The Midgley Foundation concentrates its giving on land and environmental conservation, with substantial support for California-based conservation organizations alongside a secondary interest in institutional philanthropy for education and health care. Grants are large and targeted—often funding land preservation, conservancy operations, or capital/technology needs at hospitals and colleges—and include an international wildlife-protection gift. The foundation favors a small number of sizeable awards rather than many small grants.
The Midgley Foundation C/o Alan Whitman gives large, targeted grants, with a pattern that centers land and environmental conservation. Sempervirens Fund appears repeatedly in the recent record, including a $690,000 grant in 2024 and a $491,000 grant in 2025 for land preservation, alongside a $465,000 grant in 2023 for environmental work. That recurring support points to a funder that backs conservation groups over multiple years rather than making one-off awards. The foundation also extends its grantmaking beyond conservation into institutional support for education and health care. Recent awards include $750,000 to Hobart & William Smith Colleges for education endowment conservation and $400,000 to USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation for health care. Those gifts sit alongside conservation funding for organizations such as Catalina Island Conservancy and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, showing a portfolio that combines place-based environmental preservation with selected support for colleges and hospitals. The recent grants are substantial in size, and the foundation’s approach favors a small number of high-dollar awards to named organizations.
Land preservation is the clearest theme in the recent record. The foundation gave $491,000 to Sempervirens Fund in 2025 for land preservation, following earlier awards of $690,000 in 2024 and $465,000 in 2023 to the same organization for related conservation work. That multi-year pattern makes conservation stewardship a central part of the grantmaking. A second thread is support for conservation organizations working on specific places. Catalina Island Conservancy received $249,688 in 2023 for conservation and education, and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust received $400,000 in 2025 for land preservation. The foundation also funds health care and wildlife protection. USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation received $400,000 in 2025 for health care, Methodist Hospital Foundation received $380,000 in 2023 to fund imaging equipment for the hospital, and Empowers Africa received $300,000 in 2024 for protection of elephants and rhinos.
The Midgley Foundation C/o Alan Whitman makes large grants: the typical award sits at $380,000 at the 25th percentile, $400,000 at the median, and $491,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows both repeat support and single awards. Sempervirens Fund appears across 2023, 2024, and 2025, while other recipients show up once. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments, which points to a conventional grantmaking structure focused on institutional recipients rather than direct or investment-based support.
$1.1M
$23.5M
$736K
$1.4M
Most grants fall between $380K and $491K, with a median of $400K.
25th Percentile
$380K
Median
$400K
75th Percentile
$491K
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Concentrated, large-dollar grants to a small set of organizations (including repeat support), with emphasis on conservation organizations and occasional major gifts for institutional capital/endowment in education and health.
Notable grantees: Sempervirens Fund, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Empowers Africa
Giving is concentrated in California, where 67% of grants go and where the top recipient city cluster includes Los Altos, Arcadia, and Long Beach. Recent California recipients include Sempervirens Fund in Los Altos, USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation in Arcadia, Methodist Hospital Foundation in Arcadia, and Catalina Island Conservancy in Long Beach. Outside California, the foundation has also given to Geneva, New York; Topsham, Maine; and New York, New York. All recent grants in the supplied record went to U.S. recipients.
The recent record centers on land and environmental conservation organizations, especially Sempervirens Fund, Catalina Island Conservancy, and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. It also includes support for a college endowment, hospital capital needs, and one wildlife-protection grant for elephants and rhinos.
The typical grant size is large: $380,000 at the 25th percentile, $400,000 at the median, and $491,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants in the file range from $249,688 to $750,000.
Yes. Sempervirens Fund appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with grants of $465,000, $690,000, and $491,000. That repeat pattern suggests ongoing support for selected conservation partners.
The main areas are land preservation and environmental conservation, with additional support for higher education, hospital infrastructure, and wildlife protection. Recent examples include land preservation grants to Sempervirens Fund and Maine Coast Heritage Trust, a health care grant to USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation, and a wildlife grant to Empowers Africa.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MENDOCINO LAND TRUST | FORT BRAGG, CA | $500,000 | 2026 | LAND PRESERVATION |
| SEMPERVIRENS FUND | LOS ALTOS, CA | $250,000 | 2026 | LAND PRESERVATION |
| USC ARCADIA HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | ARCADIA, CA | $250,000 | 2026 | HEALTH CARE |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | PASADENA, CA | $100,000 | 2026 | HEALTH CARE |
| SEMPERVIRENS FUND | LOS ALTOS, CA | $491,000 | 2025 | LAND PRESERVATION |
| MAIINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST | TOPSHAM, ME | $400,000 | 2025 | LAND PRESERVATION |
| USC ARCADIA HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | ARCADIA, CA | $400,000 | 2025 | HEALTH CARE |
| SEMPERVIRENS FUND | LOS ALTOS, CA | $690,000 | 2024 | LAND PRESERVATION |
| EMPOWERS AFRICA | NEW YOUR, NY | $300,000 | 2024 | PROTECTION OF ELEPHANTS AND RHINOS |
| HOBART & WILLIAMS COLLEGE | GENEVA, NY | $750,000 | 2023 | EDUCATION ENDOWMENT CONSERVATION |
| SEMPERVIRENS FUND | LOS ALTOS, CA | $465,000 | 2023 | ENVIRONMENTAL |
| METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | ARCADIA, CA | $380,000 | 2023 | FUND IMAGING EQUIPENT FOR HOSPITAL |
| CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY | LONG BEACH, CA | $249,688 | 2023 | CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION |
MENDOCINO LAND TRUST
$500,000LAND PRESERVATION
SEMPERVIRENS FUND
$491,000LAND PRESERVATION
MAIINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST
LAND PRESERVATION
HOBART & WILLIAMS COLLEGE
$750,000EDUCATION ENDOWMENT CONSERVATION
CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY
$249,688CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION