The James Family Charitable Trust concentrates its philanthropy on elite education and major cultural institutions, frequently funding private K–12 schools, colleges, and leading museums. While education and arts dominate its portfolio, the foundation also supports targeted health, environmental conservation, and international children’s programs, typically through sizable, high-profile gifts to well-established organizations.
The James Family Charitable Trust made a $5 million grant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2024, a clear marker of how its philanthropy reaches major cultural institutions at large scale. The trust’s recent giving also shows substantial support for elite independent schools and selective higher education, including Garrison Forest School, Choate Rosemary Hall, and Wellesley College. Across its latest grants, the foundation combines large gifts to established institutions with smaller awards to schools and nonprofits in education, health, conservation, and human services. Education is a recurring thread. The trust has backed boarding and private day schools, college foundations, and research-centered institutions, often at six- and seven-figure levels. Cultural support is equally visible through grants to museums and performing arts organizations in New York. Outside those core areas, the trust has funded freshwater science, conservation, children’s programs, and medical organizations, including awards to Stroud Water Research Center, Fabretto Children’s Foundation, and Mount Sinai Medical Center. The result is a portfolio that is broad by sector but selective in recipient type, with a clear preference for long-established organizations.
Education accounts for a substantial share of the trust’s recent activity. In 2024, it gave $2,345,597 to Garrison Forest School Inc for education, and $1,337,500 to Choate Rosemary Hall Foundation Incorporated for education. Higher education is also present: Wellesley College received $938,859 in 2024, and The Graduate Center Foundation Inc received $150,000. Cultural institutions are another major theme. The Metropolitan Museum of Art received a $5 million grant in 2024, while New York Shakespeare Festival Dba the Public Theater received $100,000 the same year. The trust also supported Pioneer Works Art Foundation with $154,890 in 2023 and the American Museum of Natural History with $100,000 in 2023. Beyond those areas, the trust funded conservation and public benefit work through grants such as $300,000 to The Nature Conservancy and $300,000 to Stroud Water Research Center, along with human services support to Fabretto Children’s Foundation Inc.
The James Family Charitable Trust’s recent grants cluster around sizable awards. The typical grant size is $45,000 at the 25th percentile, $125,000 at the median, and $300,000 at the 75th percentile. That spread suggests a portfolio with many mid-sized grants and a smaller number of very large awards. The trust appears to repeat support for some organizations across years. American University of Beirut, Entitlements How Inc, The University of Montana Western Foundation, Brearley School, Collegiate School Inc, and Twin Bridges-based grantees each appear more than once in the recent list. The trust is a charitable trust rather than a private foundation, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$10.8M
$487.4M
$69.6M
$11.7M
Most grants fall between $45K and $300K, with a median of $125K.
25th Percentile
$45K
Median
$125K
75th Percentile
$300K
About 4% of grants go to recipients in NY.
CHRISTINA HACK
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving: a small number of very large flagship grants (multi-hundred-thousand to multi-million) alongside numerous mid- and smaller-sized education awards; mix of repeat support to familiar private schools and colleges plus occasional strategic gifts to prominent cultural and environmental organizations.
Notable grantees: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Garrison Forest School, Wellesley College, American University of Beirut, Stroud Water Research Center
Grantmaking is regional, but the recipients are concentrated in a few places. New York, NY appears repeatedly, including grants to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York Shakespeare Festival Dba the Public Theater, Prep for Prep, and the American Museum of Natural History. Other recurring locations include Wellesley, MA; Wallingford, CT; and Owings Mills, MD. All listed grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients, and 4% of grants went to organizations in Pennsylvania.
Its recent distribution centers on mid-sized awards, with a 25th percentile of $45,000, a median of $125,000, and a 75th percentile of $300,000. The list also includes larger outliers such as a $5 million grant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and several six-figure gifts to schools and cultural institutions.
Education and culture are the clearest themes, especially independent schools, colleges, museums, and performing arts groups. The trust also funds conservation and freshwater science, health, and human services, with examples including The Nature Conservancy, Stroud Water Research Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Fabretto Children’s Foundation Inc.
Yes. Several recipients appear multiple times in the recent grants list, including Brearley School, Collegiate School Inc, American University of Beirut, Entitlements How Inc, The University of Montana Western Foundation, and Twin Bridges-related organizations. That pattern indicates repeat support rather than solely one-time awards.
The top state by grant count is Massachusetts. New York, NY also appears frequently among recipient cities, but the dataset identifies Massachusetts as the state receiving the most grants overall.
In the grant data provided, all listed recipients are in the United States, with 28 grants and 100.0% of grants going to U.S. organizations.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2026 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT | NEW YORK, NY | $2,050,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY PROJECT | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000,000 | 2026 | ENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS |
| VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM | WARWICK, RI | $1,000,000 | 2026 | PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
| ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI | NEW YORK, NY | $620,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| EYELLIANCE | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2026 | HEALTH |
| AMERICANS FOR OXFORD INC | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $244,216 | 2026 | HEALTH |
| CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY INC | NEW YORK, NY | $113,225 | 2026 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| BONEFISH AND TARPON TRUST | MIAMI, FL | $75,000 | 2026 | ENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS |
| GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL INC | OWINGS MILLS, MD | $47,850 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| BREARLEY SCHOOL | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| COLLEGIATE SCHOOL INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL DBA THE PUBLIC THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2026 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2026 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| WELLESLEY COLLEGE | WELLESLEY, MA | $13,709 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| TWIN BRIDGES PUBLIC SCHOOLS | TWIN BRIDGES, MT | $9,560 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| FABRETTO CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION INC | EVANSTON, IL | $7,725 | 2026 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| VANGUARD CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT PROGRAM | WARWICK, RI | $5,000,000 | 2025 | PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
| CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY INC | NEW YORK, NY | $3,220,158 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL FOUNDATION INCORPORATED | WALLINGFORD, CT | $2,662,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| THE NEW SCHOOL | NEW YORK, NY | $750,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT | NEW YORK, NY | $515,097 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2025 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| ONE PLYMPTON PRESERVATION FOUNDATION INC | PORTLAND, ME | $350,000 | 2025 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| THE GRADUATE CENTER FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $225,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA FOUNDATION | MISSOULA, MT | $150,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $124,031 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| TINWORKS ART | BOZEMAN, MT | $100,000 | 2025 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL INC | OWINGS MILLS, MD | $57,633 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| WELLESLEY COLLEGE | WELLESLEY, MA | $40,480 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL DBA THE PUBLIC THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2025 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| TWIN BRIDGES PUBLIC SCHOOLS | TWIN BRIDGES, MT | $11,359 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| FABRETTO CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION INC | EVANSTON, IL | $10,039 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| COLLEGIATE SCHOOL INC | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| BREARLEY SCHOOL | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000,000 | 2024 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL INC | OWINGS MILLS, MD | $2,345,597 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL FOUNDATION INCORPORATED | WALLINGFORD, CT | $1,337,500 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| WELLESLEY COLLEGE | WELLESLEY, MA | $938,859 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| FABRETTO CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION INC | EVANSTON, IL | $349,323 | 2024 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| STROUD WATER RESEARCH CENTER | AVONDALE, PA | $300,000 | 2024 | PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT |
| EYELLIANCE | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER | NEW YORK, NY | $203,751 | 2024 | HEALTH |
| LITTLE TRAVERSE CONSERVANCY INC | HARBOR SPRINGS, MI | $150,000 | 2024 | ENVIRONMENT, ANIMALS |
| THE GRADUATE CENTER FOUNDATION INC | NEW YORK, NY | $150,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| PREP FOR PREP | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
| NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL DBA THE PUBLIC THEATER | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | CULTURE & ARTS |
| COLLEGIATE SCHOOL INC | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | EDUCATION |
EDUCATION
GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL INC
$47,850EDUCATION
BREARLEY SCHOOL
$25,000EDUCATION
WELLESLEY COLLEGE
$13,709EDUCATION
TWIN BRIDGES PUBLIC SCHOOLS
$9,560EDUCATION
CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL FOUNDATION INCORPORATED
$2,662,500EDUCATION
ONE PLYMPTON PRESERVATION FOUNDATION INC
$350,000CULTURE & ARTS
GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL INC
$57,633EDUCATION
WELLESLEY COLLEGE
$40,480EDUCATION
TWIN BRIDGES PUBLIC SCHOOLS
$11,359EDUCATION
BREARLEY SCHOOL
$10,000EDUCATION
GARRISON FOREST SCHOOL INC
$2,345,597EDUCATION
CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL FOUNDATION INCORPORATED
$1,337,500EDUCATION
WELLESLEY COLLEGE
$938,859EDUCATION