The John Lynch Foundation is committed to developing leaders by encouraging dreams; providing programs that assist and motivate; and recognizing achievement and excellence.
The John Lynch Foundation Inc. centers its giving on Lynch Family Legacy Scholarships, including renewable awards for high school senior varsity student-athletes from the Denver and greater Colorado area and scholarship support for students in the Tampa Bay area. The program structure points to a foundation that uses education funding as a way to recognize academics, athletics, community involvement, leadership, and financial need. Its recent grants show college-tuition support flowing to a wide range of universities, with awards commonly set at $6,000 and larger scholarship commitments reaching $12,000 and $24,000 in the active program descriptions. The foundation’s approach connects youth development and student achievement rather than one-off charitable relief. Recent recipients include University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Northern Colorado, and University of Alabama, reflecting a mix of Colorado institutions and out-of-state colleges. The named scholarship programs are open to applicants, and their criteria emphasize essays and letters of recommendation alongside performance and involvement. Through these awards, the foundation combines leadership development, recognition, and college access for student-athletes.
A central theme is college scholarship support for student-athletes. In the Denver and greater Colorado area, the foundation offers renewable Lynch Family Legacy Scholarships for high school senior varsity student-athletes, with selections based on academics, athletics, community involvement, leadership, and financial need. In Tampa Bay, a related scholarship program serves Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties and uses the same mix of academic, athletic, and leadership criteria. The foundation also funds higher education directly through college tuition awards, including $12,000 grants to University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Northern Colorado in recent years. Its focus areas extend beyond athletics into youth development, education, and leadership development, making the scholarship work part of a broader pattern of recognizing emerging leaders and student achievement.
The typical grant size is $6,000, with the 25th, median, and 75th percentiles all at that level, indicating a very tight distribution. Recent activity also includes larger scholarship awards of $12,000 and $24,000 through the active scholarship programs. The foundation appears to fund in a recurring way: the same universities and scholarship programs show up in both 2024 and 2025, including multiple awards to Colorado institutions and repeated support for named scholarship tracks. The grantmaking is structured around scholarships and awards rather than individuals, and the active programs accept unsolicited applications.
$211K
$2.2M
$160K
$219K
Most grants fall between $6K and $6K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$6K
About 6% of grants go to recipients in CO.
MAGGIE ROBINSON
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Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. Colorado appears most often in the recent grants, with universities in Boulder, Greeley, Denver, Pueblo, Golden, and Durango. Florida recipients also appear, but only 6% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Outside Colorado and Florida, recent grants reached colleges in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Minnesota, Washington, Kansas, Utah, and Alabama. The active scholarship programs also concentrate on Denver and the Tampa Bay area.
Its most explicit funding vehicle is the Lynch Family Legacy Scholarships, which support high school senior varsity student-athletes in the Denver and greater Colorado area and in Tampa Bay. The scholarship criteria include academics, athletics, community involvement, leadership, financial need, essays, and letters of recommendation.
The typical grant size is $6,000, and the grant-size distribution is very tight: p25, median, and p75 are all $6,000. The recent grant list also includes scholarship awards at $12,000 and $24,000 through active scholarship programs.
Yes. The active scholarship programs are marked as accepting unsolicited applications, including the Denver-area and Tampa-area Lynch Family Legacy Scholarship offerings.
Colorado is the top state by grant count. Recent grants reach several Colorado recipients, including institutions in Boulder, Greeley, Denver, Pueblo, Golden, and Durango.
The foundation supports students, especially high school senior varsity student-athletes and emerging leaders. Its focus areas include education, youth development, sports, military family support, and community engagement, with scholarship criteria tied to leadership and community involvement.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER | BOULDER, CO | $12,000 | 2025 | — |
| TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE STATION, TX | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY | DENVER, CO | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| LAFAYETTE COLLEGE | EASTON, PA | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| GONZAGA UNIVERSITY | SPOKANE, WA | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY PUEBLO | PUEBLO, CO | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA | TUSCALOOSA, AL | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| UCLA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO | GREELEY, CO | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY | MANHATTAN, KS | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF UTAH | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES | GOLDEN, CO | $6,000 | 2025 | — |
| HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION | TAMPA, FL | $5,200 | 2025 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO | GREELEY, CO | $12,000 | 2024 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER | BOULDER, CO | $12,000 | 2024 | — |
| UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA | TUSCALOOSA, AL | $9,000 | 2024 | — |
| TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE STATION, TX | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| UCLA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| ST OLAF COLLEGE | NORTHFIELD, MN | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| GONZAGA UNIVERSITY | SPOKANE, WA | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| LEHIGH UNIVERSITY | BETHLEHEM, PA | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| LAFAYETTE COLLEGE | EASTON, PA | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY | DENVER, CO | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY | BOSTON, MA | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| FORT LEWIS COLLEGE | DURANGO, CO | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES | GOLDEN, CO | $6,000 | 2024 | — |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $5,828 | 2024 | — |
| HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION | TAMPA, FL | $5,200 | 2024 | — |
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
$12,000TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
$6,000STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$6,000METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY
$6,000LAFAYETTE COLLEGE
$6,000GONZAGA UNIVERSITY
$6,000COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY PUEBLO
$6,000BOSTON UNIVERSITY
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
$6,000UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
$6,000UCLA
$6,000UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO
$6,000KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
$6,000UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
$6,000COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
$6,000HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$5,200UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO
$12,000UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
$12,000UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
$9,000TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
$6,000UCLA
$6,000ST OLAF COLLEGE
$6,000GONZAGA UNIVERSITY
$6,000LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
$6,000LAFAYETTE COLLEGE
$6,000METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY
$6,000CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
$6,000BOSTON UNIVERSITY
$6,000FORT LEWIS COLLEGE
$6,000COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
$6,000STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$5,828HILLSBOROUGH EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$5,200