The Kaelber Private Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education, with the vast majority of funds directed to Lehigh University, and modest support for general charitable relief through organizations like The Salvation Army. Grants are few but sizable, suggesting targeted institutional philanthropy rather than broad community grantmaking. The foundation appears to favor repeat, unrestricted contributions to a primary university beneficiary and occasional donations to social service charities.
Concentrated giving: a small number of relatively large grants dominated by repeat support to a single higher-education institution, with occasional smaller gifts to mainstream social service organizations.
Kaelber Private Foundation’s largest recent gifts go to Lehigh University: $150,000 in 2024 and $149,361 in 2025, both described as contributions to be used for charitable purposes. That repeated university support is the clearest marker of how the foundation gives. Beyond that anchor, the foundation’s recent awards show a smaller set of charitable and public media recipients, including Salvation Army, Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, and several public radio and TV outlets. The overall pattern is concentrated rather than dispersed, with grants generally landing in the low-thousands and only a few awards reaching into the tens of thousands. The foundation also appears to use straightforward contribution language, often specifying that funds are to be used for charitable purposes. Recent grants include support for institutions in higher education, emergency relief, faith-based organizations, health-related charities, and public broadcasting. Taken together, the foundation looks like a targeted private funder that maintains a primary institutional relationship while making occasional grants to community-serving nonprofits and media organizations.
Higher education is the foundation’s central giving area. Lehigh University received $150,000 in 2024 and $149,361 in 2025, each marked as a contribution to be used for charitable purposes. Public media is another visible theme. The foundation gave $2,500 to KBTC Cascade Public TV, $2,500 to KCTS Public TV, $2,500 to KNKX Public Ratio, and $1,000 to PBS SoCal. Community relief and social service organizations also appear in the record, including $20,000 to Salvation Army and $6,000 to Tacoma Rescue Mission. Faith-based institutions are part of the pattern as well, with grants such as $16,000 to Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church and $2,500 to Agnus Dei Lutheran Church.
Typical grant size is $2,500 at the 25th percentile, $3,000 at the median, and $6,000 at the 75th percentile, which fits a pattern of many modest awards alongside a very small number of large contributions. The recent record shows repeat giving to the same core beneficiary over multiple years, especially Lehigh University, rather than a one-time dispersal model. The foundation is a private foundation, does not fund individuals, and makes no program-related investments. Grants are framed as contributions for charitable purposes, and several awards are unrestricted or general in nature.
$380K
$2.2M
$236K
$169K
Most grants fall between $3K and $6K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$6K
About 11% of grants go to recipients in WY.
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Notable grantees: Lehigh University, The Salvation Army
Although Kaelber Private Foundation is headquartered in Teton Village, Wyoming, its grants reach several recipient hubs. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania stands out because of the repeated support to Lehigh University. Seattle and Tacoma appear multiple times through recipients such as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, KCTS Public TV, KBTC Cascade Public TV, KNKX Public Ratio, and Tacoma Rescue Mission. California recipients include Rancho Palos Verdes, Palm Desert, Indio, Dinuba, and Costa Mesa, while Wyoming recipients include Jackson. All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. organizations.
Higher education is the foundation’s clearest focus, driven by repeated large contributions to Lehigh University. It also makes smaller grants to public media, social service organizations, churches, and health-related charities.
The grant-size distribution centers on small awards: p25 is $2,500, median is $3,000, and p75 is $6,000. At the same time, the foundation has made much larger contributions to Lehigh University, including $150,000 in 2024 and $149,361 in 2025.
Yes. Lehigh University received major contributions in both 2024 and 2025, showing recurring support rather than a one-off relationship. Most other recent grantees appear only once in the dataset.
The recent record includes social service and relief groups such as Salvation Army and Tacoma Rescue Mission, public media outlets including KBTC Cascade Public TV, KCTS Public TV, KNKX Public Ratio, and PBS SoCal, and faith-based organizations such as Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church.
The grants are entirely U.S.-based in the recent dataset. Recipient cities recur in Bethlehem, Seattle, Tacoma, and several California locations including Rancho Palos Verdes, Palm Desert, Indio, Dinuba, and Costa Mesa. Wyoming recipients also appear, including Jackson.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEHIGH UNIVERSITY | BETHLEHEM, PA | $149,361 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| ST JOHN'S HEALTH FOUNDATION | JACKSON, WY | $250 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| LEHIGH UNIVERSITY | BETHLEHEM, PA | $150,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF JACKSON HOLE | JACKSON, WY | $5,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| SALVATION ARMY | RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PALM DESERT COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | PALM DESERT, CA | $16,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH | SEATTLE, WA | $6,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| TACOMA RESCUE MISSION | TACOMA, WA | $6,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| COACHELLA VALLEY RESCUE MISSION | INDIO, CA | $3,500 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| GLEANINGS FOR THE HUNGRY | DINUBA, CA | $3,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| VIRGINIA MASON FRANCISCAN HEALTH | SEATTLE, WA | $3,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| GHP FISH | GIG HARBOR, WA | $3,000 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES | KANSAS CITY, MO | $2,500 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| KBTC CASCADE PUBLIC TV | TACOMA, WA | $2,500 | 2023 | PUBLIC MEDEA |
| KCTS PUBLIC TV | SEATTLE, WA | $2,500 | 2023 | PUBLIC MEDIA |
| AGNUS DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH | GIG HARBOR, WA | $2,500 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| KNKX PUBLIC RATIO | TACOMA, WA | $2,500 | 2023 | PUBLIC MEDIA |
| HOPE LINK | REDMOND, WA | $1,500 | 2023 | CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES |
| PBS SOCAL | COSTA MESA, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | PUBLIC MEDIA |
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
$149,361CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
ST JOHN'S HEALTH FOUNDATION
$250CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
$150,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF JACKSON HOLE
$5,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
SALVATION ARMY
$20,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PALM DESERT COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$16,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH
$6,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
TACOMA RESCUE MISSION
$6,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
COACHELLA VALLEY RESCUE MISSION
$3,500CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
GLEANINGS FOR THE HUNGRY
$3,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
VIRGINIA MASON FRANCISCAN HEALTH
$3,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
GHP FISH
$3,000CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES
$2,500CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
KBTC CASCADE PUBLIC TV
$2,500PUBLIC MEDEA
KCTS PUBLIC TV
$2,500PUBLIC MEDIA
AGNUS DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH
$2,500CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
KNKX PUBLIC RATIO
$2,500PUBLIC MEDIA
HOPE LINK
$1,500CONTRIBUTION TO BE USED FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES
PBS SOCAL
$1,000PUBLIC MEDIA