The Karsh Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy in large, strategic gifts primarily to higher education and education-access causes, with a clear emphasis on supporting universities, law school programs, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBUs). It also makes significant targeted investments in health institutions and campus/athletic facility development. Grants are few but sizable, often repeated to the same institutions, indicating relationship-driven, impact-focused giving rather than broad small-dollar philanthropy.
A defining feature of The Karsh Family Foundation’s giving is its repeated concentration of very large grants to universities and related academic institutions. The University of Virginia appears in back-to-back years with $10,000,000 in 2023 and $5,300,000 in 2024, while the University of Virginia Law School Foundation received $3,400,000 in each of those same years. That pattern points to relationship-based support rather than one-off awards. The foundation also makes major commitments to institutions serving Black higher education, including Howard University and United Negro College Fund Inc., alongside sizable support for charter school organizations such as KIPP Foundation and Charter School Growth Fund. Health and campus-related philanthropy also sit within the portfolio, with grants to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Carol Kimmelman Athletic and Academic Campus Inc. The grant record suggests a strategy built around large institutional gifts, often repeated across multiple years, with education as the central thread and selected cultural or community institutions also receiving substantial support.
Education is the clearest throughline in the foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $5,000,000 to Kipp Foundation in 2024 and $1,280,000 to Kipp SoCal Public Schools in 2023, showing support for charter school infrastructure and school networks. In higher education, the foundation awarded $1,000,000 to Spelman College in both 2023 and 2024, and $500,000 to the University of Pennsylvania in 2023. It also funded legal education with $3,400,000 to University of Virginia Law School Foundation in 2024 and again in 2023. Beyond education, the foundation’s giving includes cultural and civic institutions such as $1,000,000 to Skirball Cultural Center in 2024 and $500,000 to Smithsonian Institution for the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2023.
Typical grant size centers on $25,000 median, with a p25 of $10,000 and a p75 of $250,000, but the recent record shows a much larger institutional tier above that range. The foundation’s giving is relationship-driven: multiple recipients appear in consecutive years, including the University of Virginia, Howard University, United Negro College Fund Inc., Spelman College, KIPP Foundation, and Stephen S Wise Temple. It is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund. The grants are primarily institutional support, with a strong emphasis on recurring commitments to the same organizations over time.
$20.6M
$412.9M
$66.9M
$22.3M
Most grants fall between $10K and $250K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$250K
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Highly concentrated giving: a small number of very large grants, frequent repeat funding to select institutional grantees, favoring capital, endowment, or program-level investments over many small awards.
Notable grantees: University of Virginia, University of Virginia Law School Foundation, Howard University, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, KIPP Foundation
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States, and California accounts for 51% of grants. The strongest recipient hubs include Charlottesville, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. California locations appear often, with recipients in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and the KIPP SoCal Public Schools network. Outside California, the foundation gives repeatedly in Charlottesville to the University of Virginia and its law school foundation, and in Washington, DC to Howard University, United Negro College Fund Inc., and the Smithsonian Institution.
Its recent grants are dominated by universities, law school support, charter school organizations, and other educational institutions. The record also includes medical, cultural, and community institutions such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Skirball Cultural Center, and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including the University of Virginia, University of Virginia Law School Foundation, Howard University, United Negro College Fund Inc., Spelman College, KIPP Foundation, and Stephen S Wise Temple. That pattern suggests ongoing institutional relationships.
The distribution centers on a p25 of $10,000, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $250,000. Many recent awards are far larger than the median, including multimillion-dollar grants to universities, charter school organizations, and health institutions.
Yes. California is the top state by grant count, and 51% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Even so, the giving is national, with major recipients in Virginia, Washington, DC, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
Recent education grants include $5,000,000 to Kipp Foundation, $3,400,000 to University of Virginia Law School Foundation, $3,269,600 to The Howard University, and $1,000,000 to Charter School Growth Fund. The pattern also includes support for Spelman College and KIPP SoCal Public Schools.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA - KARSH INSTITUTE OF DEMOCRACY | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $5,300,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| KIPP FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $2,500,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE - FACTS FOR PEACE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE - FACTS FOR PEACE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| TEACH FOR AMERICA (LA & NATIONAL) | NEW YORK, NY | $1,500,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| SPELMAN COLLEGE - KARSH KIPP II SCHOLARSHIP FUND | ATLANTA, GA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $1,000,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| HEADCOUNT | NEW YORK, NY | $500,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| SITKA SOUND SCIENCE CENTER | SITKA, AK | $250,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| JEWISH FEDERATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $250,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2026 | ARTS |
| SITKA SOUND SCIENCE CENTER | SITKA, AK | $250,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| NEW YORK CONSOLIDATED INC (CENTER FOR ART RESEARCH AND ALLIANCES INC) | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2026 | ARTS |
| EDUCATION REFORM NOW | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| TEACH FOR AMERICA (NATIONAL) | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| EAT LEARN PLAY FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| DUKE UNIVERSITY TRINITY COLLEGE ANNUAL FUND | DURHAM, NC | $100,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN OF NEW YORK INC | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| DUKE UNIVERSITY - ALUMNI ASSOCIATION | DURHAM, NC | $83,590 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| THE MILKEN INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $77,684 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| SALVATION ARMY (STRAWBERRY FIELDS) | RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| CHILD MIND INSTITUTE | SAN MATEO, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| JEWISH BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF LOS ANGELES - (YOUTH MENTORING & COLLEGE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $30,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| MANGAWHAI EDUCATION TRUST (CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION - FFC R&S KAYNE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $28,245 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| WILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLE (WBT) - KARSH SOCIAL SERVICE CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| ALLIANCE COLLEGE READY PUBLIC SCHOOLS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | HEALTH |
| GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY COUNCIL (PPCC) & CD11 FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| EISENHOWER EXCHANGE FELLOWSHIPS INC | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $25,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| ROCK & SOUL FOREVER FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| THE PAINTED TURTLE | SANTA MONICA, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| JEWISH BIG BROTHERS & SISTERS LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| KIPP SOCAL | LOS ANGELES, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| LULU'S PLACE INC | EL SEGUNDO, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| THRIVEWELL CANCER FOUNDATION | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | HEALTH |
| BRADY CENTER TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE | WASHINGTON, DC | $20,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $15,000 | 2026 | HEALTH |
| HOWARD UNIVERSITY | WASHINGTON, DC | $12,500 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| RETT SYNDROME RESEARCH TRUST (RSRT) | TRUMBULL, CT | $10,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | HEALTH |
| BET TZEDEK | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| HOLOCAUST MUSEUM LA | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | EDUCATION |
| JIM SAUNDERS FUND | KAILUA KONA, HI | $10,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| CITY YEAR LA | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| EATLEARNPLAY FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
| JEWISH BIG BROTHERS & SISTERS LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY |
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA - KARSH INSTITUTE OF DEMOCRACY
$5,300,000EDUCATION
TEACH FOR AMERICA (LA & NATIONAL)
$1,500,000EDUCATION
EDUCATION
JEWISH FEDERATION
$250,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
TEACH FOR AMERICA (NATIONAL)
$100,000EDUCATION
DUKE UNIVERSITY TRINITY COLLEGE ANNUAL FUND
$100,000EDUCATION
CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE
$100,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
DUKE UNIVERSITY - ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
$83,590EDUCATION
SALVATION ARMY (STRAWBERRY FIELDS)
$50,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
WILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLE (WBT) - KARSH SOCIAL SERVICE CENTER
$25,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$25,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY COUNCIL (PPCC) & CD11 FOUNDATION
$25,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
JEWISH BIG BROTHERS & SISTERS LOS ANGELES
$25,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
RETT SYNDROME RESEARCH TRUST (RSRT)
$10,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
JIM SAUNDERS FUND
$10,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY
JEWISH BIG BROTHERS & SISTERS LOS ANGELES
$10,000PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY