The Ujala Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on higher education, providing large, unrestricted gifts to prominent universities. Their giving appears focused on supporting institutional priorities at major research and professional schools rather than localized or grassroots nonprofits. The foundation favors a small number of high-dollar awards, including repeat support for at least one flagship university.
Highly concentrated: very few grants but large dollar amounts, including repeat funding to a single core grantee; predominately general-purpose gifts rather than program-specific awards.
Notable grantees: Johns Hopkins University, Drexel University — LeBow College of Business, Major research universities (as a class of preferred recipients)
A defining feature of Ujala Foundation’s recent giving is its repeated support for Johns Hopkins University, including two general-purpose awards of $2,075,000 in 2023 and $1,925,000 in 2025. That pattern points to a foundation that funds large institutions with flexible support rather than project-by-project microgrants. The foundation’s recent awards also extend to other universities and higher-education entities, such as Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business and Yale University, reinforcing a clear interest in academic institutions and professional schools. Beyond higher education, the foundation has made smaller general-purpose gifts to a limited set of nonprofits in legal aid, housing, food assistance, health, and community-serving organizations. Recipients include the Legal Aid Society of DC, Albemarle Housing Improvement Project, Arlington Food Assistance Center, and Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia. The overall profile is institutional and selective, with most awards landing at higher education institutions or established nonprofits rather than grassroots groups. Grant descriptions in the recent record are consistently general-purpose, indicating flexible funding rather than restricted program support.
Higher education is the clearest theme in Ujala Foundation’s giving. In 2025, it gave $250,000 to Drexel University's Lebow College of Business for a general-purpose contribution, and it also made a $50,000 general-purpose contribution to Yale University. Those grants show a preference for institutional support at universities, including a business school. The foundation also supports civic and community-facing work. It gave $40,000 in both 2023 and 2025 to the Legal Aid Society of DC, and $30,000 in both years to the Albemarle Housing Improvement Project. In Philadelphia, it made general-purpose gifts to the Philadelphia Zoo, the Franklin Institute, Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia. Smaller awards also went to food assistance and health-related organizations, including the Arlington Food Assistance Center and the American Parkinson Disease Association.
Ujala Foundation’s recent grant sizes cluster around flexible mid- to high-level awards, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $40,000. The same recipients appear across multiple years, including Johns Hopkins University, the Legal Aid Society of DC, Albemarle Housing Improvement Project, Arlington Food Assistance Center, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, which suggests recurring support rather than one-time grants. The foundation is an institutional grantmaker with no individual giving and no program-related investments reported. The recent record also shows general-purpose contributions as the dominant grant form.
$2.5M
$37.6M
$6.7M
$2.6M
Most grants fall between $5K and $40K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$40K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in PA.
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Ujala Foundation gives nationally, and all recent grants in the sample went to U.S. recipients. Washington, DC appears prominently through multiple grants to the Legal Aid Society of DC and a gift to the Howard C Liebengood Foundation. Philadelphia also stands out, with grants to Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business, The Franklin Institute, Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia. Baltimore appears through Johns Hopkins University, while Charlottesville and Arlington also appear in Virginia.
Its recent giving is centered on higher education and institutional support, especially universities and professional schools. The largest recent gifts went to Johns Hopkins University, and other education-related recipients include Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business and Yale University.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Johns Hopkins University, the Legal Aid Society of DC, Albemarle Housing Improvement Project, Arlington Food Assistance Center, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia. That pattern indicates recurring support rather than one-off awards.
The grant-size distribution is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $40,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from under $1,000 to more than $2 million, but many of the grants cluster around the $25,000 to $40,000 level.
Washington, DC is the top state-level recipient area by grant count in the data provided. Recent DC-area recipients include the Legal Aid Society of DC and the Howard C Liebengood Foundation.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $1,925,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| DREXEL UNIVERSITY'S LEBOW COLLEGE OF BUSINESS | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $250,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| INDIASPORA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| YALE UNIVERSITY | NEW HAVEN, CT | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DC | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| ALBEMARLE HOUSING IMPROVEMENT PROJECT | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| HOWARD C LIEBENGOOD FOUNDATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| DREXEL UNIVERSITY'S LEBOW COLLEGE OF BUSINESS | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| INDIAN PHILANTHROPY ALLIANCE | INDIANIPOLIS, IN | $12,500 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| IIT BOMBAY HERITAGE FUND | CUPERTINO, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| ARLINGTON FOOD ASSISTANCE CENTER | ARLINGTON, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| SAMARITAN HEALTHCARE & HOSPICE | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| AMERICAN PARKINSON DISEASE ASSOCIATION | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| BRIAN GRANT FOUNDATION | PORTLAND, OR | $900 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $1,525,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DC | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ALBEMARLE HOUSING IMPROVEMENT PROJECT | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PRATHAM USA | HOUSTON, TX | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| INDIAN AMERICAN IMPACT | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2024 | GENRAL PURPOSE |
| INDIASPORA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| INDIAN PHILANTHROPY ALLIANCE | INDIANIPOLIS, IN | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WHYY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PHILADELPHIA ZOO | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ARLINGTON FOOD ASSISTANCE CENTER | ARLINGTON, VA | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ACTIONS FOR INDIA | MILPITAS, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $2,075,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PRATHAM USA | HOUSTON, TX | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DC | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ALBEMARLE HOUSING IMPROVEMENT PROJECT | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PHILADELPHIA ZOO | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| INDIASPORA | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| DAVIT ORTIZ CHILDREN'S FUND | EL SEGUNDO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ARLINGTON FOOD ASSISTANCE CENTER | ARLINGTON, VA | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF PHILADELPHIA | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $1,500 | 2023 | GENRAL PURPOSE |
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
$1,925,000GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
DREXEL UNIVERSITY'S LEBOW COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
$250,000GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
YALE UNIVERSITY
$50,000GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
HOWARD C LIEBENGOOD FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
DREXEL UNIVERSITY'S LEBOW COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
$15,000GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
SAMARITAN HEALTHCARE & HOSPICE
$2,000GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
BRIAN GRANT FOUNDATION
$900GENERAL PURPOSE CONTRIBUTION
INDIAN PHILANTHROPY ALLIANCE
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PHILADELPHIA ZOO
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ACTIONS FOR INDIA
$1,000GENERAL PURPOSE
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF PHILADELPHIA
$1,500GENRAL PURPOSE