The Morningstar Foundation directs the majority of its resources into donor-advised/donor fund vehicles while making targeted programmatic gifts to higher education, faith-based youth ministries, and small direct-service charities. Its grantmaking mixes very large pass-through contributions with a small number of modest, mission-driven operating or scholarship grants around education, youth ministries and military-family support. The foundation appears to prioritize flexible/unrestricted support when it gives directly.
A defining feature of The Morningstar Foundation is the large share of its grantmaking that flows into donor-advised and donor fund vehicles, including seven-figure transfers through Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund and related Morningstar and Hensley family funds. Alongside those pass-through grants, the foundation makes direct gifts to education, faith-based youth ministries, military-family support, and small community organizations. Its direct grants include unrestricted support for Christopher Newport University Education Foundation and UNC Pembroke Foundation, plus operating support for Coast Guard Foundation and West Hampton Baptist Church. The pattern suggests a foundation that uses both flexible intermediary vehicles and targeted direct awards to support institutions and local service providers. Recent grants also show smaller commitments to organizations serving children and youth, such as For Kids Inc and Orphan Helpers Inc. The mix of large fund transfers and modest program-specific grants points to a grantmaker with a broad portfolio rather than a single-cause approach.
In higher education, the foundation gave $100,000 to Christopher Newport University Education Foundation for unrestricted general support and another $100,000 to UNC Pembroke Foundation for scholarships and related support. Faith-based youth work appears as a separate lane: West Hampton Baptist Church received $50,000 to support youth ministry. For direct service to children, For Kids Inc. received $10,000 for hot meals and homework help, tying food assistance to after-school academic support. Military-connected family support is also present through a $50,000 unrestricted grant to Coast Guard Foundation. These awards show a pattern of funding both institutions and on-the-ground programs, with purposes ranging from scholarships to youth ministry and basic needs assistance.
Grant sizes are wide-ranging: the first quartile is $13,040, the median is $100,000, and the third quartile is $477,293. That spread reflects a mix of very large donor-fund transfers and smaller direct gifts. The foundation’s 2023 and 2024 grants also show repeat use of the Morningstar Donor Fund in different amounts, including a $2,720,030 transfer in 2023 and a $13,040 transfer in 2024. It is a private foundation rather than an operating charity, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. No application process is described in the data.
$5.3M
$0
$5K
$16K
Most grants fall between $13K and $477K, with a median of $100K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$100K
75th Percentile
$477K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CA.
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Highly concentrated: two very large grants to donor-advised funds make up the bulk of dollars, with the remainder split across a handful of one-off or modest unrestricted gifts. Few repeat programmatic grantees aside from donor-fund administrators; most program grants are single gifts to varied nonprofits.
Notable grantees: Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund / Morningstar Donor Fund, Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund / Hensley Family Fund, Christopher Newport University Education Foundation, UNC Pembroke Foundation, West Hampton Baptist Church
The Morningstar Foundation gives nationally, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. California appears most often in the recipient mix, driven in part by Slab City Ministry in Imperial, CA. Other repeated recipient locations include Boston, MA through Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund; Newport News, VA through Christopher Newport University Education Foundation; and Hampton, VA through West Hampton Baptist Church. The recipient list also reaches Pembroke, NC, Washington, DC, and Stonington, CT.
Its recent grants support donor-advised or donor fund vehicles, higher-education institutions, faith-based youth ministries, military and Coast Guard family support, and small direct-service charities. Named recipients include Christopher Newport University Education Foundation, UNC Pembroke Foundation, West Hampton Baptist Church, Coast Guard Foundation, and For Kids Inc.
The grant-size distribution is broad, with a p25 of $13,040, a median of $100,000, and a p75 of $477,293. That indicates a mix of smaller direct awards and much larger fund transfers.
No. The provided foundation data says it does not fund individuals, and the recent grants list consists of organizations and fund vehicles rather than people.
California is the top state by grant count among recipients, even though the foundation is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The recent list also shows grants to recipients in Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, DC, and Connecticut.
The recent record shows repeat use of the Morningstar Donor Fund across 2023 and 2024, including transfers of $2,720,030 and $13,040. That suggests recurring support to some fund vehicles alongside direct grants to operating organizations.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT | BOSTON, MA | $13,040 | 2024 | MORNINGSTAR DONOR FUND |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT | BOSTON, MA | $2,720,030 | 2023 | MORNINGSTAR DONOR FUND |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $500,000 | 2023 | THE AMBIENT ELETROMAGNETIC |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $500,000 | 2023 | HENSLEY FAMILY FUND |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $500,000 | 2023 | TRI-R FUND |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $477,293 | 2023 | MORNINGSTAR DONOR FUND |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $100,000 | 2023 | JASON AND DEVON HENSLEY |
| UNC PEMBROKE FOUNDATION | PEMBROKE, NC | $100,000 | 2023 | GRANT FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $100,000 | 2023 | THE SMITH FAMILY FUND |
| CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION | NEWPORT NEWS, VA | $100,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| COAST GUARD FOUNDATION | STONINGTON, CT | $50,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| WEST HAMPTON BAPTIST CHURCH | HAMPTON, VA | $50,000 | 2023 | SUPPORT YOUTH MINISTRY |
| WAMU 885 - AMERICAN UNIVERSITY RADIO | WASHINGTON, DC | $15,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| FOR KIDS INC | CHESAPEAKE, VA | $10,000 | 2023 | HOT MEALS & HOMEWORK |
| SLAB CITY MINISTRY | IMPERIAL, CA | $10,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| ORPHAN HELPERS INC | NEWPORT NEWS, VA | $7,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
| SIGNATURE THEATRE INC | ARLINGTON, VA | $3,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED GENERAL |
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT
$13,040MORNINGSTAR DONOR FUND
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT
$2,720,030MORNINGSTAR DONOR FUND
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$500,000THE AMBIENT ELETROMAGNETIC
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$500,000HENSLEY FAMILY FUND
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$500,000TRI-R FUND
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$477,293MORNINGSTAR DONOR FUND
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$100,000JASON AND DEVON HENSLEY
UNC PEMBROKE FOUNDATION
$100,000GRANT FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$100,000THE SMITH FAMILY FUND
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$100,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
COAST GUARD FOUNDATION
$50,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
WEST HAMPTON BAPTIST CHURCH
$50,000SUPPORT YOUTH MINISTRY
WAMU 885 - AMERICAN UNIVERSITY RADIO
$15,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
FOR KIDS INC
$10,000HOT MEALS & HOMEWORK
SLAB CITY MINISTRY
$10,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
ORPHAN HELPERS INC
$7,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL
SIGNATURE THEATRE INC
$3,000UNRESTRICTED GENERAL