The Rhimes Foundation makes a small number of very large, targeted gifts focused on civic leadership, historical memory around civil rights, and independent K–12 education. Grants are often unrestricted or for core programs and the foundation shows a clear preference for a handful of high-impact institutions rather than broad, diffuse giving. Repeat awards to the same recipients suggest ongoing partnerships with grantees they view as strategic.
A $3,000,000 unrestricted grant to The Barack Obama Foundation is the clearest signal in The Rhimes Foundation’s recent giving: this funder makes a small number of large, targeted awards to institutions tied to civic leadership, civil rights memory, and education. Across the recent grants list, the foundation backs presidential and civic institutions, civil rights interpretive work, independent schools, and cultural organizations, often with general operating support or named funds that point to sustained relationships. That pattern appears in repeat awards to the same organizations over multiple years. The Emmett Till Interpretive Center received $750,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for the Barn Fund. Iama Theatre Company appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with $200,000 grants each year, while Filling in the Blanks and Trustees of Dartmouth College also recur across multiple years. The Rhimes Foundation also supports scholarships and school innovation, including CoLab programming at The Southport School and scholarship funding at Greens Farms Academy and Debbie Allen Dance Inc. The foundation’s grantmaking shows a preference for concentrated, high-value commitments rather than broad dispersal.
In civic leadership and public memory, The Rhimes Foundation gave $3,000,000 to The Barack Obama Foundation for general and unrestricted support and $750,000 in both 2024 and 2025 to the Emmett Till Interpretive Center for the Barn Fund. Those gifts place presidential history and civil rights interpretation at the center of its portfolio. Education is another clear thread. The foundation awarded $500,000 to The Southport School Inc for Southport School’s CoLab Program and a separate $500,000 for Southport Schools CoLab Programs. It also gave $250,000 to Greens Farms Academy Inc for the Vera Rhimes Scholarship Fund and $125,000 to Debbie Allen Dance Inc for the DAMS Scholarship Fund. Cultural and arts support appears through grants to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Inc for general and unrestricted support, and to Iama Theatre Company for general and unrestricted support across multiple years. That mix suggests a focus on institutions with both public-facing programming and long-term organizational infrastructure.
The Rhimes Foundation’s recent grants cluster around a typical size of $10,000 at the 25th percentile, a median of $25,000, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile, even though the portfolio also includes several much larger commitments. The pattern is selective: a few organizations receive repeated support across consecutive years, including Emmett Till Interpretive Center, Iama Theatre Company, Filling in the Blanks Inc, and Trustees of Dartmouth College. The foundation is a regular funder and the recent awards show a mix of general operating, scholarship, and named fund support, with no indication of a program-application process in the data provided.
$3.3M
$8.5M
$5.3M
$3.5M
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CT.
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Concentrated giving: very large gifts to a small number of organizations, with several repeat grants; emphasis on unrestricted or core program support rather than many small project grants.
Notable grantees: THE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION, EMMETT TILL INTERPRETIVE CENTER, THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL INC, MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based, with the highest concentration in Washington, DC. Other recurring recipient locations include New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA; and Connecticut cities such as Southport, Westport, and Norwalk. The giving footprint is national rather than local to the foundation’s headquarters in Wilmington, DE, and no recent grants in the list went to recipients in Delaware.
The recent grants point to civic leadership institutions, civil rights history and interpretive work, independent K–12 education, and arts and cultural organizations. Examples include The Barack Obama Foundation, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, The Southport School Inc, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Inc.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in 2024 and 2025, Iama Theatre Company in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Filling in the Blanks Inc in 2024 and 2025, and Trustees of Dartmouth College in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The grant-size distribution centers on $10,000 at the 25th percentile, a median of $25,000, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile. The recent list also includes several larger gifts, including a $3,000,000 grant and multiple $500,000 and $250,000 awards.
Recipients are all in the United States, and the top state by grant count is DC. Other recurring recipient locations include New York, Los Angeles, and several Connecticut cities such as Southport, Westport, and Norwalk.
The list includes general and unrestricted support, scholarship funds, annual funds, and project-specific support. Examples include unrestricted gifts, the Vera Rhimes Scholarship Fund, the Mobile Pantry Fund, and the When We All Vote grant to Civic Nation.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMMETT TILL INTERPRETIVE CENTER | SUMNER, MS | $750,000 | 2025 | Barn Fund |
| THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL INC | SOUTHPORT, CT | $500,000 | 2025 | Southport Schools CoLab Programs |
| THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL INC | SOUTHPORT, CT | $500,000 | 2025 | Southport School's CoLab Program |
| GREENS FARMS ACADEMY INC | WESTPORT, CT | $250,000 | 2025 | Vera Rhimes Scholarship Fund |
| LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| IAMA THEATRE COMPANY | LOS ANGELES, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $79,922 | 2025 | Mobile Pantry Fund |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $79,817 | 2025 | Q3 Mobile Pantry Fund |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $78,810 | 2025 | Q1 Mobile Pantry Fund |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $50,000 | 2025 | Annual Fund |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $50,000 | 2025 | Dartmouth College Fund |
| JOHN F KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | Trustees Annual Fund |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $50,000 | 2025 | Dartmouth Annual Fund |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $50,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CIVIC NATION | CAROL STREAM, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | When We All Vote |
| DEBBIE ALLEN DANCE INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | DAMS Scholarship Fund |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $26,550 | 2025 | December Mobile Pantry Fund |
| SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHLOE AND MAUD FOUNDATION INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| GREENS FARMS ACADEMY INC | WESTPORT, CT | $25,000 | 2025 | Annual Fund |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $25,000 | 2025 | Presidential Travel Account |
| HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| BEYOND 12 EDUCATION INC | OAKLAND, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE INC | WESTPORT, CT | $18,575 | 2025 | Playhouse Playmakers Program |
| COLORECTAL CANCER ALLIANCE INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| A BETTER CHANCE OF WESTPORT INC | WESTPORT, CT | $15,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| WESTPORT LIBRARY ASSOC | WESTPORT, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| GLAAD INC | PASADENA, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| WESTPORT ROTARY CLUB FOUNDATION INC | WESTPORT, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $10,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| SESAME WORKSHOP | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | General & Unrestricted |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE OF LOS ANGELES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL INC | SOUTHPORT, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | Charitable Event |
| EMMETT TILL INTERPRETIVE CENTER | SUMNER, MS | $750,000 | 2024 | Barn fund |
| LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $250,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| IAMA THEATRE COMPANY | N HOLLYWOOD, CA | $200,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| THE ACTORS FUND OF AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | Film & Television Professionals fund |
| TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE | HANOVER, NH | $50,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| PITTSBURGH FOUNDATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2024 | August Wilson House fund |
| DEBBIE ALLEN DANCE INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | DAMS Scholarship fund |
| HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $50,000 | 2024 | The mobile Pantry fund |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $28,800 | 2024 | October Mobile Food Pantry fund |
| FILLING IN THE BLANKS INC | NORWALK, CT | $26,800 | 2024 | Charitable Event |
| BEYOND 12 EDUCATION INC | OAKLAND, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| CHLOE AND MAUD FOUNDATION INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION | BOSTON, MA | $25,000 | 2024 | General Support Fund/Living History Campaign |
| A BETTER CHANCE OF WESTPORT INC | WESTPORT, CT | $15,000 | 2024 | Charitable Event |
| WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE INC | WESTPORT, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | General & Unrestricted |
| FRIENDS OF THE LEVITT PAVILION INC | WESTPORT, CT | $10,000 | 2024 | Summer Series fund |
THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL INC
$500,000Southport Schools CoLab Programs
THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL INC
$500,000Southport School's CoLab Program
General & Unrestricted
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
$50,000Annual Fund
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
$50,000Dartmouth College Fund
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
$50,000Dartmouth Annual Fund
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
$50,000General & Unrestricted
CIVIC NATION
$50,000When We All Vote
CHLOE AND MAUD FOUNDATION INC
$25,000General & Unrestricted
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
$25,000Presidential Travel Account
WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE INC
$18,575Playhouse Playmakers Program
A BETTER CHANCE OF WESTPORT INC
$15,000Charitable Event
WESTPORT LIBRARY ASSOC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
GLAAD INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
WESTPORT ROTARY CLUB FOUNDATION INC
$10,000Charitable Event
THE SOUTHPORT SCHOOL INC
$5,000Charitable Event
IAMA THEATRE COMPANY
$200,000General & Unrestricted
TRUSTEES OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
$50,000General & Unrestricted
CHLOE AND MAUD FOUNDATION INC
$25,000General & Unrestricted
A BETTER CHANCE OF WESTPORT INC
$15,000Charitable Event
WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE INC
$10,000General & Unrestricted
FRIENDS OF THE LEVITT PAVILION INC
$10,000Summer Series fund