The Kathryn Davis Grado Foundation makes a small number of mid-to-large grants to national organizations working on public policy/advocacy and direct-service social causes. Its recent giving mixes movement and civic funding (via donor-advised/pooled vehicles) with issue-specific support for gun-violence prevention, international medical relief, environmental advocacy, and disability inclusion through sports. Grants are concentrated in a few high-profile U.S. and international nonprofits rather than many small local awards.
A defining feature of the Kathryn Davis Grado Foundation is its large 2025 grant to Tides Foundation for the Movement Voter Fund, a signal that the foundation uses intermediary vehicles to support civic and issue advocacy at scale. Across its recent grants, the foundation pairs that kind of movement funding with direct support for service providers and policy groups working on gun-violence prevention, disaster relief, environmental advocacy, disability inclusion, and community-based youth programs. The grant record shows a mix of national organizations and place-based recipients, with repeated support for some groups across 2023 and 2025. Awards include funding for Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, Doctors Without Borders USA, Special Olympics Inc, Environmental Defense Fund, and several South Carolina community organizations. Many of the grants are general operating support, which suggests the foundation often backs organizations’ broader work rather than narrowly defined projects. It also supports a small number of education, health, and human-services groups, from schools to children’s and family-service organizations. The overall pattern is one of concentrated giving to a limited set of nonprofits rather than broad, high-volume grantmaking.
In civic engagement and advocacy, the foundation gave $116,230 to Tides Foundation for the Movement Voter Fund, using an intermediary to support movement-oriented work. Gun-violence prevention appears as another thread: Sandy Hook Promise Foundation received $34,194 for general operating support, and Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund Inc received $5,000. Humanitarian and emergency-response giving also shows up in the record. Doctors Without Borders USA received $29,194 for general operating support, and Center for Disaster Philanthropy received $12,975 for Ukraine relief. Environmental work is present through a $29,193 grant to Environmental Defense Fund for general operating support, while disability inclusion appears in a $29,193 grant to Special Olympics Inc. The foundation also funded youth and family-serving organizations such as Hilton Head Preparatory School, Hopeful Horizons, and Backpack Buddies of Greater Bluffton.
The foundation’s typical grant size is tightly clustered at $5,000, with p25, median, and p75 all at $5,000. Recent giving also includes a smaller set of larger awards in the five-figure range, including $116,230, $34,194, and several grants around $29,000. Repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023 and 2025 suggest some ongoing relationships, including with Backpack Buddies of Greater Bluffton, Hilton Head Preparatory School, and Shatterproof. The foundation appears to be a private foundation rather than a donor-advised fund, and its recent grants are largely general operating support.
$204K
$2.6M
$244K
$260K
Most grants fall between $5K and $5K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$5K
About 12% of grants go to recipients in SC.
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Concentrated giving: a very small portfolio (five grants) with one large intermediary/movement-focused gift and several similarly sized grants to prominent national/international nonprofits; selective, national-level funding rather than many small, local grants.
Notable grantees: Tides Foundation (Movement Voter Fund), Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) USA, Environmental Defense Fund, Special Olympics, Inc.
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the recent record, with 56 grants to U.S. organizations. Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, and 18% of grants went to recipients in the HQ state. Recent grants landed in a mix of national hubs and local communities: San Francisco, Newtown, Washington, Boston, New York, and South Carolina locations including Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Beaufort, and Okatie. The geographic pattern combines national advocacy and service groups with a visible cluster of awards in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
Recent grants go to advocacy and service organizations working on civic engagement, gun-violence prevention, emergency and humanitarian relief, environmental advocacy, disability inclusion, and community-based youth and family services. The record includes funding for national nonprofits as well as local schools and children’s service organizations.
Its typical grant size is $5,000, with p25, median, and p75 all at $5,000. The recent record also includes larger awards in the five-figure range, including one grant of $116,230 and several around $29,000.
Yes. The recent grants include repeated support across 2023 and 2025 for organizations such as Backpack Buddies of Greater Bluffton, Hilton Head Preparatory School, and Shatterproof, indicating some ongoing grant relationships rather than purely one-time awards.
Recent grants support civic and voter-mobilization work through Tides Foundation’s Movement Voter Fund, gun-violence prevention through Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, humanitarian relief through Doctors Without Borders USA and Center for Disaster Philanthropy, environmental work through Environmental Defense Fund, and disability inclusion through Special Olympics Inc.
The foundation gives nationally, but Massachusetts is the top state by grant count, and 18% of grants went to recipients in the HQ state. The recent recipient list also includes organizations in South Carolina, California, Connecticut, Washington, DC, New York, Vermont, Texas, Florida, and Georgia.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $18,586 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC | AMERICAS, GA | $18,585 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $13,586 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL INC | AUSTIN, TX | $13,585 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION | NEW YORK, NY | $13,585 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NEW ROOTS INSTITUTE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $13,585 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN TEXAS | WEST LAKE HILLS, TX | $13,585 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BLOOD CANCER UNITED | WASHINGTON, DC | $13,585 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY | WASHINGTON, DC | $13,585 | 2026 | FOR UKRAINE RELIEF |
| HUMANE SOCIETY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY | SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT | $13,585 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY | OKATIE, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BLUFFTON |
| STONELEIGH-BURNHAM SCHOOL | GREENFIELD, MA | $7,926 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SHATTERPROOF | NORWALK, CT | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HILTON HEAD PREPARATORY SCHOOL | HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA | HAGERSTOWN, MD | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SAHAR EDUCATION | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HOPEFUL HORIZONS | BEAUFORT, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FAMILY PROMISE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY | BLUFFTON, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION | BEAUFORT, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTOPEN ARMS CHILDREN'S HOME |
| BACKPACK BUDDIES OF GREATER BLUFFTON | BLUFFTON, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| TIDES FOUNDATION | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $116,230 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTMOVEMENT VOTER FUND |
| BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL INC | AUSTIN, TX | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN TEXAS | WEST LAKE HILLS, TX | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC | AMERICAS, GA | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION | NEW YORK, NY | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CENTER FOR DISASTER PHILANTHROPY | WASHINGTON, DC | $12,975 | 2025 | FOR UKRAINE RELIEF |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HUMANE SOCIETY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY | SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY INC | WELLESLEY, MA | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NEW ROOTS INSTITUTE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $12,975 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $12,974 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HILTON HEAD PREPARATORY SCHOOL | HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| HOPEFUL HORIZONS | BEAUFORT, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY | OKATIE, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BLUFFTON |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE LOWCOUNTRY | OKATIE, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND |
| SHATTERPROOF | NORWALK, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BLUFFTON YOUTH THEATER | BLUFFTON, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION | NEWTOWN, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SAVE THE CHILDREN FOUNDATION INC | FAIRFIELD, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| STONELEIGH-BURNHAM SCHOOL | GREENFIELD, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION | BEAUFORT, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTOPEN ARMS CHILDREN'S HOME |
| HOPEFUL HORIZONS | BEAUFORT, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BACKPACK BUDDIES OF GREATER BLUFFTON | BLUFFTON, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ASHVILLE AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | ASHVILLE, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SHATTERPROOF | NORWALK, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE ASSOCIATION | SEATTLE, WA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| SANDY HOOK PROMISE FOUNDATION | NEWTOWN, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FAMILY PROMISE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY | BLUFFTON, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| STEADFAST LA FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
| BACKPACK BUDDIES OF GREATER BLUFFTON | BLUFFTON, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT |
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC
$18,585GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN TEXAS
$13,585GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
HUMANE SOCIETY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY
$13,585GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BLUFFTON
STONELEIGH-BURNHAM SCHOOL
$7,926GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
HILTON HEAD PREPARATORY SCHOOL
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
SAHAR EDUCATION
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTOPEN ARMS CHILDREN'S HOME
BACKPACK BUDDIES OF GREATER BLUFFTON
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
MUSICIAN TREATMENT FOUNDATION OF AUSTIN TEXAS
$12,975GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL INC
$12,975GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
HUMANE SOCIETY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY
$12,975GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY INC
$12,975GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
HILTON HEAD PREPARATORY SCHOOL
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF BLUFFTON
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTBOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND
BLUFFTON YOUTH THEATER
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
STONELEIGH-BURNHAM SCHOOL
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORTOPEN ARMS CHILDREN'S HOME
BACKPACK BUDDIES OF GREATER BLUFFTON
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
ASHVILLE AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
STEADFAST LA FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
BACKPACK BUDDIES OF GREATER BLUFFTON
$5,000GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT