The Towle Family Foundation concentrates its giving on faith-affiliated education and residential youth programs, alongside a smaller stream of support for higher-education scholarships and local cultural/historic institutions. Grants are often sizable and directed to operational stability or strategic development rather than one-off projects, and the foundation shows a preference for repeat relationships with a handful of organizations. Its portfolio emphasizes residential camps and schools that serve youth development, plus family leadership and community-facing historic/cultural sites.
Towle Family Foundation’s recent grantmaking is anchored by faith-affiliated education and residential youth programs, with repeated support for institutions that need operating strength, strategic planning, or endowment growth. The largest grant in the recent list was $310,000 to Principia School for strategy study and operations, followed by a $250,000 grant to the same school the next year for the same purpose. That pattern points to a funder that stays with organizations over time rather than only backing one-off projects. The foundation also supports family leadership and youth-serving camps that combine education, formation, and residential programming. Family Leadership Center received $250,000 for highest operating priorities and $230,000 for support to growth and mission focus, while Camp Newfound Owatonna and Cedars Camp each received six-figure general operating support. Scholarship support appears as a separate thread, including an endowed scholarship fund at Washington University. Cultural and historic institutions also appear in the portfolio, showing that the foundation’s interests extend beyond schools and camps into community-serving preservation work.
Faith-based K–12 schooling is one of the clearest themes. Principia School received $250,000 for strategy study and operations in 2025, following a $310,000 grant in 2024 for the same purpose, suggesting a sustained emphasis on institutional planning and operating capacity. Residential youth camps form another major category. Camp Newfound Owatonna received $200,000 for general operations in 2024 and another $150,000 in 2025, while Cedars Camp was awarded $200,000 and then $150,000 for general operations. These grants point to support for ongoing programming rather than discrete projects. The foundation also funds scholarship and student support. Washington University received $220,000 for an endowed scholarship fund in 2024 and $150,000 in 2025 for the same purpose. Elsewhere, Cape Eleuthera Foundation received $25,000 for tuition assistance for semester and summer term students.
Typical grants sit in a sizable operating range, with p25 at $50,000, a median of $135,000, and p75 at $200,000. The recent list shows repeated support to the same recipients across years, including multiple grants to Principia School, Family Leadership Center, Camp Newfound Owatonna, Cedars Camp, and Washington University. That repeat pattern suggests relationship-based grantmaking rather than isolated awards. The foundation is a family foundation and also funds individuals, and the recent grants lean toward operating support, endowment growth, strategy work, and scholarship support rather than program-only funding.
$2.6M
$95M
$10M
$2.9M
Most grants fall between $50K and $200K, with a median of $135K.
25th Percentile
$50K
Median
$135K
75th Percentile
$200K
About 9% of grants go to recipients in MO.
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Concentrated, mid-to-large grants to a small set of repeat grantees; emphasis on general operating and strategy/organizational support rather than many small, one-time awards. Funding mixes multi-grant relationships and targeted endowment support, indicating long-term partnerships and capacity-building priorities.
Notable grantees: Principia School, Cedars Camp, Family Leadership Center, Camp Newfound Owatonna, Adventure Unlimited
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States in the recent list. The foundation gives most often in Maine, with organizations in Yarmouth, Harrison, and other Maine locations appearing repeatedly. Other frequent recipient cities include Saint Louis, Missouri; Greenwood Village, Colorado; and DeKalb, Illinois. Recent grants also reached Menlo Park, California; Kutztown, Pennsylvania; and Queen Creek, Arizona, indicating a national spread rather than a single local market.
The recent grants lean toward faith-affiliated education, residential youth camps, family leadership organizations, scholarship funds, and a smaller set of historic or cultural institutions. Examples include school strategy and operations support, camp general operations, endowed scholarship funding, and operating priorities for a family leadership nonprofit.
Yes. Several organizations appear more than once in the recent list, including Principia School, Family Leadership Center, Camp Newfound Owatonna, Cedars Camp, and Washington University. In multiple cases, the follow-up grant is for the same general purpose, such as operations or scholarship support.
The recent distribution centers on mid-six-figure support: p25 is $50,000, the median is $135,000, and p75 is $200,000. Grants below that range appear too, but many of the largest awards go to operating support, endowment growth, and strategy work.
Maine is the top state by grant count in the recent data, with recipient locations including Yarmouth and Harrison. The foundation also gives regularly in Missouri, Colorado, and Illinois, and the recent grants are spread across multiple U.S. states.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principia School | Saint Louis, MO | $1,000,000 | 2026 | Strategy study & operations |
| Universal Gifted Savings Inc | Rolling Hills Estate, CA | $250,000 | 2026 | General fund |
| Washington Universtiy | Saint Louis, MO | $250,000 | 2026 | Endowed Scholarship Fund |
| Mad Agriculture | Boulder, CO | $200,000 | 2026 | Highest operating needs |
| Camp Newfound Owatonna | Harrison, ME | $150,000 | 2026 | General operations |
| Cedars Camp | Ballwin, MO | $150,000 | 2026 | General Operations |
| Adventure Unlimited | Greenwood Village, CO | $150,000 | 2026 | General Operations and staff housing project |
| Rodale Institute | Kutztown, PA | $100,000 | 2026 | New education building |
| Ellwood House | Dekalb, IL | $100,000 | 2026 | Highest Priorities |
| Active Discovery | Newport Coast, CA | $60,000 | 2026 | Highest operating priorities |
| University City Children's Center | Saint Louis, MO | $60,000 | 2026 | General Operations |
| City Academy | Saint Louis, MO | $50,000 | 2026 | Endowment fund |
| Peace Haven | Saint Louis, MO | $25,000 | 2026 | Highest operating priorities |
| Camp Leelanau Kohanna Foundation | Maple City, MI | $25,000 | 2026 | Operating endowment fund |
| Universal Giving | Menlo Park, CA | $25,000 | 2026 | General Operations |
| Cape Eleuthera Foundation | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 2026 | Tuition assistance for semester and summer term students |
| Principia School | Saint Louis, MO | $250,000 | 2025 | Strategy study & operations |
| Family Leadership Center | Yarmouth, ME | $230,000 | 2025 | Support to growth & mission focus |
| Adventure Unlimited | Greenwood Village, CO | $150,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| Cedars Camp | Ballwin, MO | $150,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| Washington Universtiy | Saint Louis, MO | $150,000 | 2025 | Endowed Scholarship Fund |
| Camp Newfound Owatonna | Harrison, ME | $150,000 | 2025 | General operations |
| Ellwood House | Dekalb, IL | $100,000 | 2025 | Highest Priorities |
| City Academy | Saint Louis, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | Endowment fund |
| Rodale Institute | Kutztown, PA | $76,000 | 2025 | New education building |
| Peace Haven | Saint Louis, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| Universal Giving | Menlo Park, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| University City Children's Center | Saint Louis, MO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| Camp Leelanau Kohanna Foundation | Maple City, MI | $25,000 | 2025 | Operating endowment fund |
| Cape Eleuthera Foundation | Philadelphia, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | Tuition assistance for semester and summer term students |
| Active Discovery | Newport Coast, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | General Operations |
| Campership Fund for Christian Scien | Edgewater, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | General Fund |
| PRINCIPIA SCHOOL | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $310,000 | 2024 | STRATEGY STUDY & OPERATIONS |
| ELLWOOD HOUSE | DEKALB, IL | $250,000 | 2024 | HIGHEST PRIORITIES |
| WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $220,000 | 2024 | ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND |
| CAMP NEWFOUND OWATONNA | HARRISON, ME | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| PEACE HAVEN | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| ADVENTURE UNLIMITED | GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CEDARS CAMP | BALLWIN, MO | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CITY ACADEMY | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $150,000 | 2024 | ENDOWMENT FUND |
| FAMILY LEADERSHIP CENTER | YARMOUTH, ME | $120,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT TO GROWTH & MISSION FOCUS |
| UNIVERSITY CITY CHILDREN'S CENTER | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| CAMP LEELANAU & KOHAHNA FOUNDATION | MAPLE CITY, MI | $100,000 | 2024 | OPERATING ENDOWMENT FUND |
| UNIVERSAL GIVING | MENLO PARK, CA | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| RAINBOW VALLEY RESOURCE NETWORK | QUEEN CREEK, AZ | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| FAMILY LEADERSHIP CENTER | YARMOUTH, ME | $250,000 | 2023 | HIGHEST OPERATING PRIORITIES |
Principia School
$1,000,000Strategy study & operations
Universal Gifted Savings Inc
$250,000General fund
Camp Newfound Owatonna
$150,000General operations
General Operations
Ellwood House
$100,000Highest Priorities
Active Discovery
$60,000Highest operating priorities
University City Children's Center
$60,000General Operations
Camp Leelanau Kohanna Foundation
$25,000Operating endowment fund
Universal Giving
$25,000General Operations
Tuition assistance for semester and summer term students
Principia School
$250,000Strategy study & operations
Family Leadership Center
$230,000Support to growth & mission focus
Washington Universtiy
$150,000Endowed Scholarship Fund
Camp Newfound Owatonna
$150,000General operations
Ellwood House
$100,000Highest Priorities
Universal Giving
$50,000General Operations
University City Children's Center
$25,000General Operations
Camp Leelanau Kohanna Foundation
$25,000Operating endowment fund
Tuition assistance for semester and summer term students
Active Discovery
$20,000General Operations
Campership Fund for Christian Scien
$10,000General Fund
PRINCIPIA SCHOOL
$310,000STRATEGY STUDY & OPERATIONS
ELLWOOD HOUSE
$250,000HIGHEST PRIORITIES
CAMP NEWFOUND OWATONNA
$200,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
CEDARS CAMP
$200,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
FAMILY LEADERSHIP CENTER
$120,000SUPPORT TO GROWTH & MISSION FOCUS
UNIVERSITY CITY CHILDREN'S CENTER
$100,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
CAMP LEELANAU & KOHAHNA FOUNDATION
$100,000OPERATING ENDOWMENT FUND
UNIVERSAL GIVING
$50,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
RAINBOW VALLEY RESOURCE NETWORK
$25,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
FAMILY LEADERSHIP CENTER
$250,000HIGHEST OPERATING PRIORITIES