The Aaron & Lillie Straus Foundation concentrates its philanthropy almost entirely on supporting summer/residential camping for youth, directing all recorded giving to the Camp Airy and Louise Foundation. Grants are provided as general support, indicating a preference for flexible funding to sustain camp operations and programming. The foundation appears locally focused on youth development through camping in the Baltimore region.
Highly concentrated: essentially all recorded funding went to a single repeat grantee in large, unrestricted grants rather than dispersed or project-specific awards.
The Aaron & Lillie Straus Fdn Inc 9830002 gives its largest recorded support to Camp Airy and Louise Foundation, with a $1,460,200 grant in 2025 after a $1,414,000 grant in 2024. That repeated commitment points to a foundation that funds at large scale and with continuity, while also showing a clear interest in Baltimore-centered youth and community work. The camp grants sit alongside many other awards to local nonprofits in Baltimore and nearby Maryland communities, ranging from health and immigrant-services organizations to education, neighborhood, and civic groups. Several grants are structured as general support, indicating flexible funding rather than narrow project-only awards. The foundation’s pattern suggests a strong preference for organizations that serve people in the Baltimore area and for institutions that can use unrestricted dollars to cover operating needs, programming, or core services. Across the recent grants list, the foundation appears to back both one major anchor grantee and a broader set of community organizations working in the same regional ecosystem.
Youth camping is the clearest throughline. The foundation gave $1,460,200 to Camp Airy and Louise Foundation in 2025 and $1,414,000 in 2024, both as general support. Beyond camping, it also funds health access and social services. Grants include $150,000 to Asylee Women Enterprise for general support, $137,000 to Esperanza Center-Associated Catholic Charities Inc for general support, and $95,000 to Tahirih Justice Center for general support. Education and opportunity-oriented work is another visible theme: the foundation awarded $100,000 to Central Scholarship in 2024 and another $100,000 to Central Scholarship in 2025, along with $100,000 to Johns Hopkins for general support. Community infrastructure appears as well, including $75,000 to Open Works in 2025.
Typical grants are small relative to the largest awards, with a p25 of $1,800, a median of $6,000, and a p75 of $40,000. The recent record shows both very large anchor grants and many smaller awards. The same organizations recur across years, including Camp Airy and Louise Foundation, Asylee Women Enterprise, Open Works, Drink at the Well Inc, Central Scholarship, and CASH Campaign of Maryland Inc, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. The foundation is an operating-style grantmaker: the listed gifts are almost entirely general or general support, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$6M
$76.2M
$7.3M
$5.1M
Most grants fall between $2K and $40K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$40K
About 69% of grants go to recipients in MD.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeRegístrate gratis para ver qué tan bien se adapta tu organización sin fines de lucro a este financiador, obtener un pitch generado por IA y descubrir fundaciones similares.
Notable grantees: Camp Airy and Louise Foundation
Grantmaking is strongly concentrated in Maryland, with 69% of grants to recipients in the HQ state and MD also the top state by grant count. Baltimore is the main city in the recipient list, appearing across camp, health, education, and civic grantees. Other Maryland locations also show up, including Owings Mills and Curtis Bay. Outside Maryland, the recent grants list includes a recipient in Durham, North Carolina: the American Society for Emergency Contracep. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
Its recent grant pattern is centered on relatively modest awards, with a p25 of $1,800, a median grant of $6,000, and a p75 of $40,000. The list also includes a much larger set of anchor gifts, so the distribution is wide rather than clustered around one amount.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Camp Airy and Louise Foundation, Asylee Women Enterprise, Open Works, Drink at the Well Inc, Central Scholarship, and CASH Campaign of Maryland Inc. That repeated presence indicates an ongoing relationship with a core set of grantees.
The clearest pattern is support for summer/residential camping for youth through Camp Airy and Louise Foundation. Other named grants show support for immigrant and women’s services, health access, scholarship and education work, community development, and local civic or cultural organizations in the Baltimore area.
Maryland receives the bulk of the grants, with 69% going to recipients in the HQ state and MD also the top state by grant count. Baltimore is the dominant recipient city, and the recent list also includes Owings Mills and Curtis Bay, plus one out-of-state recipient in Durham, North Carolina.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Airy and Louise Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $1,460,200 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| ASYLEE WOMEN ENTERPRISE | Baltimore, MD | $150,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Esperanza Center-Associated Catholic Charities Inc | Baltimore, MD | $137,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HEAL Hopkins Esperanza and Loyola | Baltimore, MD | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Center for Hope Inc | Baltimore, MD | $108,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journ | Baltimore, MD | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CENTRAL SCHOLARSHIP | Owings Mills, MD | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Centro SOLJohns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| TAHIRIH JUSTICE CENTER | Baltimore, MD | $95,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Johns Hopkins University Behavioral Health Equity Across Maryland | Baltimore, MD | $80,612 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Terra Firma Grant to Hopkins Centro Sol | Baltimore, MD | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| OPEN WORKS | Baltimore, MD | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| DRINK AT THE WELL INC | Curtis Bay, MD | $52,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| CASH Campaign of Maryland Inc | Baltimore, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| More to Her Story | Ellicott City, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| IMPACT HUB BALTIMORE | Baltimore, MD | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Next Generation Language Access | Baltimore, MD | $43,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Clymb Support for Clymp | Baltimore, MD | $35,100 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative Education | Baltimore, MD | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Jews United for Justice | Washington, DC | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| INTERCULTURAL COUNSELING CONNECTION FUSION PARTNERSHIPS INC FISCAL AGENT | Baltimore, MD | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Mental Health Association of Maryland | Lutherville, MD | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| The Chill Station | Baltimore, MD | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Boldly Go | Omaha, NE | $13,823 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| New Market Discovery Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Mission Fit | Baltimore, MD | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LIBRARY OF CONGRESS JAMES MADISON COUNCIL | Washington DC, WA | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Adelante Latina Inc | Baltimore, MD | $11,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UKRAINE CHILDREN'S ACTION PROJECT ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Wilderness Leadership & Learning Inc | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HORACE MANN HORACE MANN SCHOOL ALUMNI HOUSE AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE | Bronx, NY | $8,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Maryland Family Network | Baltimore, MD | $7,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| PARK SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE INC | Baltimore, MD | $6,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH | Baltimore, MD | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| World Central Kitchen | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | Baltimore, MD | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| NLA Foundation National Lipid Association | Jacksonville, FL | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $3,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center | Baltimore, MD | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation | Woodcliff Lake, NJ | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART | Baltimore, MD | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Brooklyn School of Inquiry | New York, NY | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| EFT CENTER OF LOS ANGELES | Pasadena, CA | $2,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE ASSOCIATED | Baltimore, MD | $1,800 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Love & Cornbread Inc | Baltimore, MD | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Central Synagogue | New York, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Baltimore School for the Arts Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| Arts for Learning Maryland | Baltimore, MD | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| THE ODYSSEY SCHOOL | Lutherville, MD | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
Camp Airy and Louise Foundation
$1,460,200GENERAL
ASYLEE WOMEN ENTERPRISE
$150,000GENERAL
Esperanza Center-Associated Catholic Charities Inc
$137,000GENERAL
HEAL Hopkins Esperanza and Loyola
$125,000GENERAL
Center for Hope Inc
$108,500GENERAL
The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journ
$100,000GENERAL
CENTRAL SCHOLARSHIP
$100,000GENERAL
Centro SOLJohns Hopkins University
$100,000GENERAL
TAHIRIH JUSTICE CENTER
$95,000GENERAL
Johns Hopkins University Behavioral Health Equity Across Maryland
$80,612GENERAL
Terra Firma Grant to Hopkins Centro Sol
$75,000GENERAL
OPEN WORKS
$75,000GENERAL
DRINK AT THE WELL INC
$52,000GENERAL
CASH Campaign of Maryland Inc
$50,000GENERAL
More to Her Story
$50,000GENERAL
IMPACT HUB BALTIMORE
$50,000GENERAL
Next Generation Language Access
$43,000GENERAL
Clymb Support for Clymp
$35,100GENERAL
Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative Education
$35,000GENERAL
Jews United for Justice
$30,000GENERAL
INTERCULTURAL COUNSELING CONNECTION FUSION PARTNERSHIPS INC FISCAL AGENT
$30,000GENERAL
Mental Health Association of Maryland
$25,000GENERAL
The Chill Station
$20,000GENERAL
Boldly Go
$13,823GENERAL
New Market Discovery Foundation
$12,000GENERAL
Mission Fit
$12,000GENERAL
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS JAMES MADISON COUNCIL
$12,000GENERAL
Adelante Latina Inc
$11,000GENERAL
UKRAINE CHILDREN'S ACTION PROJECT ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL
Wilderness Leadership & Learning Inc
$10,000GENERAL
HORACE MANN HORACE MANN SCHOOL ALUMNI HOUSE AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
$8,000GENERAL
Maryland Family Network
$7,000GENERAL
PARK SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE INC
$6,500GENERAL
LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH
$5,000GENERAL
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
$5,000GENERAL
World Central Kitchen
$5,000GENERAL
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
$5,000GENERAL
NLA Foundation National Lipid Association
$3,000GENERAL
University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation
$3,000GENERAL
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
$2,500GENERAL
Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation
$2,000GENERAL
BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART
$2,000GENERAL
Brooklyn School of Inquiry
$2,000GENERAL
EFT CENTER OF LOS ANGELES
$2,000GENERAL
THE ASSOCIATED
$1,800GENERAL
Love & Cornbread Inc
$1,500GENERAL
Central Synagogue
$1,000GENERAL
Baltimore School for the Arts Foundation
$1,000GENERAL
Arts for Learning Maryland
$1,000GENERAL
THE ODYSSEY SCHOOL
$1,000GENERAL