The Schooner Foundation makes a small number of large, strategic grants focused on civic power, environmental conservation, and strengthening health and social‑work leadership in the Boston region and nationally. Their giving mixes national civil‑rights organizing (notably repeat support for the NAACP) with major gifts to conservation and to academic/medical institutions that build applied social‑health capacity. Grants appear targeted to programmatic initiatives and endowed leadership positions rather than general operating micropayments.
The Schooner Foundation c/o Schooner Capital LLC has made a pattern of large, targeted grants for civic power, global health equity, and environmental work, with 2025 awards ranging from a $2,000,000 grant to the NAACP’s Building Community Voices Fund to a $1,350,000 grant to The Nature Conservancy for Leveraging our Lands. The same year, the foundation backed Boston University’s Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health with $1,000,000 and Brigham and Women’s Hospital with $625,000 for the Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Distinguished Chair. That mix shows a funder that favors major program commitments, endowed leadership, and institution-based initiatives rather than a wide spread of small awards. Its recent grants also link national organizing to applied research and service infrastructure, including support for the NAACP, Boston University, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The foundation’s active grantmaking program is invitation-only and covers human rights and social justice, global health equity, education and economic empowerment, and environment.
In democratic participation and community power-building, the foundation gave $500,000 to State Leadership Project for the Strategic Victory Fund and $258,000 to the NAACP for Focused Support. For conservation, it awarded $1,350,000 to The Nature Conservancy for Leveraging our Lands and $350,000 to Turquoise Mountain Foundation for Focused Support. In health systems and training, the foundation provided $500,000 to Trustees of Boston University for the Center for Forced Displacement and $250,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital for the Rural Health Fellowship Program. It also supported humanitarian health work with $250,000 to Syrian American Medical Society Foundation for Focused Support and $250,000 to Seed Global Health Inc for Global Health Equity - Emergency Medical Training, Uganda.
Typical grants cluster in the mid-five-figure to low-six-figure range: p25 is $10,000, median is $50,000, and p75 is $100,000. The recent record shows a small number of much larger awards layered on top of that core distribution, including seven-figure commitments. Recipients appear across multiple years, with Boston University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Partners in Health, UCSF Foundation, Vet Voice Foundation Inc, and the NAACP all showing up in both 2023 and 2025. The foundation is a regular funder, and the active program lists invitation-only grantmaking. It also funds individuals, but the recent grants provided here are organizational awards.
$19.4M
$253.7M
$18.7M
$27.7M
Most grants fall between $10K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Schooner Foundation C/O Schooner Capital.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 362 | $37.4M | 99.5% |
| 2 | Uganda |
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants (five grants totaling $6.475M) with repeat funding to at least one core grantee; favors targeted program funds and endowed/leadership positions over many small awards.
Notable grantees: NAACP, The Nature Conservancy, Trustees of Boston University (BU Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health), Brigham and Women's Hospital
Although the foundation gives nationally, grant recipients are concentrated in a handful of U.S. cities. Baltimore appears through multiple NAACP awards, while Boston shows up repeatedly via Boston University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Partners in Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, and African Visionary Fund. Washington, DC is another frequent recipient location, including the Syrian American Medical Society Foundation, Protect Democracy, and Fund for Global Human Rights. Additional grants reached Arlington, VA; Raleigh, NC; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; and North Hollywood, CA. All recorded recipient grants in the data are in the United States.
Its active programs cover human rights and social justice, global health equity, education and economic empowerment, and environment. Recent grants show those themes in practice through support for civic organizing, conservation, social-work and health training, forced-displacement work, and humanitarian medical aid.
No. The active grantmaking program is invitation-only, and the foundation’s listed programs accept proposals by invitation only.
The distribution centers on $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $100,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include larger strategic grants above that range.
No. The grants are national, with recipients in many U.S. locations. Massachusetts recipients account for 22% of grants, while New York is the top state by grant count.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Boston University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Partners in Health, UCSF Foundation, Vet Voice Foundation Inc, and the NAACP. That pattern suggests recurring relationships rather than one-off awards.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 2 |
| $99K |
0.6% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAACP | Baltimore, MD | $2,000,000 | 2025 | Building Community Voices Fund |
| NAACP | Baltimore, MD | $1,500,000 | 2025 | Building Community Voices Fund |
| The Nature Conservancy | Arlington, VA | $1,350,000 | 2025 | Leveraging our Lands |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Boston University Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital | Boston, MA | $625,000 | 2025 | Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Distinguished Chair |
| Here Right Matters Foundation | Dumfries, VA | $590,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $500,000 | 2025 | Center for Forced Displacement |
| State Leadership Project | Raleigh, NC | $500,000 | 2025 | Strategic Victory Fund |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital | Boston, MA | $500,000 | 2025 | Hiatt Residency |
| American Ireland Fund | Boston, MA | $444,485 | 2025 | Trinity College Dublin |
| Turquoise Mountain Foundation | Washington, DC | $350,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| Partners in Health a Non Profit Corporation | Boston, MA | $300,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| NAACP | Baltimore, MD | $258,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| Syrian American Medical Society Foundation | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| UCSF Foundation | San Francisco, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | HEAL Initiative |
| Vet Voice Foundation Inc | Portland, OR | $250,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| Last Mile Health | Boston, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | General Support (Liberia, Malawi) |
| Syrian American Medical Society Foundation | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| Seed Global Health Inc | Boston, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | General operations in Uganda |
| Protect Democracy | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Roddenberry Foundation | North Hollywood, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | Plus 1 Global Fund for Food Security |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | Rural Health Fellowship Program |
| African Visionary Fund | Boston, MA | $250,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Madre Inc | New York, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Hopewell Fund | Washington, DC | $250,000 | 2025 | Free Election Fund |
| Tennessee Innocence Project | Nashville, TN | $200,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Nyaya Health | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Brennan Center for Justice | New York, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Fortify Inc | Belfast, ME | $175,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| Boston Children's Hospital | Boston, MA | $160,000 | 2025 | Dept of Global Health Equity |
| Choose Love Inc | New York, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Here Right Matters Foundation | Dumfries, VA | $150,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| The American Independent Foundation | Washington, DC | $150,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| The Marshall Project Inc | New York, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Myriad USA | New York, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | SHM Foundation US Fund - Ember |
| Crossover Mission Inc | Vero Beach, FL | $125,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Plan A Health Inc | New York, NY | $125,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Trustees of Boston University | Boston, MA | $125,000 | 2025 | President Brown Fund |
| NAACP | Baltimore, MD | $104,000 | 2025 | Building Community Voices Fund |
| Shirley Ryan Ability Lab | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | Perez Lab |
| Texas Freedom Network Education Fund | Austin, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Stephen C Rose Legacy Foundation | Providence, RI | $100,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| Myriad USA | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | ACADES |
| Harvard Medical School | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | Focused Support |
| Hack Diversity Inc | Boston, MA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Myriad USA | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | Amna |
| Teach United | Fort Collins, CO | $100,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Shirley Ryan Ability Lab | Chicago, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | Perez Lab |
| Recidiviz Inc | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | General Support |
| Myriad USA | New York, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | Wandikweza |
NAACP
$2,000,000Building Community Voices Fund
NAACP
$1,500,000Building Community Voices Fund
Boston University Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health
Brigham and Women's Hospital
$625,000Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Distinguished Chair
Here Right Matters Foundation
$590,000General Operations
Brigham and Women's Hospital
$500,000Hiatt Residency
Partners in Health a Non Profit Corporation
$300,000Focused Support
NAACP
$258,000Focused Support
UCSF Foundation
$250,000HEAL Initiative
Vet Voice Foundation Inc
$250,000Focused Support
Roddenberry Foundation
$250,000Plus 1 Global Fund for Food Security
Massachusetts General Hospital
$250,000Rural Health Fellowship Program
African Visionary Fund
$250,000General Support
Nyaya Health
$200,000General Support
Brennan Center for Justice
$200,000General Support
Fortify Inc
$175,000General Operations
Boston Children's Hospital
$160,000Dept of Global Health Equity
Here Right Matters Foundation
$150,000Focused Support
NAACP
$104,000Building Community Voices Fund
Harvard Medical School
$100,000Focused Support
Recidiviz Inc
$100,000General Support