Education and youth-serving organizations also received support. The foundation awarded $150,000 to Trey Whitfield School in Brooklyn and $100,000 to Fabretto Children’s Foundation in 2025. Higher education and research showed up as well, including $200,000 to University of Washington Cvi and $75,000 to The Graduate Center. Arts and cultural institutions form another visible strand. Grants include $325,000 and $170,000 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, $90,350 to Skowhegan School of Painting, $75,000 to Lighthouse Works, and $50,000 to Tectonic Theater Project.
How James Family Charitable Foundation Gives
The typical grant size is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $40,000 at the 75th percentile. The record also includes a very large pass-through pattern, with two grants to The James Family Charitable Trust c/o National Philanthropic Trust totaling $16.725 million across 2023 and 2025. Beyond that, awards range from five figures to several hundred thousand dollars, with many general-purpose grants. The foundation’s recent activity shows repeat recipients across years, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Environmental Integrity Project. It is classified as a regular funder, and the records show it can fund individuals as well as organizations. Unsolicited applications are accepted under one listed general grants program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10.8M
Total Assets
$223.2M
Total Revenue
$42.2M
Total Expenses
$11.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $40K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$40K
Geographic Reach
National22 states funded
About 3% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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