The John J Leidy Foundation concentrates its giving on local Baltimore-area social services, with large, targeted gifts to organizations addressing immediate needs and youth opportunity. Recent grants show a clear focus on poverty and food insecurity relief alongside investment in educational and workforce pathways for young people. The foundation appears to favor a small number of substantial awards rather than many small grants, directing significant resources where they can have measurable community impact.
A $185,000 grant to Maryland Food Bank anchors The John J Leidy Foundation Inc’s recent giving and points to a clear pattern: the foundation directs sizable resources to Baltimore-area organizations working on poverty relief, food access, youth opportunity, and related community needs. Thread Inc received $125,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024, showing continued support for educational pathways in Baltimore. The foundation also backed Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare with $50,000 in both 2024 and 2025, linking its education and workforce support to local health-care careers. Beyond those larger awards, its recent grants include direct support for emergency food distribution, community services, and programs for students and learners, alongside grants to arts, health, and animal welfare organizations. The mix suggests a local funder that uses relatively substantial grants to support established nonprofits serving immediate needs as well as longer-term opportunity building. Its grantmaking is centered in Maryland and concentrated in the Baltimore metropolitan area, with recipients mostly in Baltimore and nearby communities such as Owings Mills and Towson.
Food insecurity and poverty relief are prominent in the foundation’s recent grants. It gave $185,000 to Maryland Food Bank for poverty relief and $50,000 to Franciscan Center for poverty relief, both in Baltimore. In education and youth development, Thread Inc received $125,000 for educational work in 2023 and another $30,000 in 2024, while Irvine Natural Science Center Inc in Owings Mills received $48,334 in 2025 for educational programming. The foundation also connects education to career pathways: Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare received $50,000 in 2024 and $50,000 in 2025 for health-care work. Arts and culture appear as well, with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra receiving $30,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for arts and cultural programming.
Typical grants cluster in a modest-to-substantial range: p25 is $5,000, median is $7,500, and p75 is $10,000. Recent awards show that the foundation also makes larger targeted grants, especially to established local nonprofits. Recipients appear across multiple years in several cases, including Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare, Thread Inc, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Associated Jewish Community Federation, which points to recurring support rather than one-time funding only. The foundation is a regular funder and accepts unsolicited proposals under its general grantmaking programs. Those programs support operating needs, new or ongoing programs, and equipment, with preference for organizations serving the Baltimore metropolitan area.
$940K
$6.8M
$1.5M
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$10K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a few local nonprofits; emphasizes direct service (poverty/food relief) and youth-focused educational initiatives rather than broad national funding.
Notable grantees: Maryland Food Bank, Thread Inc
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local: 98% of grants go to recipients in Maryland, and the top recipient city is Baltimore. Recent grants also reached Owings Mills and Towson in Maryland, plus a smaller number of out-of-state recipients such as Philadelphia, Fairfield, and Cary. Even when grants leave Maryland, they remain within the United States; the recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. The pattern fits a Baltimore-area funder with a Maryland-centered portfolio.
Its general grantmaking programs cover social and economic welfare, arts and culture, health and human services, education, and services for disabled persons. Recent grants also show support for poverty relief, disaster relief, health-care workforce programs, and animal welfare.
The typical grant size is relatively small to moderate: p25 is $5,000, the median is $7,500, and p75 is $10,000. The recent grant list also includes larger targeted awards, such as $185,000 and $125,000.
Yes. Its general grantmaking programs are listed as accepting unsolicited grants for operating support, new or ongoing programs, equipment, and other nonprofit needs aligned with its areas of interest.
It gives most often in Maryland, and 98% of grants go to recipients in the home state. Baltimore is the main recipient city, with additional grants appearing in nearby Maryland communities such as Owings Mills and Towson.
The recent record shows recurring support for several organizations. Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare received $50,000 in 2024 and again in 2025, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Thread Inc received grants in 2023 and 2024.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from John J Leidy Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Preference is given to organizations serving the Baltimore metropolitan area. The Foundation does not fund individuals, galas, special events, or advertising space in programs.
Deadline: No fixed deadlines; requests accepted at any time (rolling basis)
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare | Baltimore, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | Health Care |
| Irvine Natural Science Center Inc | Owings Mills, MD | $48,334 | 2025 | Educational |
| Associated Jewish Community Federation | Baltimore, MD | $35,000 | 2025 | Community Fund |
| Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | Baltimore, MD | $30,000 | 2025 | Arts/Cultural |
| Doctors Without Borders | Hagerstown, MD | $25,000 | 2025 | Emergency Relief |
| Baltimore Hebrew Congregation | Baltimore, MD | $21,000 | 2025 | Religious |
| United Way of Central Maryland | Baltimore, MD | $20,000 | 2025 | Community Fund |
| Springboard Collaborative | Philadelphia, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| American Red Cross | Boone, IA | $15,000 | 2025 | Disaster Relief |
| Paul's Place | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | Poverty Relief |
| Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter Inc | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | Animal Welfare |
| Walters Art Museum Foundation Inc | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | Arts/Cultural |
| Chesapeake Shakespeare Company | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | Arts/Cultural |
| Caroline Friess Center | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Baltimore Museum of Art | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | Arts/Cultural |
| Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Disaster Relief |
| Health Care for the Homeless | Baltimore, MD | $15,000 | 2025 | Health Care |
| United Way of North Carolina | Cary, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Disaster Relief |
| Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Legal Aid Poor |
| Friends of the Gunpowder Falls State Park Graham Area Equestrian Center | Glen Arm, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Maryland SPCA | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Animal Welfare |
| Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Health Care |
| Maryland Zoological Society Inc | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Junior Achievement of Central Maryland | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Center Stage | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Arts/Cultural |
| Public Justice Center | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Legal Aid Poor |
| YMCA of Central Maryland | Towson, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Open Works | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore City | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Boys Hope Girls Hope Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Civil Justice Inc | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Legal Aid Poor |
| Everyman Theatre | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Arts/Cultural |
| Opera Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Arts/Cultural |
| Reading Partners | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Cornerstone Community Housing | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Housing |
| University of Baltimore Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $10,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Mercy Medical Center Inc | Baltimore, MD | $8,000 | 2025 | Poverty Relief |
| Shepherd's Clinic | Baltimore, MD | $8,000 | 2025 | Health Care |
| Biotechnical Institute of Maryland | Baltimore, MD | $8,000 | 2025 | Educational |
| Maryland Nonprofits | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Educational |
| Maryland Book Bank | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Educational |
| Maryland Food Bank | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Food Pantry |
| Baltimore SquashWise | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Educational |
| Moveable Feast | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Food Pantry |
| Black Women Build - Baltimore | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Housing |
| Maryland Center for History and Culture | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Educational |
| Maryland School for the Blind | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Disabled Persons |
| Fusion Partnerships | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Educational |
| MAGIC | Westminster, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Educational |
| Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School | Baltimore, MD | $7,500 | 2025 | Educational |
Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare
$50,000Health Care
Associated Jewish Community Federation
$35,000Community Fund
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
$30,000Arts/Cultural
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation
$21,000Religious
American Red Cross
$15,000Disaster Relief
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
$15,000Arts/Cultural
Caroline Friess Center
$15,000Educational
Baltimore Museum of Art
$15,000Arts/Cultural
Friends of the Gunpowder Falls State Park Graham Area Equestrian Center
$10,000Educational
Maryland Zoological Society Inc
$10,000Educational
Junior Achievement of Central Maryland
$10,000Educational
Open Works
$10,000Educational
Boys Hope Girls Hope Baltimore
$10,000Educational
Opera Baltimore
$10,000Arts/Cultural
Reading Partners
$10,000Educational
Cornerstone Community Housing
$10,000Housing
Maryland Nonprofits
$7,500Educational
Maryland Center for History and Culture
$7,500Educational
MAGIC
$7,500Educational
