Sarah Scaife Foundation
ActiveMutual & Membership BenefitFunds Individuals
About Sarah Scaife Foundation
The Sarah Scaife Foundation concentrates funding on conservative and free‑market public policy institutions, national security and foreign policy research, and legal/economic education for policymakers. Its grants predominantly support think tanks, university-affiliated research centers, and advocacy groups that advance limited-government, defense, and anti‑communist priorities. The foundation favors national policy impact over local service delivery and often provides repeated multi-year support to established organizations in this ideological network.
Focus Areas
Conservative public policy think tanks (e.g., Heritage Foundation, Manhattan Institute)Law & economics training for policymakers and judges (George Mason University Law & Economics Center)National security, transnational threats, and foreign policy research (Hoover Institution, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, CSIS)Free‑market and regulatory reform advocacy (Tax Foundation, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Reason Foundation)Anti‑communism and religious/freedom focused foreign policy projects (Victims of Communism Memorial, Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom)
Who They Fund
About Sarah Scaife Foundation
Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated’s recent giving is anchored by large, repeated grants to national policy institutions in Washington, DC, Stanford, and Fairfax. The foundation backs organizations working in conservative public policy, national security and foreign policy, and law-and-economics education, with many awards structured as general operating support or program support. Its recent grant history shows long-running relationships with a small set of institutions rather than one-off gifts. Among the clearest signals is support for Heritage Foundation, which received $1,200,000 in 2025 and $1,000,000 in 2024 for general operating support, alongside earlier six-figure grants. The Foundation for Excellence in Higher Education Inc also appears repeatedly, including $1,000,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated similarly returned to the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford, the Foundation for Government Accountability Inc, and George Mason University Foundation Inc across multiple years. This pattern points to an emphasis on established institutions that shape public policy, legal training, and research agendas at a national level.
What Sarah Scaife Foundation Funds
In conservative public policy, Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated backed Heritage Foundation with $1,200,000 in 2025 for general operating support. The same policy lane includes support for Manhattan Institute for Policy Research Inc, which received $600,000 in 2025 for general operating support and $570,000 in 2024 for program support. For law and economics, the foundation gave George Mason University Foundation Inc $750,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025 for the Law & Economics Center, plus $600,000 in 2023 and $550,000 in 2024 for the Antonin Scalia Law School National Security Institute. In national security and foreign policy research, it funded the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University The $1,150,000 in 2023 and $1,000,000 in 2025 for the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace. It also supports policy reform and anti-communism work, including $660,000 in 2025 to Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Inc for program and project support.
How Sarah Scaife Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster at high six-figure levels: p25 is $120,000, median is $200,000, and p75 is $340,000, while the recent record also includes multiple $1,000,000-plus awards. The foundation’s pattern is clearly recurring rather than one-off; several recipients appear across 2023, 2024, and 2025, often with similar support types. Sarah Scaife Foundation Incorporated is a regular funder and makes unrestricted and restricted grants through its general grantmaking program. It does not accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$45.2M
Total Assets
$588.2M
Total Revenue
$28M
Total Expenses
$49.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $120K and $340K, with a median of $200K.
25th Percentile
$120K
Median
$200K
75th Percentile
$340K
Geographic Reach
National32 states funded
About 4% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Sarah Scaife Foundation Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Sarah Scaife Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 533 | $134.7M | 99.4% |
| 2 | Canada |
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