The Valinhos Foundation is a highly concentrated, mission-focused funder that directs almost all of its resources to the University of Notre Dame and closely affiliated university entities. Its support appears aimed at strengthening higher education and university priorities in South Bend — likely capital, program, or institutional support for a Catholic research university. The foundation gives very large, multi-grant gifts to a single institutional beneficiary rather than spreading smaller awards across many organizations.
Valinhos Foundation Inc directs its largest recent support to mental health work at The University of Notre Dame, including a $4,750,000 grant in 2024 and a $1,050,000 grant in 2025. That pattern points to a funder that favors large, institution-level commitments rather than a broad spread of small awards. Across the recent grants list, the foundation repeatedly returns to Notre Dame and Notre Dame-affiliated entities, with additional support for related higher education, research, and charitable purposes tied to the same South Bend-centered institutional network. The scale of giving is substantial for a concentrated local funder: annual grants given are $11,223,308, and the typical award size is in the six-figure range. Recent gifts also include recurring support for The Congregation of Holy Cross United States Province Inc, Indiana University Foundation Inc, and The University of Notre Dame Du Lac, showing a pattern of repeated institutional giving. The result is a grantmaking profile built around a small set of closely connected beneficiaries, with mental health, education, and university support appearing most often in the grant descriptions.
Mental health is the clearest subject area in the recent grants list. Valinhos Foundation Inc gave $175,830 to Reginald S Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children for mental health, $167,874 to Boys & Girls Clubs of St Joseph County for mental health, and $115,000 to Sagamore Institute Inc for mental health. The same theme appears in support for St Margaret's House, Mental Health Awareness Michiana Inc, and Oaklawn Psychiatric Center Inc. Higher education is another consistent thread. The foundation awarded $333,070 to Indiana University Foundation Inc for charitable purposes and $285,000 to the same organization for educational purposes, while also providing $62,000 to Holy Cross College for mental health-related work. Medical and research-oriented giving appears as well, including $100,000 to The University of Notre Dame Du Lac for medical research and $50,000 to Mayo Clinic for mental health.
Valinhos Foundation Inc’s typical grant size is $60,430 at the 25th percentile, $151,064 at the median, and $285,000 at the 75th percentile, which places its awards firmly in the institutional-grant range. The grant list shows repeated gifts to the same organizations across multiple years, especially The University of Notre Dame, Indiana University Foundation Inc, and The Congregation of Holy Cross United States Province Inc. That repeat pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation is a private grantmaker and does not fund individuals. All listed recent grants are programmatic or charitable in nature, with no evidence in the data of an open application process.
$3.3M
$87M
$5.6M
$3.7M
Most grants fall between $60K and $285K, with a median of $151K.
25th Percentile
$60K
Median
$151K
75th Percentile
$285K
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Highly concentrated giving: very large grants (multi-million-dollar) directed to one primary repeated grantee across multiple payments rather than broad, diversified funding
Notable grantees: THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC, Notre Dame–affiliated programs and capital initiatives
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly concentrated in Indiana: 94% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and the top state by grant count is IN. South Bend and Notre Dame account for much of the activity, alongside Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Goshen, and Bloomington. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 30 grants in the United States and no listed international recipients.
The recent grants list is dominated by higher education and mental health-related institutions. Recipients include The University of Notre Dame, Indiana University Foundation Inc, The Congregation of Holy Cross United States Province Inc, and several mental health organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of St Joseph County and Reginald S Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children.
Typical awards are substantial: the 25th percentile is $60,430, the median is $151,064, and the 75th percentile is $285,000. The recent grants list also includes larger institutional gifts, including a $4,750,000 grant to The University of Notre Dame in 2024.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated support for the same institutions across multiple years, including The University of Notre Dame, Indiana University Foundation Inc, and The Congregation of Holy Cross United States Province Inc.
Its grantmaking is concentrated in Indiana. The data says 94% of grants go to recipients in IN, and the recipient list includes South Bend, Notre Dame, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Goshen, and Bloomington.
No. The foundation’s profile indicates that it does not fund individuals; its recent grants are made to organizations such as universities, religious institutions, and mental health nonprofits.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | SOUTH BEND, IN | $1,050,000 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $900,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $333,070 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE CONGREGATION OF HOLY CROSS UNITED STATES PROVINCE INC | NOTRE DAME, IN | $200,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| REGINALD S LOURIE CENTER FOR INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN | ROCKVILLE, MD | $175,830 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF ST JOSEPH COUNTY | SOUTH BEND, IN | $167,874 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| SAGAMORE INSTITUTE INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $115,000 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MICHIANA INC | SOUTH BEND, IN | $87,000 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE SOUTH BEND | FORT WAYNE, IN | $65,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| HOLY CROSS COLLEGE | NOTRE DAME, IN | $62,000 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| RESCUE INC DBA HOPE MINISTRIES | SOUTH BEND, IN | $35,250 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| ST PAUL CENTER BLOOMINGTON INC | BLOOMINGTON, IN | $33,334 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| MINDFUL PHILANTHROPY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $25,000 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| OAKLAWN PSYCHIATRIC CENTER INC | GOSHEN, IN | $7,916 | 2025 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | SOUTH BEND, IN | $4,750,000 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $900,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $205,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| THE CONGREGATION OF HOLY CROSS UNITED STATES PROVINCE INC | NOTRE DAME, IN | $200,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| ST MARGARET'S HOUSE | SOUTH BEND, IN | $102,128 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF ST JOSEPH COUNTY | SOUTH BEND, IN | $63,906 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE SOUTH BEND | FORT WAYNE, IN | $50,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| MAYO CLINIC | ROCHESTER, MN | $50,000 | 2024 | MENTAL HEALTH |
| BASHOR HOME OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | GOSHEN, IN | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC | NOTRE DAME, IN | $600,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $285,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $285,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE CONGREGATION OF HOLY CROSS UNITED STATES PROVINCE INC | NOTRE DAME, IN | $200,000 | 2023 | RELIGIOUS |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC | NOTRE DAME, IN | $100,000 | 2023 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| POTAWATOMI ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY | SOUTH BEND, IN | $100,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL |
| DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE SOUTH BEND | FORT WAYNE, IN | $50,000 | 2023 | RELIGIOUS |
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$1,050,000MENTAL HEALTH
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$900,000CHARITABLE
INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC
$333,070CHARITABLE
THE CONGREGATION OF HOLY CROSS UNITED STATES PROVINCE INC
$200,000CHARITABLE
REGINALD S LOURIE CENTER FOR INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
$175,830MENTAL HEALTH
MENTAL HEALTH
DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE SOUTH BEND
$65,000CHARITABLE
HOLY CROSS COLLEGE
$62,000MENTAL HEALTH
RESCUE INC DBA HOPE MINISTRIES
$35,250MENTAL HEALTH
ST PAUL CENTER BLOOMINGTON INC
$33,334MENTAL HEALTH
THE CONGREGATION OF HOLY CROSS UNITED STATES PROVINCE INC
$200,000CHARITABLE
DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE SOUTH BEND
$50,000CHARITABLE
MAYO CLINIC
$50,000MENTAL HEALTH
BASHOR HOME OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$25,000CHARITABLE
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC
$600,000EDUCATIONAL
THE CONGREGATION OF HOLY CROSS UNITED STATES PROVINCE INC
$200,000RELIGIOUS
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC
$100,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
DIOCESE OF FORT WAYNE SOUTH BEND
$50,000RELIGIOUS