The David and Terri Kester Foundation funds large, mission-driven humanitarian and community organizations with an emphasis on international relief, hunger/poverty alleviation, and faith-based service. Grants are typically unrestricted or for general charitable purposes and include both major national/international charities and a handful of local educational and community media recipients. The portfolio reflects a mix of disaster/emergency response, long-term development for children and families, and environmental conservation, with some support for Catholic institutions consistent with faith-based giving.
A recurring pattern in the David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc’s recent giving is its support for large humanitarian organizations on both sides of emergency response and long-term relief. In 2025, the foundation gave $30,000 to Doctors Without Borders and $30,000 to Save the Children, while 2024 grants show the same two organizations receiving major support again. That repeat funding points to a grantmaker that backs established nonprofits rather than one-off local projects. The foundation also supports food access and disaster-related aid through groups such as Feeding America, Food for the Poor, and the American Red Cross. Faith-based service appears alongside that humanitarian work, with grants to Catholic Relief Services, Sisters of Mercy-northeast Community, and Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. Environmental conservation is present as well, through support for World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy. Overall, the portfolio mixes unrestricted or general-charitable grants with general operating support, and it includes both national organizations and a small set of North Carolina-linked or local recipients such as UNC Chapel Hill and 907 WMFE. The pattern suggests broad charitable giving centered on relief, family support, faith-based service, and conservation.
International relief is a clear theme. The foundation gave $30,000 in 2025 to Doctors Without Borders for general charitable purposes and $20,000 in 2025 to World Vision Inc for the same designation, pointing to support for global medical and humanitarian work. Child and family-focused development also appears. Save the Children received $25,000 in 2024 and $30,000 in 2025, while Usfund for UNICEF received $20,000 in 2025. Those grants sit alongside Food for the Poor, which received $20,000 in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation also funds community needs in the United States. Feeding America received $25,000 in 2025 for general operations, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida received $20,000 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025. In housing and faith-based service, Habitat for Humanity received $20,000 in both 2024 and 2025, and Catholic Relief Services received $25,025 in 2025.
Typical grant size clusters in the $10,000 to $25,000 range, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $25,000. The recent record shows repeat awards to the same organizations across 2024 and 2025, including several pairs of matching grants at the same or similar amounts, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. The foundation appears to operate as a private family foundation making direct grants. Grants are described largely as general charitable support, with at least one general operating grant in the list. No application process is shown in the data provided.
$554K
$4.4M
$199K
$349K
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 6% of grants go to recipients in FL.
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Moderate number of mid-to-large unrestricted grants concentrated among well-known national and international NGOs; many organizations receive repeat grants (often two) indicating preference for established partners rather than many small, experimental gifts.
Notable grantees: Doctors Without Borders, Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Feeding America, Nature Conservancy
Giving is national, with all listed recipients in the United States. Florida appears frequently in the recipient list, including Orlando and Coconut Creek, and the top state by grant count is Florida. Other repeated recipient cities include New York, Fairfield, Baltimore, Federal Way, and Americus. The foundation’s own HQ is in Asheville, North Carolina, and 6% of grants go to recipients in North Carolina.
The recent grants lean toward humanitarian, hunger-relief, faith-based, and conservation organizations. Examples in the data include Doctors Without Borders, Feeding America, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision Inc, and World Wildlife Fund, with several awards marked general charitable or general operating support.
The stated grant-size distribution centers on mid-sized awards: p25 is $10,000, the median is $20,000, and p75 is $25,000. Recent grants also include several $30,000 awards, which sit above that core range.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2024 and 2025, including Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, American Red Cross, Catholic Relief Services, Food for the Poor, World Vision Inc, Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, and Sisters of Mercy-northeast Community.
The grants are national and all listed recipients are in the U.S. Florida is the top state by grant count, with repeated recipients in Orlando and Coconut Creek. North Carolina recipients account for 6% of grants.
No. The recent grants show several lines of giving: international emergency and medical relief, child-focused development, hunger relief, faith-based service, housing support, and environmental conservation. The same foundation gave to groups such as Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, and Nature Conservancy.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN | FAIRFIELD, CT | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | BOONE, IA | $27,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES | BALTIMORE, MD | $25,025 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| UNC CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| FEEDING AMERICA | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONS |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | AMERICUS, GA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| USFUND FOR UNICEF | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| FOOD FOR THE POOR | COCONUT CREEK, FL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| WORLD VISION INC | FEDERAL WAY, WA | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA | ORLANDO, FL | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| SISTERS OF MERCY-NORTHEAST COMMUNITY | CUMBERLAND, RI | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| WORLD WILDLIFE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS INC DBA 907 WMFE | ORLANDO, FL | $7,500 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| COVENANT HOUSE | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| CLARKSON UNIVERSITY | POTSDAM, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | BOONE, IA | $30,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN | FAIRFIELD, CT | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| UNC CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES | BALTIMORE, MD | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | AMERICUS, GA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA | ORLANDO, FL | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| WORLD VISION INC | FEDERAL WAY, WA | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| FOOD FOR THE POOR | COCONUT CREEK, FL | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| SISTERS OF MERCY-NORTHEAST COMMUNITY | CUMBERLAND, RI | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| WORLD WILDLIFE FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS INC DBA 907 WMFE | ORLANDO, FL | $7,500 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
| HOLY TRINITY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH | UTICA, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | GENER |
| CLARKSON UNIVERSITY | POTSDAM, NY | $1,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITABLE |
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$30,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
SAVE THE CHILDREN
$30,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
AMERICAN RED CROSS
$27,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
$25,025GENERAL CHARITABLE
UNC CHAPEL HILL
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
FEEDING AMERICA
$25,000GENERAL OPERATIONS
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
GENERAL CHARITABLE
USFUND FOR UNICEF
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
FOOD FOR THE POOR
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
WORLD VISION INC
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
$15,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
SISTERS OF MERCY-NORTHEAST COMMUNITY
$10,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
NATURE CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
$10,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS INC DBA 907 WMFE
$7,500GENERAL CHARITABLE
COVENANT HOUSE
$5,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
CLARKSON UNIVERSITY
$1,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
AMERICAN RED CROSS
$30,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
SAVE THE CHILDREN
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
UNC CHAPEL HILL
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
$25,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
WORLD VISION INC
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
FOOD FOR THE POOR
$20,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
NATURE CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
SISTERS OF MERCY-NORTHEAST COMMUNITY
$10,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
$10,000GENERAL CHARITABLE
COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS INC DBA 907 WMFE
$7,500GENERAL CHARITABLE
HOLY TRINITY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
$5,000GENER
CLARKSON UNIVERSITY
$1,000GENERAL CHARITABLE