The Jim & Paula McDonald Charitable Trust concentrates its philanthropy on hospital and health-care institutions, with particularly large gifts to Boston Children’s Hospital and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. Grants are few but sizable and appear aimed at institutional support (capital, program, or research) rather than many small local charities. Although based in Georgia, the foundation funds prominent health providers outside its home state, including repeat support to Boston Children’s.
Highly concentrated giving: four large grants totaling $1.73M to a very small set of hospital grantees, including repeat funding for Boston Children’s; appears to prefer substantial institutional gifts over broad, distributed giving.
The Jim & Paula Mcdonald Charitable Trus Trust’s recent giving is anchored by large unrestricted hospital grants, led by $730,000 to Boston Children’s Hospital in 2024 and $600,000 the year before. That pattern points to a funder that backs institutional health providers with flexible support rather than narrowly targeted project awards. The trust’s largest gifts go to pediatric and acute-care institutions, including Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, which received $200,000 in both 2023 and 2024. Smaller awards appear alongside those major grants, but the core of the portfolio is defined by hospital support at a much larger scale. The trust’s recent grants also show continuity with repeat support for the same organizations across years. Boston Children’s Hospital appears as a multi-year recipient, and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital does as well, both funded on an unrestricted basis. That combination of size, repeat giving, and flexible use of funds suggests a relationship-oriented approach to hospital philanthropy. While the trust is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, its most visible grantmaking reaches major medical institutions outside its home state.
Hospital philanthropy is the clearest theme in the trust’s recent grants. It gave $730,000 to Boston Children’s Hospital in 2024 and $600,000 in 2023, both unrestricted, indicating direct institutional support for pediatric care and research. A second thread is regional acute-care support. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital received $200,000 in 2023 and another $200,000 in 2024, again unrestricted, showing repeat backing for a hospital outside Georgia. The trust also makes smaller unrestricted awards to other health-related organizations. These include $10,000 to Fitms Neuroblance Center Nfp, $1,000 to Children's National Hospital, $750 to St Jude's Children's Hospital, $250 to Alzheimers Association, and $200 to Parkinson Disease Foundation. Taken together, the portfolio extends beyond one institution while staying centered on health and medical support.
The trust’s typical grant size is modest relative to its largest awards, with a p25 of $812, a median of $5,750, and a p75 of $25,000. That distribution sits alongside a portfolio that includes several much larger institutional gifts. Recent grants also show recurrence: Boston Children’s Hospital, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, St Xavier High School, and University of Ky each appear more than once in the file. The trust funds individuals is false, and it makes no program-related investments. The awards in the recent list are unrestricted, which aligns with flexible support rather than restricted project-only funding.
$1.3M
$12M
$5.8M
$1.7M
Most grants fall between $813 and $25K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$813
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in IL.
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Notable grantees: Boston Children’s Hospital, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Grant recipients are entirely in the US, with 18 grants recorded there. By count, Kentucky is the top state for giving, even though the trust is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. Recent recipients are spread across several cities, including Boston, Barrington, Lexington, and Cincinnati. The geographic pattern is national rather than local, and none of the recent grants in the file went to recipients in Georgia.
Its most visible recent support goes to hospitals and health-care institutions, especially pediatric and acute-care providers. Large unrestricted awards went to Boston Children’s Hospital and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, and the smaller grants in the file also include organizations tied to health, research, and medical causes.
Yes. Boston Children’s Hospital appears in both 2023 and 2024, and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital also received grants in both years. St Xavier High School and University of Ky each appear twice as well, showing that the trust does make repeat awards.
The trust’s recent distribution centers on smaller awards than its headline gifts: p25 is $812, median grant size is $5,750, and p75 is $25,000. At the same time, the file includes larger institutional grants, including $730,000 and $600,000 awards to Boston Children’s Hospital.
Giving is national and entirely within the US in the recent file. Kentucky is the top state by grant count, while recipient cities include Boston, Barrington, Lexington, and Cincinnati. The trust does not give to recipients in Georgia in the recent grants shown.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL TRUST | BOSTON, MA | $875,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL | CINCINNATI, OH | $200,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPARD HOSPITAL TRUST | BARRINGTON, IL | $200,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY | LEXINGTON, KY | $25,000 | 2026 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $685,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL | CINCINNATI, OH | $200,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPHERD HOSPITAL | BARRINGTON, IL | $200,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDES CHILDRENS RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TUNNEL TO TOWERS | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SHRINERS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | TAMPA, FL | $500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ALZHEIMERS ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $100 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $730,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPHERD HOSPITAL | BARRINGTON, IL | $200,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF KY | LEXINGTON, KY | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL | CINCINNATI, OH | $25,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FITMS NEUROBLANCE CENTER NFP | BARRINGTON, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| PARKINSON DISEASE FOUNDATION | MIAMI, FL | $200 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | BOSTON, MA | $600,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPARD HOSPITAL | BARRINGTON, IL | $200,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| UNIVERSITY OF KY | LEXINGTON, KY | $25,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL | CINCINNATI, OH | $25,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY | STEPHENVILLE, TX | $1,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TUNNEL TO TOWER FOUNDATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $1,500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CHILDREN'S NATIONAL HOSPITAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| DELIGHT MINISTRIES | NASHVILLE, TX | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDE'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $750 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ALZHEIMERS ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $250 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ELK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT | AXTELL, TX | $250 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SUSAN G KOMEN | DALLAS, TX | $100 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL TRUST
$875,000UNRESTRICTED
ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPARD HOSPITAL TRUST
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
$685,000UNRESTRICTED
ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
UNRESTRICTED
TUNNEL TO TOWERS
$3,000UNRESTRICTED
SHRINERS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
$500UNRESTRICTED
BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
$730,000UNRESTRICTED
ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPHERD HOSPITAL
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
UNIVERSITY OF KY
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
FITMS NEUROBLANCE CENTER NFP
$10,000UNRESTRICTED
PARKINSON DISEASE FOUNDATION
$200UNRESTRICTED
BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
$600,000UNRESTRICTED
ADVOCATE GOOD SHEPARD HOSPITAL
$200,000UNRESTRICTED
UNIVERSITY OF KY
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
ST XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
$25,000UNRESTRICTED
TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY
$1,500UNRESTRICTED
TUNNEL TO TOWER FOUNDATION
$1,500UNRESTRICTED
CHILDREN'S NATIONAL HOSPITAL
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
DELIGHT MINISTRIES
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
ELK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
$250UNRESTRICTED
SUSAN G KOMEN
$100UNRESTRICTED