The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation appears to be a highly focused funder of the arts, using large, targeted awards to support artist-centered initiatives. Most visible recent support is for a flagship, undisclosed recipient (Attachment A) and for administration of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft through United States Artists, indicating an emphasis on recognition and direct support for practicing artists. Their giving is concentrated and programmatic rather than broadly diversified across many small grantees.
The Maxwellhanrahan Foundation’s recent giving is shaped by large, targeted awards that sit alongside named programs for artists, scientists, teachers, and conservation groups. In 2025, its largest listed grant was a $14,280,509 payment to a San Francisco recipient recorded as "Grant Paid - See Attachment A," signaling a substantial discretionary commitment. Within the arts, the foundation backed the 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft through United States Artists, with $696,900 for design and administration. It also made a $500,000 commitment to Rhode Island School of Design to endow a Maxwell/Hanrahan Society of Presidential Fellowship, showing a preference for structured, long-horizon support rather than scattered one-off awards. The portfolio also reaches field biology, Earth science, public education, and conservation, including support for fellowships, internships, community engagement, and habitat protection. Several grants connect creative practice to professional development, while others support research access and student pathways in science and nature-based work. The pattern is concentrated, programmatic, and built around named initiatives that can recur over time.
Arts and craft are a clear throughline. The foundation gave $696,900 to United States Artists Inc to design and administer the 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft, and $30,000 to San Francisco Botanical Garden Society for the High School Internship Program, linking art, learning, and career pathways. In science, it supported National Geographic Society with $300,000 for the STEM Field Assistant Program and Level I and II National Geographic Grants for Explorers engaging in field-based natural science research. Field biology appears as a separate emphasis: Kristina Cockle, Holly Lutz, Richard Coleman, Camille Truong, and Divya Vasudev each received $100,000 as 2022 Field Biology Awards. Conservation and stewardship also show up in grants to Sonoma Land Trust for community engagement, the Santa Rosa South East Greenway, and nature-based solutions, and to Amah Mutsun Land Trust for The Native Stewardship Corps, native plant propagation, and restoration.
Typical awards cluster around modest-to-mid-sized grants: p25 is $1,500, the median is $10,000, and p75 is $15,000. The recent list shows both small program grants and very large commitments, including one $14.3 million payment and several six-figure awards. Recipients can appear across years or through continuing program structures, such as the 2023 administration grant for the Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft and the ongoing fellowship and internship categories in the foundation’s programs. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and its listed programs include general operating support, fellowships, scholarships, and small grants. Some programs accept unsolicited applications, including general operating support and community building/travel grants.
$17.5M
$561.4M
$481.4M
$24.6M
Most grants fall between $2K and $15K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$15K
Top 4 recipient countries by grant volume for Maxwellhanrahan Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 168 | $4.5M | 98.3% |
| 2 | Australia |
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Highly concentrated giving: very few grants with one very large, possibly discretionary or multi-year grant and one substantial program-specific grant; favors large, targeted commitments over many small awards.
Notable grantees: United States Artists, Inc. (support for Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft), Undisclosed flagship grantee (listed as 'GRANT PAID - SEE ATTACHMENT A')
Most grants land in the United States, with the recipient country distribution showing 164 U.S. grants. California is the main giving state, accounting for 58% of grants, and Massachusetts is the top state by grant count overall. Recent city-level recipients include San Francisco, Providence, Washington, Chicago, Palo Alto, Oakland, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Monterey, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Richmond, and San Diego. Outside the U.S., the recent list also includes Vancouver, St Kilda East, and Shillong, showing occasional international support.
Its grants cluster around arts and craft, field-based science, conservation, and education. Recent examples include support for the Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft, field biology awards, National Geographic’s field science program, native plant conservation, and internship programs for students and teachers.
The foundation’s typical grant size is p25 $1,500, median $10,000, and p75 $15,000. The recent record also includes much larger awards, ranging from $20,000 and $30,000 grants to several six-figure commitments and one $14.3 million payment.
Yes. Recent arts-related support includes $696,900 to United States Artists Inc for the 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft and $500,000 to Rhode Island School of Design to endow a Maxwell/Hanrahan Society of Presidential Fellowship. The program list also includes Craft Fellowships and Scholarships and Craft Small Grants for Craftspeople.
Yes. The program list includes General Operating Support, described as unrestricted or general operating grants for nonprofits, educational institutions, land trusts, museums, and similar organizations. That program accepts unsolicited applications and lists California, Hawai'i, and the United States nationally as its geography.
California receives 58% of grants in the recipient-state distribution, and the top state by grant count is Massachusetts. The recent list also includes recipients in cities such as San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Honolulu, and Providence.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 1 |
| $100K |
0.6% |
| 3 | Canada | 1 | $100K | 0.6% |
| 4 | India | 1 | $100K | 0.6% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNITED STATES ARTISTS INC | CHICAGO, IL | $696,900 | 2023 | To support design and administration of the 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft |
| RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN | PROVIDENCE, RI | $500,000 | 2023 | To endow a Maxwell/Hanrahan Society of Presidential Fellowship |
| NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY | WASHINGTON, DC | $300,000 | 2023 | To support STEM Field Assistant Program, and Level I and II National Geographic Grants for Explorers engaging in field-based natural science research |
| SF BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY AT STRYBING ARBORETUM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250,000 | 2023 | To support San Francisco Botanical Garden's new nursery |
| CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS | VALENCIA, CA | $200,000 | 2023 | To support the expansion of current infrastructure for the Institute's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) strategy as it relates to faculty development, to support the recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff for programs at the intersection of the arts, design, and computer-based technology |
| RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN | PROVIDENCE, RI | $200,000 | 2023 | To support an expanded understanding of the cultural, social, and visual significance of movement by developing a paid, post-graduate research fellowship program for artists and scholars whose work engages with the study of and experimentation with movement at the intersection of race and culture |
| PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST | PALO ALTO, CA | $150,000 | 2023 | To support the Coyote Valley and Farmland programs |
| PHILANTHROPIC VENTURES FOUNDATION | OAKLAND, CA | $130,000 | 2023 | To support 1) Visiting Artist, 2) Excursion and 3) Technology, Engineering and Design Thinking small grants programs for teachers in the Bay Area |
| TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND | LOS ANGELES, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | To support Trust for Public Land's Bay Area programs and initiatives, and support for the Deer Creek Beach project |
| Camille Truong | St Kilda East, Vi | $100,000 | 2023 | 2022 Field Biology Award |
| SONOMA LAND TRUST | SANTA ROSA, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | To support Community Engagement and Education Programs, the Santa Rosa South East Greenway, and Investing in Nature-Based Solutions |
| Richard Coleman | Honolulu, HI | $100,000 | 2023 | 2022 Field Biology Award |
| Kristina Cockle | Vancouver, BC | $100,000 | 2023 | 2022 Field Biology Award |
| Divya Vasudev | Shillong, Me | $100,000 | 2023 | 2022 Field Biology Award |
| Holly Lutz | San Diego, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | 2022 Field Biology Award |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY - CALIFORNIA CHAPTER | SACRAMENTO, CA | $100,000 | 2023 | To support Las Piletas acquisition |
| POINT REYES BIRD OBS - POINT BLUE CONSERVATION SCI | PETALUMA, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | To support the Education Program, including STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed), the Community College Conservation Internship Program, and/or intern training |
| CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | To support the Thriving California Initiative |
| MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION | MONTEREY, CA | $50,000 | 2023 | To support conservation research and education, focused in California |
| POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY | HONOLULU, HI | $30,000 | 2023 | To support Moananuiakea - A Voyage for the Pacific, and organizational strengthening and leadership development |
| HAWAIIAN ISLANDS LAND TRUST | HONOLULU, HI | $30,000 | 2023 | To support the Mahukona project |
| SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $30,000 | 2023 | To support the High School Internship Program |
| CLARITY EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTIONS INC | BERKELEY, CA | $25,000 | 2023 | To support the Parkway for the People project |
| ENVIRONMENTAL GRANTMAKERS ASSOCIATION | NEW YORK, NY | $22,000 | 2023 | To support the 2022 Environmental Fellows Program |
| THE CORAL REEF ALLIANCE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | To support reducing land-based sources of pollution in Hawaii |
| CRAFT EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND INC | MONTPELIER, VT | $20,000 | 2023 | To support the "Get Ready" Grant Program that provides grants for the material and studio needs of professional craftspeople |
| COMMUNITY INITIATIVES | OAKLAND, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | To support Latino Outdoors' programs in California |
| AMAH MUTSUN LAND TRUST | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | To support The Native Stewardship Corps, native plant propagation and restoration, and general operations |
| SOCIAL GOOD FUND INC | RICHMOND, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | To support Brown Girl Surf's community surf programs and organizational development |
| CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY | SACRAMENTO, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | To support native plant conservation and biodiversity programs, including 30x30, wildfire resilience and recovery, and community-led science |
| THE CENTER FOR CULTURAL INNOVATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | To support CCI's Quick Grant program that provides funds for California artists to participate in professional development activities |
| COASTAL QUEST | BERKELEY, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | To support the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Outreach and Education Small Grants Program |
| UNIVERSITY OF MARYLANDOFFICE OF THE BURSAR | COLLEGE PARK, MD | $17,250 | 2023 | To support the University of Maryland Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity |
| THE TRUST FOR HIDDEN VILLA | LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support the Hidden Villa Summer Camp and/or Internship Programs |
| TEN STRANDS | SAN RAFAEL, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support general operations |
| NATURE CONSERVANCY - CALIFORNIA CHAPTER | SACRAMENTO, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support California ocean resilience and recovery projects, with a focus on kelp, eelgrass and oysters |
| WAIORG INC | HONOLULU, HI | $15,000 | 2023 | To support community outreach & education and pilot projects |
| NATURE BRIDGE | SAUSALITO, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support NatureBridge's California programs |
| PACIFIC HORTICULTURE SOCIETY | BERKELEY, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support general operations and science communicators |
| OUTDOOR AFRO | OAKLAND, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support California outdoor leadership and Making Waves programs, and general operations |
| SAN FRANCISCO ESTUARY INSTITUTE | RICHMOND, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support the Shoreline Resilience focus area and urban green infrastructure projects |
| YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support the Nature Engagement Education Program and Outdoor Education Programs |
| THEODORE PAYNE FD FOR WILD FLOWERS & NATIVE PLANTS | SUN VALLEY, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | General Support |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - UC DAVIS | WEST SACRAMENTO, CA | $15,000 | 2023 | To support the Elkus Ranch Fund |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CA AT SANTA CRUZ | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $13,200 | 2023 | To support students to attend the CAMINO (The Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities) summer internship program, and to present their field-based research at scientific conferences |
| UC SANTA BARBARA FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | To support the UC Santa Barbara Marine Science Institute's Research SCUBA Certification Program (DIVErsity in Diving) |
| THE UNIVERSITY CORPORATION SAN FRANCISCO STATE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | To support up to two rising scholars at the Estuary & Ocean Science Center through the Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Sciences graduate program or the Diving into Ecology and Evolution undergraduate marine science immersion semester |
| NORTH BENNET STREET SCHOOL | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2023 | To support Impact Scholarships for students in the full-time program |
| NORTHWEST SCHOOL OF WOODEN BOAT BUILDING | PORT HADLOCK, WA | $10,000 | 2023 | To support the Prothero Internship |
| CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | To support scholarship(s) for students focusing in ceramics, furniture, glass, jewelry & metal arts, or textiles, with a preference for students underrepresented in their craft |
To support design and administration of the 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft
To endow a Maxwell/Hanrahan Society of Presidential Fellowship
To support STEM Field Assistant Program, and Level I and II National Geographic Grants for Explorers engaging in field-based natural science research
To support San Francisco Botanical Garden's new nursery
To support the expansion of current infrastructure for the Institute's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) strategy as it relates to faculty development, to support the recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff for programs at the intersection of the arts, design, and computer-based technology
To support an expanded understanding of the cultural, social, and visual significance of movement by developing a paid, post-graduate research fellowship program for artists and scholars whose work engages with the study of and experimentation with movement at the intersection of race and culture
To support the Coyote Valley and Farmland programs
To support 1) Visiting Artist, 2) Excursion and 3) Technology, Engineering and Design Thinking small grants programs for teachers in the Bay Area
To support Trust for Public Land's Bay Area programs and initiatives, and support for the Deer Creek Beach project
Camille Truong
$100,0002022 Field Biology Award
To support Community Engagement and Education Programs, the Santa Rosa South East Greenway, and Investing in Nature-Based Solutions
Richard Coleman
$100,0002022 Field Biology Award
Kristina Cockle
$100,0002022 Field Biology Award
Divya Vasudev
$100,0002022 Field Biology Award
Holly Lutz
$100,0002022 Field Biology Award
NATURE CONSERVANCY - CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
$100,000To support Las Piletas acquisition
POINT REYES BIRD OBS - POINT BLUE CONSERVATION SCI
$50,000To support the Education Program, including STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed), the Community College Conservation Internship Program, and/or intern training
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
$50,000To support the Thriving California Initiative
To support conservation research and education, focused in California
To support Moananuiakea - A Voyage for the Pacific, and organizational strengthening and leadership development
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS LAND TRUST
$30,000To support the Mahukona project
To support the High School Internship Program
CLARITY EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTIONS INC
$25,000To support the Parkway for the People project
To support the 2022 Environmental Fellows Program
To support reducing land-based sources of pollution in Hawaii
To support the "Get Ready" Grant Program that provides grants for the material and studio needs of professional craftspeople
To support The Native Stewardship Corps, native plant propagation and restoration, and general operations
To support Brown Girl Surf's community surf programs and organizational development
To support native plant conservation and biodiversity programs, including 30x30, wildfire resilience and recovery, and community-led science
To support CCI's Quick Grant program that provides funds for California artists to participate in professional development activities
To support the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Outreach and Education Small Grants Program
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLANDOFFICE OF THE BURSAR
$17,250To support the University of Maryland Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity
To support the Hidden Villa Summer Camp and/or Internship Programs
NATURE CONSERVANCY - CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
$15,000To support California ocean resilience and recovery projects, with a focus on kelp, eelgrass and oysters
WAIORG INC
$15,000To support community outreach & education and pilot projects
PACIFIC HORTICULTURE SOCIETY
$15,000To support general operations and science communicators
To support California outdoor leadership and Making Waves programs, and general operations
To support the Shoreline Resilience focus area and urban green infrastructure projects
To support the Nature Engagement Education Program and Outdoor Education Programs
THEODORE PAYNE FD FOR WILD FLOWERS & NATIVE PLANTS
$15,000General Support
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - UC DAVIS
$15,000To support the Elkus Ranch Fund
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CA AT SANTA CRUZ
$13,200To support students to attend the CAMINO (The Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities) summer internship program, and to present their field-based research at scientific conferences
To support the UC Santa Barbara Marine Science Institute's Research SCUBA Certification Program (DIVErsity in Diving)
To support up to two rising scholars at the Estuary & Ocean Science Center through the Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Sciences graduate program or the Diving into Ecology and Evolution undergraduate marine science immersion semester
To support Impact Scholarships for students in the full-time program
To support the Prothero Internship
To support scholarship(s) for students focusing in ceramics, furniture, glass, jewelry & metal arts, or textiles, with a preference for students underrepresented in their craft