The Philip E. Fess Family Foundation concentrates on basic needs and community health, with substantial support for food banks and local clinic services alongside medical research and youth recreation. Their giving profile shows repeated, targeted grants to a handful of organizations (often multi-year or multiple payments), favoring operational/program support for direct-service providers rather than broad policy work. Although based in Illinois, many of their largest gifts fund San Diego-area charities and specialized research groups, suggesting a mix of place-based and mission-driven priorities.
Concentrated, repeat support to a small set of grantees: a few mid-sized gifts (several in the $7k–$43k range) delivered as multiple grants over time, focused on direct-service organizations and research rather than broad grantmaking across many sectors.
Repeated unrestricted gifts to Feeding San Diego stand out in the Philip E Fess Family Foundation’s recent record, including $17,000 in 2025, $10,800 in 2024, and $15,000 in 2023. That pattern points to a funder that backs direct-service organizations with flexible support rather than tightly earmarked awards. Across the file, the foundation also shows steady support for community health access, medical research, and youth-serving organizations, with grants often appearing across multiple years. One of its recurring priorities is food security: Feeding San Diego, Top Box Foods, Lucky Duck Foundation, and World Central Kitchen all appear in the recent grants list. Another throughline is health-related giving, including repeated unrestricted support for Fenix Family Health Center and St Jude's Research Hospital. The foundation’s grantmaking also reaches arts, education, and recreation organizations such as KPBS, The Bishop's School, and San Dieguito Surf Soccer Club. The profile suggests a small foundation with targeted, relationship-based grantmaking centered on basic needs and health-related community support.
Food security is one of the clearest themes in the foundation’s recent giving. It gave $7,000 to Top Box Foods in 2023 and $3,000 in 2024, and also supported World Central Kitchen with $5,000 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2023. In community health, the foundation awarded Fenix Family Health Center $7,000 in 2024, $7,000 in 2023, and $6,000 in 2025, all unrestricted. Medical research is another consistent area: American Brain Tumor Association received $7,000 in 2025, $7,000 in 2023, and $4,000 in 2024, while St Jude's Research Hospital received $6,000 in 2025, $6,000 in 2023, and $4,000 in 2024. The foundation also funds youth and community enrichment, including $5,200 to San Digueto Surf Soccer Club in 2023 and $4,000 to Best Buddies International in 2024.
Typical grants are modest: the 25th percentile is $1,750, the median is $3,000, and the 75th percentile is $6,500. The recent record shows repeated support for several organizations across multiple years, including Feeding San Diego, Fenix Family Health Center, American Brain Tumor Association, St Jude's Research Hospital, and The Ross K Mcneill Fdn. Grants are described as unrestricted, indicating flexible support rather than project-only funding. The foundation is a private family foundation, and the file shows no program-related investments and no grants to individuals.
$171K
$978K
$93K
$68K
Most grants fall between $2K and $7K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$7K
About 31% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Notable grantees: Feeding San Diego, Fenix Family Health Center, American Brain Tumor Association, St. Jude's Research Hospital, San Dieguito Surf Soccer Club
Grantmaking is national, with all listed recipient grants going to U.S. organizations. California receives the most grants, and San Diego is the most visible recipient city in the recent record, with grants to Feeding San Diego, The Bishop's School, Lucky Duck Foundation, KPBS, San Diego Foundation, and Cabrillo National Monument Foundati. Chicago also appears repeatedly through The Ross K Mcneill Fdn, Top Box Foods, and American Brain Tumor Association. Other recipient cities include Highwood, Memphis, Washington, DC, Miami, Del Mar, and Silver Spring.
The foundation’s recent grants cluster around food security, community health access, medical research, and youth or community enrichment. Examples in the record include Feeding San Diego, Fenix Family Health Center, American Brain Tumor Association, St Jude's Research Hospital, and San Digueto Surf Soccer Club.
The recent grants are described as unrestricted. That applies to the listed awards across food security, health care access, research, and community organizations, including recurring support for multiple recipients.
Yes. Several organizations appear across multiple years, including Feeding San Diego, Fenix Family Health Center, American Brain Tumor Association, St Jude's Research Hospital, and The Ross K Mcneill Fdn. The repeated awards suggest an ongoing relationship with those groups.
The grant-size distribution centers on relatively small awards: the 25th percentile is $1,750, the median is $3,000, and the 75th percentile is $6,500. Individual grants in the recent record range above and below that middle band.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FEEDING SAN DIEGO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $17,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE ROSS K MCNEILL FDN | CHICAGO, IL | $8,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $7,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDE'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $6,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FENIX FAMILY HEALTH CENTER | HIGHWOOD, IL | $6,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LUCKY DUCK FOUNDATION | SAN DIEGO, CA | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE BISHOP'S SCHOOL | SAN DIEGO, CA | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT FOUNDATI | SAN DIEGO, CA | $1,500 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FEEDING SAN DIEGO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $10,800 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE ROSS K MCNEILL FDN | CHICAGO, IL | $7,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FENIX FAMILY HEALTH CENTER | HIGHWOOD, IL | $7,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL | MIAMI, FL | $4,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $4,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDE'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $4,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE BISHOP'S SCHOOL | SAN DIEGO, CA | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TOP BOX FOODS | CHICAGO, IL | $3,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GLOBAL COMMUNITIES | SILVER SPRING, MD | $2,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| KPBS | SAN DIEGO, CA | $2,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION | SAN DIEGO, CA | $2,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT FOUNDATI | SAN DIEGO, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAN DIEGO ZOO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $850 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE OCTOBER SAVES GOALIE CHALLENGE | STERLING, VA | $500 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2024 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FEEDING SAN DIEGO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| FENIX FAMILY HEALTH CENTER | HIGHWOOD, IL | $7,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $7,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| TOP BOX FOODS | CHICAGO, IL | $7,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| ST JUDE'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $6,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE ROSS KJ MCNEILL FDN | CHICAGO, IL | $6,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAN DIGUETO SURF SOCCER CLUB | DEL MAR, CA | $5,200 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| THE BISHOP'S SCHOOL | SAN DIEGO, CA | $2,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| KPBS | SAN DIEGO, CA | $2,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN | WASHINGTON, DC | $2,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| MT HELIX PARK FDN | LA MESA, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| GIRLS ON THE RUN SAN DIEGO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $1,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SAN DIEGO ZOO | SAN DIEGO, CA | $800 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
| SARAH'S CIRCLE | CHICAGO, IL | $500 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED |
FEEDING SAN DIEGO
$17,000UNRESTRICTED
THE ROSS K MCNEILL FDN
$8,000UNRESTRICTED
AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION
$7,000UNRESTRICTED
ST JUDE'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
$6,000UNRESTRICTED
FENIX FAMILY HEALTH CENTER
$6,000UNRESTRICTED
LUCKY DUCK FOUNDATION
$3,000UNRESTRICTED
THE BISHOP'S SCHOOL
UNRESTRICTED
CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT FOUNDATI
$1,500UNRESTRICTED
LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA SOCIETY
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
FEEDING SAN DIEGO
$10,800UNRESTRICTED
THE ROSS K MCNEILL FDN
$7,000UNRESTRICTED
FENIX FAMILY HEALTH CENTER
$7,000UNRESTRICTED
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
$5,000UNRESTRICTED
BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL
$4,000UNRESTRICTED
AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION
$4,000UNRESTRICTED
ST JUDE'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
$4,000UNRESTRICTED
THE BISHOP'S SCHOOL
$3,000UNRESTRICTED
TOP BOX FOODS
$3,000UNRESTRICTED
GLOBAL COMMUNITIES
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
KPBS
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
CABRILLO NATIONAL MONUMENT FOUNDATI
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
SAN DIEGO ZOO
$850UNRESTRICTED
THE OCTOBER SAVES GOALIE CHALLENGE
$500UNRESTRICTED
LEUKEMIA LYMPHOMA SOCIETY
$500UNRESTRICTED
FEEDING SAN DIEGO
$15,000UNRESTRICTED
FENIX FAMILY HEALTH CENTER
$7,000UNRESTRICTED
AMERICAN BRAIN TUMOR ASSOCIATION
$7,000UNRESTRICTED
TOP BOX FOODS
$7,000UNRESTRICTED
ST JUDE'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
$6,000UNRESTRICTED
THE ROSS KJ MCNEILL FDN
$6,000UNRESTRICTED
SAN DIGUETO SURF SOCCER CLUB
$5,200UNRESTRICTED
THE BISHOP'S SCHOOL
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
KPBS
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN
$2,000UNRESTRICTED
MT HELIX PARK FDN
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
GIRLS ON THE RUN SAN DIEGO
$1,000UNRESTRICTED
SAN DIEGO ZOO
$800UNRESTRICTED
SARAH'S CIRCLE
$500UNRESTRICTED