The Nara Fund focuses on supporting arts and public-interest media alongside a smaller set of community health and human services projects. Its largest gifts go to investigative journalism and performing arts initiatives, while it also backs local service organizations and child-focused health/education work. The fund favors a handful of mid-sized grants and shows a pattern of repeat support to select organizations.
A defining feature of Nara Fund Inc C/o Jonathan Ingbar is its repeated support for public-interest media and arts institutions, led by $30,000 to The Fund for Investigative Journalism in 2023 and $19,000 in 2024. Those gifts sit alongside support for professional theater and music, including two-year funding for Theater Latte Da, The Metropolitan Opera’s HD Live in Schools program, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. The fund also makes smaller grants for human services and child-focused health and education work, creating a profile that mixes cultural programming with local charitable support. The grant list shows a small number of organizations receiving more than one award across multiple years, which suggests an emphasis on continuing relationships rather than one-time checks. At the same time, the fund is not limited to one sector: its recent awards include investigative reporting, stage commissions and festivals, volunteer-based food and support services, oral health, and library technology. One of the clearest local examples is Vermont Foodbank, which received grants in both 2023 and 2024. Another is Latham Memorial Library, funded for Kanopy subscription and information technology equipment in two years.
Public-interest reporting is a clear line of giving. The Fund for Investigative Journalism received $30,000 in 2023 and $19,000 in 2024, both for general charity use. Arts support reaches both performance and access programming. Theater Latte Da got $15,000 in 2023 and $12,500 in 2024 for Next Up, Next Generation commissions, and Next Festival. The Metropolitan Opera received $10,000 in 2023 and another $10,000 in 2024 for HD Live in Schools and its associated programs, which points to school-based arts exposure. The foundation also backs health and human services. Ready Set Smile was granted $17,000 in 2023 and $12,500 in 2024 for general charity use, while Friends in Service Helping received $17,000 in 2023 and $14,000 in 2024 for the Fish Revitalization Program and general charity use.
Typical grants fall in a mid-sized band: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $7,600, and the 75th percentile is $12,500. The recent list shows repeated awards to several organizations across 2023 and 2024, including multiple renewals rather than a one-off pattern. The fund also makes grants to individuals through scholarship-related support, as shown by the scholarship fund and next-step program award to Kids and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center. Its structure appears to be a private foundation-like vehicle with annual grantmaking of $257,699 and total assets of $2,085,682.
$258K
$2.1M
$166K
$124K
Most grants fall between $5K and $13K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$13K
About 29% of grants go to recipients in MN.
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Concentrated giving through a small number of mid-sized grants (roughly $15k–$49k), with repeat gifts to select grantees rather than many one-off donations.
Notable grantees: The Fund for Investigative Journalism, Theater Latte Da, Friends In Service Helping (FISH), Ready Set Smile
Grantmaking is national, with every listed award going to U.S. recipients. Minnesota appears most often in the recent list, including Minneapolis and Saint Paul, while Vermont also receives a sizable share of awards, including Thetford, Thetford Center, Barre, and local service groups. Outside those states, the fund reaches Washington, DC; New York, NY; Nevada cities such as Carson City, Reno, and Minden; and Sisters, Oregon. The recipient country distribution is entirely domestic.
The recent grants point to several recurring areas: investigative journalism and public-interest reporting, theater and music, local volunteer-driven human services, children’s oral health, and early childhood or school-based supports. The list also includes library technology, scholarship-related support, and a fisheries restoration-style program.
The typical award size is mid-range: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $7,600, and the 75th percentile is $12,500. That puts many grants in the five-figure-or-lower range, with a few larger awards such as the $30,000 gift in the recent list.
Yes. Several organizations appear in more than one year, including The Fund for Investigative Journalism, Ready Set Smile, Friends in Service Helping, Theater Latte Da, The Metropolitan Opera, Vermont Foodbank, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Latham Memorial Library, Thetford Food Shelf, and Community Nurse of Thetford.
Its giving is national, but Minnesota is the top state by grant count in the recent list. Vermont also appears frequently, with awards to organizations in Thetford, Thetford Center, Barre, and other in-state locations.
It funds individuals as well as organizations. The profile flags direct support to individuals, and the recent grants include scholarship-related support through Kids and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center’s scholarship fund and next step program.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE FUND FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM | WASHINGTON, DC | $19,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| FRIENDS IN SERVICE HELPING | CARSON CITY, NV | $14,000 | 2024 | FISH REVITALIZATION PROGRAM AND GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| THEATER LATTE DA | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $12,500 | 2024 | NEXT UP, NEXT GENERATION COMMISSIONS, AND NEXT FESTIVAL |
| READY SET SMILE | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $12,500 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| THE METROPOLITAN OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | HD LIVE IN SCHOOLS AND ITS ASSOCIATED PROGRAMS |
| CIRCLE OF FRIENDS | SISTERS, OR | $8,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| CAMP CARE NEVADA FOUNDATION | RENO, NV | $7,200 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| STEP | DEARBORN, MI | $6,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE |
| LATHAM MEMORIAL LIBRARY | THETFORD, VT | $6,000 | 2024 | KANOPY SUBSCRIPTION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT. |
| SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA | SAINT PAUL, MN | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| VERMONT FOODBANK | BARRE, VT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| COMMUNITY NURSE OF THETFORD | THETFORD CENTER, VT | $3,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| THETFORD FOOD SHELF | THETFORD CENTER, VT | $3,000 | 2024 | GENERAL CHARITY USE |
| THE FUND FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM | WASHINGTON, DC | $30,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| READY SET SMILE | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $17,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| FRIENDS IN SERVICE HELPING | CARSON CITY, NV | $17,000 | 2023 | FISH REVITALIZATION PROGRAM AND GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| THEATER LATTE DA | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $15,000 | 2023 | NEXT UP, NEXT GENERATION COMMISSIONS, AND NEXT FESTIVAL |
| ONE VILLAGE PARTNERS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2023 | GRIMA MCHP PROJECT |
| THE METROPOLITAN OPERA | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | HD LIVE IN SCHOOLS AND ITS ASSOCIATED PROGRAMS |
| CIRCLE OF FRIENDS | SISTERS, OR | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| CAMP CARE NEVADA FOUNDATION | RENO, NV | $8,959 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| LATHAM MEMORIAL LIBRARY | THETFORD, VT | $5,700 | 2023 | KANOPY SUBSCRIPTION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT. |
| SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA | SAINT PAUL, MN | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| VERMONT FOODBANK | BARRE, VT | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| KIDS AND HORSES THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER | MINDEN, NV | $3,840 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP FUND AND NEXT STEP PROGRAM |
| THETFORD FOOD SHELF | THETFORD CENTER, VT | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE |
| SIERRA THERAPEUTIC EQUESTRIAN PROGRAM | MINDEN, NV | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
| COMMUNITY NURSE OF THETFORD | THETFORD CENTER, VT | $3,000 | 2023 | GENERAL CHARITY USE. |
THE FUND FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
$19,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
FRIENDS IN SERVICE HELPING
$14,000FISH REVITALIZATION PROGRAM AND GENERAL CHARITY USE.
THEATER LATTE DA
$12,500NEXT UP, NEXT GENERATION COMMISSIONS, AND NEXT FESTIVAL
READY SET SMILE
$12,500GENERAL CHARITY USE.
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
$10,000HD LIVE IN SCHOOLS AND ITS ASSOCIATED PROGRAMS
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
$8,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
CAMP CARE NEVADA FOUNDATION
$7,200GENERAL CHARITY USE.
STEP
$6,000GENERAL CHARITY USE
LATHAM MEMORIAL LIBRARY
$6,000KANOPY SUBSCRIPTION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT.
SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
$5,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
VERMONT FOODBANK
$5,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
COMMUNITY NURSE OF THETFORD
$3,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
THETFORD FOOD SHELF
$3,000GENERAL CHARITY USE
THE FUND FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
$30,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
READY SET SMILE
$17,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
FRIENDS IN SERVICE HELPING
$17,000FISH REVITALIZATION PROGRAM AND GENERAL CHARITY USE.
THEATER LATTE DA
$15,000NEXT UP, NEXT GENERATION COMMISSIONS, AND NEXT FESTIVAL
ONE VILLAGE PARTNERS
$10,000GRIMA MCHP PROJECT
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA
$10,000HD LIVE IN SCHOOLS AND ITS ASSOCIATED PROGRAMS
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
$10,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
CAMP CARE NEVADA FOUNDATION
$8,959GENERAL CHARITY USE.
LATHAM MEMORIAL LIBRARY
$5,700KANOPY SUBSCRIPTION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT.
SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
$5,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
VERMONT FOODBANK
$5,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
KIDS AND HORSES THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER
$3,840SCHOLARSHIP FUND AND NEXT STEP PROGRAM
THETFORD FOOD SHELF
$3,000GENERAL CHARITY USE
SIERRA THERAPEUTIC EQUESTRIAN PROGRAM
$3,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.
COMMUNITY NURSE OF THETFORD
$3,000GENERAL CHARITY USE.