The McCollister Family Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education, providing unrestricted/general operating support to private universities. Grants appear targeted at sustaining institutional operations rather than project-specific initiatives, and recipients include both a health-focused Philadelphia university and a private university in North Carolina. The foundation makes a small number of relatively large grants rather than many small awards.
Concentrated giving with few, relatively large one-off grants focused on institutional general operating support rather than restricted program funding; limited number of grantees per year.
The Mccollister Family Foundation’s recent giving is defined by two large unrestricted grants to private universities: $89,286 to Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and $51,000 to High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. That pattern points to a foundation that supports institutional operations more than project-specific work, with higher education as the main lane of activity. The named recipients include a health-focused university in Philadelphia and a private university in North Carolina, suggesting interest in sustaining organizations with established academic missions. Smaller grants in the same filing continue the same general operating support approach, extending to other organizations outside higher education as well. The foundation’s awards are relatively concentrated in size, with a few materially larger grants and several $1,000 awards. Its latest 990 year on file is 2025, and the foundation is organized as a private foundation. All recent grants listed were made to U.S. recipients.
Higher education is the clearest theme in The Mccollister Family Foundation’s grantmaking. The foundation gave $89,286 to Thomas Jefferson University for general operating expenses, and $51,000 to High Point University for the same purpose. Both grants were unrestricted, indicating support for institutional budgets rather than a single program. The filing also shows support for other public-serving organizations outside the university sector. It awarded $1,000 to Monroe County Fba for general operating expenses, and made additional $1,000 general operating grants to Friends of Heber Valley Fire District, South Florida Pba, and Heber City Police Department. Across these awards, the purpose language stays consistent: general operating expenses. This mix suggests a foundation that favors core support across a limited set of recipients, with higher-education institutions receiving the largest awards and smaller amounts going to local civic or public-safety organizations.
The grant size profile is sharply tiered: the top awards are $89,286 and $51,000, followed by a cluster of $1,000 grants. That pattern fits a small-number, higher-dollar approach rather than broad distributions across many recipients. The foundation is a private foundation and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The recent grants list shows one year of activity in the file, so the data supports a clear snapshot of current giving rather than a long multi-year recurrence pattern. All listed awards are labeled general operating expenses.
$144K
$21K
$122K
$145K
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Notable grantees: Thomas Jefferson University, High Point University
All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. The largest awards landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and High Point, North Carolina, with smaller grants to Rochester, New York; Heber City, Utah; and Doral, Florida. Although the foundation is headquartered in Burlington, New Jersey, none of the listed grants went to New Jersey recipients. The recipient country distribution is entirely domestic, with 6 grants in the U.S.
The recent grants point most clearly to private higher-education institutions and other public-serving organizations. Thomas Jefferson University and High Point University received the largest awards, both for general operating expenses, and smaller grants went to Monroe County Fba, Friends of Heber Valley Fire District, South Florida Pba, and Heber City Police Department.
Every grant listed is labeled general operating expenses. The two largest awards were unrestricted support to Thomas Jefferson University and High Point University, and the smaller $1,000 awards use the same purpose language.
The recent grants range from $1,000 to $89,286. The distribution is concentrated at the top, with two large awards and several $1,000 grants, indicating a mix of major institutional support and smaller operating grants.
All six listed grants went to U.S. recipients. The named recipient cities include Philadelphia, High Point, Rochester, Heber City, and Doral. None of the listed grants were made to New Jersey recipients, despite the foundation’s Burlington, NJ headquarters.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $89,286 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY | HIGH POINT, NC | $51,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| MONROE COUNTY FBA | ROCHESTER, NY | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| FRIENDS OF HEBER VALLEY FIRE DISTRICT | HEBER CITY, UT | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| SOUTH FLORIDA PBA | DORAL, FL | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
| HEBER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT | HEBER CITY, UT | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES |
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
$89,286GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY
$51,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
MONROE COUNTY FBA
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
FRIENDS OF HEBER VALLEY FIRE DISTRICT
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
SOUTH FLORIDA PBA
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES
HEBER CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
$1,000GENERAL OPERATING EXPENSES