Tenacre Foundation
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About Tenacre Foundation
Tenacre Foundation’s giving is dominated by sustained support for Christian Science institutions (nursing, camps, local church and affiliated schools) alongside significant investments in K–12 and education-innovation organizations. They combine large, multi-year gifts to internal faith-based beneficiaries with major grants to national education and social-impact groups, and occasional support for disaster relief and justice reform. The foundation funds a relatively small set of repeat grantees at high dollar amounts rather than many one-off small grants.
Focus Areas
Christian Science nursing homes and residencies (e.g., National Fund for Christian Science Nursing, Fern Lodge)Christian Science-affiliated camps and youth programs (e.g., Cedars Camps, Adventure Unlimited, The Campership Fund)Christian Science institutional support including The Mother Church and related organizationsK–12 education and literacy initiatives with national reach (e.g., Teach For All, KIPP, CommonLit, Springboard Collaborative)Disaster recovery and resilient communities (e.g., SBP)Criminal justice reform and systems change (e.g., Vera Institute of Justice)
Who They Fund
Christian Science institutions (churches, schools, camps, nursing homes)Children and youth participating in Christian Science schools and campsElderly residents of Christian Science nursing facilitiesChristian Science ministers/residents living in residenciesMembers of the Christian Science faith community affected by disasters
Giving Approach
Concentrated, high-dollar philanthropy with repeated multi-grant relationships: a small portfolio (43 grants) dominated by large awards to a mix of internal faith-based institutions and national education/social-impact organizations.
Funding Style
general/unrestricted operating supportfaith-based institutional supportprogram-level support (camps, schools, residencies)disaster relief funding
Notable grantees: National Fund for Christian Science Nursing, The Branch School, Teach For All, SBP (St. Bernard Project), Vera Institute of Justice
Topics
Christian Science-based primary/secondary educationChristian Science youth camps and spiritual retreatsChristian Science nursing homes / elder careChristian Science residencies / ministerial housingFaith-community disaster relief and recoveryPeacebuilding within a faith context
About Tenacre Foundation
Tenacre Foundation’s largest recent grants center on Christian Science nursing, with three annual awards to the National Fund for Christian Science Nursing totaling more than $41 million across 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern shows a funder willing to make very large, repeated commitments rather than single-purpose, one-time gifts. Beyond nursing support, the foundation has backed Christian Science institutions across church, school, camp, and residency settings, including The Mother Church, Longyear Museum, and The Winifred Stuart Mankowski Foundation. It also funds education organizations outside the Christian Science network, with Teach For All receiving several multimillion-dollar grants over multiple years. The mix suggests a foundation that combines faith-based institutional support with selective national education grantmaking. Recent grants also show support for disaster recovery and civic systems work, indicating that its portfolio extends beyond internal faith-community needs. The typical grant size is substantial, and the recent record includes both very large general-support awards and smaller but still significant operating gifts across a limited number of repeat recipients.
What Tenacre Foundation Funds
Christian Science nursing is a core theme. Tenacre Foundation gave $13,395,400 in 2025 to the National Fund for Christian Science Nursing for general support, continuing a multi-year pattern of support for that organization. Christian Science education and institutions are another major area. The foundation awarded $6,452,499 in 2024 to The Branch School for Christian Science-based schools and $10,000,980 in 2023 to Longyear Museum for general support. Camps and youth programs also appear repeatedly: Cedars Camps received $4,933,060 in 2024 for Christian Science camps. Outside the faith-based portfolio, the foundation has supported education reform and literacy, including $2,500,000 in 2024 to Commonlit for general support and $3,250,000 in 2025 to Kipp Team and Family Schools for general support.
How Tenacre Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is $22,698 at the 25th percentile, $80,000 at the median, and $300,000 at the 75th percentile, but the recent grant list shows a much heavier upper tail with repeated multimillion-dollar awards. The foundation gives through a regular funder structure rather than a DAF and does not fund individuals. Its recent record shows strong repeat-grantee behavior across multiple years, especially among Christian Science institutions and a handful of national education groups. General-support grants are common, and several recipients appear in consecutive years, pointing to ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards.
Where Tenacre Foundation Makes Grants
Tenacre Foundation gives nationally, but the largest concentration of grants goes to New Jersey recipients, which account for 27% of grants. Recent awards also land in a small set of other U.S. hubs, including Boston, Overland Park, New York, New Orleans, Houston, and Greenwood Village. The recipient-country distribution is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, at 76.3% of grants. Outside the U.S., the data also shows recipients in Kenya, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Eswatini, Gambia, American Samoa, Haiti, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tenacre Foundation
What kinds of organizations does Tenacre Foundation support most often?
Its giving is dominated by Christian Science institutions, especially nursing support, camps, schools, residencies, and church-related organizations. It also funds selected national education organizations such as Teach For All, KIPP Team and Family Schools, and CommonLit, plus some disaster recovery and justice-reform work.
Does Tenacre Foundation fund the same organizations more than once?
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeated support for several recipients across multiple years, including the National Fund for Christian Science Nursing, Teach For All, Cedars Camps, Adventure Unlimited, and The First Church of Christ Scientist. That pattern points to ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-time grants.
What is a typical grant size from Tenacre Foundation?
Among all grants, the 25th percentile is $22,698, the median is $80,000, and the 75th percentile is $300,000. Recent awards can be much larger than that middle range, especially for long-term institutional support.
Where does Tenacre Foundation give most often?
By grant count, New Jersey is the top state, with 27% of grants going to recipients there. Recent New Jersey recipients include organizations in Newark, while many other grants go to cities such as New York, Boston, Houston, and New Orleans.
Can individuals apply for support from Tenacre Foundation?
The foundation does not fund individuals. Its active Homecare Financial Assistance program is an exception in spirit but is described as financial assistance for Christian Science nursing homecare visits, with an application process and the first 4 hours each week offered complimentary.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$14.1M
Total Assets
$364.9M
Total Revenue
$78.8M
Total Expenses
$47.2M
Latest 990 Filing
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $23K and $300K, with a median of $80K.
25th Percentile
$23K
Median
$80K
75th Percentile
$300K
Geographic Reach
National36 states funded
About 27% of grants go to recipients in NJ.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Tenacre Foundation Funds
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Tenacre Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 506 | $300.8M | 77.0% |
| 2 | Kenya | 28 | $1.4M | 4.3% |
| 3 | Uganda | 25 | $415K | 3.8% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 16 | $587K | 2.4% |
| 5 | Switzerland | 14 | $9.1M | 2.1% |
| 6 | Germany | 11 | $2.6M | 1.7% |
| 7 | Australia | 10 | $1.8M | 1.5% |
| 8 | Sierra Leone | 8 | $2.9M | 1.2% |
| 9 | Haiti | 7 | $775K | 1.1% |
| 10 | France | 6 | $2.9M | 0.9% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
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