About Yawkey Foundation
The Yawkey Foundation concentrates its giving on sustaining and improving the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in South Carolina, funding capital, maintenance, and education programs administered through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Although based in Dedham, MA, the foundation’s philanthropy is focused geographically on a single conservation legacy project and supports infrastructure and public programming rather than broad grantmaking across sectors.
Focus Areas
Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center — capital projects and facility maintenanceHabitat management and wildlife conservation tied to a named legacy propertyEnvironmental and outdoor education programming at a state-run wildlife centerPartnerships with state agencies for stewardship of donor-designated lands
Who They Fund
underserved individuals and communitiesunderserved youthstudents (college and K-12)people with disabilitiesretired clergy
About Yawkey Foundation
The Yawkey Foundation’s defining grantmaking pattern is its sustained support for the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in Georgetown, South Carolina. Three of the largest recent awards — including $2,017,719 in 2025, $1,699,326 in 2023, and $1,508,001 in 2024 — went to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for ongoing capital, maintenance, and education programs at that site. That long-running commitment shows that the foundation’s philanthropy is built around stewardship of a named legacy property rather than broad, sector-wide funding. Alongside that conservation anchor, the foundation also funds health care access, education, youth enrichment, scholarship support, and facility capital. Recent recipients include Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc, Clemson University Foundation, and Camp Harbor View Foundation Inc. Those awards suggest a mix of program support and capital assistance, with recurring grants to some organizations over multiple years. The foundation’s grantmaking reaches both Massachusetts and South Carolina, but the conservation legacy project remains the clearest through-line in its recent record.
What Yawkey Foundation Funds
In conservation, the Yawkey Foundation has backed the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center through major ongoing support for capital, maintenance, and education programming administered by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. It also gave $111,000 in both 2024 and 2025 to Clemson University Foundation for nature and wildlife programs focused on conservation, protection, and education. Health care is another visible area. The foundation awarded $100,000 in 2023, $100,000 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2025 to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with the latest grant described as health care access for underserved individuals and communities. It also gave $125,000 to Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Inc in 2023 for health care support for underserved individuals. Education and youth enrichment appear in grants such as $100,000 to Bethel Institute for Community Development for education and enrichment opportunities for underserved youth, and $50,000 to Camp Harbor View Foundation Inc for recreation and enrichment camp opportunities for underserved youth.
How Yawkey Foundation Gives
Typical grant sizes cluster around $15,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile, though the foundation also makes much larger strategic and capital awards. The recent record shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, including the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Clemson University Foundation, Lee Memorial Health System Foundation Inc, Camp Harbor View Foundation Inc, Yale University, Allen-Chase Foundation, Ron Burton Training Village Inc, and Trustees of Boston College. Yawkey Foundation gives through multiple named programs, including Strategic Investment Grants, Transformational Capital Grants, Program & Small Capital Grants, and the Yawkey Scholars Program. The first three accept unsolicited proposals; the scholars program does not.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.9M
Total Assets
$77.9M
Total Revenue
$4.8M
Total Expenses
$4.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National5 states funded
About 43% of grants go to recipients in SC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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