About Maguire Foundation
The Maguire Foundation is a concentrated, Philadelphia‑area philanthropist that prioritizes faith‑based Catholic education (K–12 and higher education) alongside major support for local arts institutions. Grants are predominantly large, unrestricted awards for general operating support to religiously affiliated schools, colleges, and a handful of prominent museums. The foundation favors repeat investments in longstanding institutional grantees that serve the Greater Philadelphia region and comparable peer institutions elsewhere.
Focus Areas
Catholic secondary schools in Greater Philadelphia (e.g., preparatory and diocesan high schools)Catholic and faith‑based higher education (small Catholic colleges and university healthcare programs)Independent Catholic K–12 networks serving low‑income students (e.g., Cristo Rey/Independence Mission Schools)Regional art museums and cultural institutions in the Philadelphia area (e.g., Woodmere, Barnes)Career and vocational education (e.g., Williamson College of the Trades)
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (general)organization grantees
About Maguire Foundation
The Maguire Foundation’s giving is marked by very large unrestricted awards to faith-based education and Philadelphia arts institutions. A $5,454,000 general-needs grant to Independence Mission Schools sits alongside multi-million-dollar support for Gwynedd Mercy University, which shows how the foundation backs both school networks and higher-education partners over time. In the arts, the foundation has also made major operating gifts to institutions such as the Barnes Foundation and Woodmere Art Museum. Education is the clearest throughline, but it is not limited to one level. The foundation funds Catholic secondary schools, independent Catholic K-12 networks, Catholic colleges, and university-based healthcare programs, often through general support rather than tightly restricted projects. Its recent grants also include support for scholarship programs and institutional capacity, suggesting a preference for giving that helps established organizations continue serving students and communities. The pattern is highly concentrated in Greater Philadelphia, with repeated awards to long-standing recipients and a smaller set of peer institutions in nearby and national Catholic higher education.
What Maguire Foundation Funds
Catholic education appears across several layers of the portfolio. The foundation gave $3,150,000 to Diocesan High Schools in Pittsburgh for general needs, and $2,010,000 to Cristo Rey High School in Philadelphia for general needs. It also supported Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School with a $1,097,000 general-needs grant. In higher education, the foundation backed Gwynedd Mercy University twice in the recent list, including a $4,000,000 award in 2024 and a $2,000,000 award in 2025, both for general needs. It also supported Chestnut Hill College with $1,375,000 and Mount St Mary’s University with $1,350,000. Arts and culture is another clear lane. Woodmere Art Museum received $2,000,000 in 2023 and again in 2024 and 2025, all for general needs, while the Barnes Foundation received $2,000,000 in 2023 and $1,025,000 later that year.
How Maguire Foundation Gives
Typical awards are sizable: p25 is $15,500, the median is $75,000, and p75 is $125,000. The recent-grants list, however, shows a strong upper tier of multimillion-dollar general operating gifts to long-term institutional partners. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Recipients appear across multiple years, including repeat awards to the same institutions in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The grant list also shows a mix of unsolicited and non-unsolicited program lines, with arts grants accepting unsolicited requests and several education programs routed through partner institutions.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$10M
Total Assets
$17.5M
Total Revenue
$2.6M
Total Expenses
$11.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $16K and $125K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$16K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$125K
Geographic Reach
Regional16 states funded
About 76% of grants go to recipients in PA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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