The Panebianco Family Foundation concentrates its giving narrowly, primarily funding direct-service projects that help individuals gain functional independence. Most of its support is for service dog placement and related costs, with occasional one-off gifts to international clean-water work and a memorial/legacy entity. The foundation favors tangible, program-specific investments rather than broad operating support or many small donations.
Highly concentrated and targeted: a small number of grants with the vast majority of dollars directed repeatedly to a single core grantee (Freedom Service Dogs). Gifts are program-specific (paying for individual service dogs) with occasional modest, standalone donations to other causes.
The Panebianco Family Foundation C/o Sterling Foundation Management LLC gives most of its support to service dog programs, with multiple grants to Freedom Service Dogs in Englewood, Colorado. Its largest recent award, $95,310 in 2023, funded Operation Freedom, and the foundation later followed with $60,000 in 2025 to support the cost of two service dogs. Another $41,091 grant in 2024 backed a matching effort tied to US Navy team veteran Thomas, showing a clear preference for direct, program-specific help over broad operating support. The foundation’s recent record also includes smaller, one-time gifts outside that core area. In 2023 it gave $10,000 to Charity Water for general support, and in 2025 it gave $10,000 to Ovm's Legacy Foundation Corporation for general support. Leadership is listed as Joseph Panebianco, and the foundation reports annual grants of $216,401 with total assets of $1,843,632. The pattern suggests a compact grantmaker that concentrates resources on animal-assisted services for people with disabilities and veterans, while occasionally supporting selected legacy or clean-water efforts.
A defining thread in the foundation’s giving is assistance for veterans and people with disabilities through service dogs. It granted $95,310 to Freedom Service Dogs for Operation Freedom, then added $60,000 to support the cost of two service dogs. A further $41,091 went to the same organization for a matching effort connected to US Navy team veteran Thomas. Beyond that core, the foundation has made isolated gifts to other named causes. In 2023 it gave $10,000 to Charity Water for general support, linking its grantmaking to global clean-water work. In 2025 it also gave $10,000 to Ovm's Legacy Foundation Corporation for general support. Across these examples, the foundation’s support is tied to specific projects or named entities rather than broad, open-ended funding.
The foundation’s typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $41,091 at the median, and $60,000 at the 75th percentile. That spread reflects a small number of meaningful awards rather than many microgrants. The recent record shows repeat support to the same grantee across multiple years, especially Freedom Service Dogs, which appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation is identified as a family foundation, with Joseph Panebianco in leadership. Its grants are project-specific and direct-service oriented, and the data does not indicate an application process or whether it accepts unsolicited proposals.
$70K
$1.8M
$327K
$122K
Most grants fall between $10K and $60K, with a median of $41K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$41K
75th Percentile
$60K
About 20% of grants go to recipients in CO.
JOSEPH PANEBIANCO
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Notable grantees: Freedom Service Dogs, charity: water, OVM's Legacy Foundation Corporation
The grant record is entirely U.S.-based. Colorado is the top state by grant count, driven by repeated awards to Englewood-based Freedom Service Dogs. Virginia also appears through a grant to Virginia Beach, and Maryland appears through a gift to Hagerstown. The foundation’s HQ is in Reston, Virginia, but that is not the same as its top giving state. The recipient pattern is regional rather than national, with one grantee accounting for most of the recent activity.
It funds service dog and assistive animal programs most often. Three of the five recent grants went to Freedom Service Dogs for Operation Freedom, the cost of two service dogs, and a matching effort tied to US Navy team veteran Thomas.
Yes. Its recent grants include support for a US Navy team veteran and multiple awards to Freedom Service Dogs, which points to veteran- and disability-related rehabilitation through animal-assisted services.
Its grant-size distribution is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $41,091 at the median, and $60,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants show both $10,000 awards and larger project grants in the $41,091 to $95,310 range.
Recent grants include Freedom Service Dogs, Charity Water, and Ovm's Legacy Foundation Corporation. Freedom Service Dogs appears multiple times across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Colorado receives the most grants in the recent record, largely through repeated funding to Englewood-based Freedom Service Dogs. The recipient list also includes organizations in Virginia and Maryland, and all recent grants are to U.S. recipients.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $60,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE COST OF TWO SERVICE DOGS |
| OVM'S LEGACY FOUNDATION CORPORATION | VIRGINIA BEACH, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $41,091 | 2024 | MATCHING VALOR WITH US NAVY TEAM VETERAN THOMAS |
| FREEDOM SERVICE DOGS | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $95,310 | 2023 | OPERATION FREEDOM |
| CHARITY WATER | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
OVM'S LEGACY FOUNDATION CORPORATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT