The Vertex Foundation primarily funds philanthropic intermediaries rather than direct-service nonprofits, routing large gifts into donor-advised funds and matching-gift platforms. Their giving appears designed to enable flexible, donor-directed philanthropy—often through national intermediaries that distribute grants on their behalf—rather than targeting programmatic issues or geographies.
Very concentrated: a small number of very large grants (six total) directed to a few intermediary organizations, with repeat, multi-million-dollar payments to the same grantees rather than many small direct-service grants.
The Vertex Foundation Inc most clearly shows up as a conduit for donor-directed philanthropy: its three largest recent grants went to Charities Aid Foundation of America and American Online Giving Foundation for donor advised fund grants and donor advised fund matching gifts. That pattern points to a funder that often routes money through philanthropic intermediaries rather than only making direct program grants. Alongside that infrastructure-oriented giving, the foundation also funds scholarships for people with cystic fibrosis and with sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, putting individual education support on the same platform as broader nonprofit grantmaking. Recent grantees also show support for general operating needs at organizations such as Enthuse Charitable Trust and the Trussell Trust. The foundation’s public grant record includes repeated payments to the same intermediaries across multiple years, which suggests an ongoing relationship with platforms and partner organizations that can distribute funds, match gifts, or administer local giving. Its overall pattern combines philanthropic infrastructure, education access, health-related family support, and general support grants in the communities where Vertex operates.
A clear thread in the foundation’s focus areas is STEAM education. It gave $259,520 to Enthuse Charitable Trust for general support, and the active program description says those partnerships are meant to create space for learning, support STEAM in the community, and build interest in STEAM careers. Family support around serious illness is another recurring area. The foundation awarded $204,500 to the Trussell Trust for general support, and its healthy-families funding is aimed at organizations that improve quality of life for families with children living with serious diseases through wraparound services and temporary assistance. It also backs community-response work; among recent grants, it gave $46,343 to Age UK for general support. In the active programs, disaster relief and emergency response are treated as a separate line of work, with rapid-response grants to vetted organizations during declared crises.
Typical award size is fixed at $5,000 at the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile, which matches the scholarship programs listed for people with cystic fibrosis and with sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia. The recent grant record also shows much larger institutional grants, especially through donor advised fund grants and matching-gift platforms, so the overall distribution is bimodal. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Charities Aid Foundation of America, American Online Giving Foundation, Enthuse Charitable Trust, and the Trussell Trust, indicating recurring relationships rather than one-off gifts. The foundation funds individuals and nonprofits, and it does not make program-related investments.
$10M
$2.6M
$10M
$10.2M
Most grants fall between $5K and $5K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$5K
About 14% of grants go to recipients in OR.
Top 5 recipient countries by grant volume for Vertex Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 276 | $24.6M | 85.5% |
| 2 | Canada | 24 | $135K |
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Notable grantees: Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAF America), American Online Giving Foundation
Most grants land in the United States, which accounts for 85.5% of recipient-country records, followed by Canada at 7.4% and the United Kingdom at 5.0%. In the recent grants list, Alexandria, VA appears repeatedly through the donor-advised fund intermediaries, while Boston, MA shows up in grants to City Year Inc. and United Way of Mass Bay Inc. Other recipient locations include Clearwater, FL; York; Salisbury; and London. The foundation also gives beyond the U.S., including to organizations in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Germany.
Its recent record is dominated by donor-advised fund grants and donor-advised fund matching gifts through intermediaries such as Charities Aid Foundation of America and American Online Giving Foundation. It also makes general support grants to nonprofits and offers scholarships to individuals.
Yes. The foundation runs scholarship programs for people with cystic fibrosis and for people with sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia. Those scholarship awards are listed at $5,000.
The active programs emphasize STEAM education, healthy families, social innovation, disaster relief, and scholarship support for people with specific health conditions. The grant list also shows general support for community organizations and philanthropic intermediaries.
The grant-size distribution is tightly clustered at $5,000 for the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile. At the same time, the recent-grants table shows much larger gifts routed through donor-advised fund intermediaries and matching-gift platforms.
By recipient country, most grants go to the United States, which represents 85.5% of grants in the data. Canada follows at 7.4% and the United Kingdom at 5.0%.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 3 | United Kingdom | 16 | $1.9M | 5.0% |
| 4 | Australia | 4 | $28K | 1.2% |
| 5 | Germany | 3 | $20K | 0.9% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charities Aid Foundation of America | Alexandria, VA | $5,664,271 | 2025 | Donor advised fund grants |
| American Online Giving Foundation | Clearwater, FL | $3,099,585 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| ENTHUSE CHARITABLE TRUST | York | $259,520 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| TRUSSELL TRUST | SALISBURY | $204,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Charitable Giving | Tavistock | $84,193 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| UK Online Giving Foundation | Cirencester | $77,616 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| TOGETHER WE RISE CORP | Brea, CA | $36,338 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CANADIAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION | Mississauga | $28,279 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| CRADLES TO CRAYONS | Newton, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOPE AND COMFORT INC | Needham, MA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CITY YEAR INC | Boston, MA | $24,100 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THOMPSON ISLAND OUTWARD BOUND EDUCATION CENTER | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Cassidy Taylor - Eckerd College | St Petersburg, FL | $7,500 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Haus Des Stiftens gGmbH | Muenchen | $5,868 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| DIGNITY MATTERS INC | Westborough, MA | $5,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Margaret Burke - Appalachian State University | Boone, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Lilly Burke - University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Marcelo Salazar-Barragan - University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston | Galveston, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Owen Bubczyk - University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Elizabeth Wheeler - University of Northwestern - St Paul | St Paul, MN | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Monserrat Tejeda-Munoz - University of Georgia | Athens, GA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Taylor Rolefson - Bates College | Lewiston, ME | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| emma eckert - Texas A&M University | College Station, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Daviney McKay - Hamline University | St Paul, MN | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Benjamin Clark - Clemson University | Clemson, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Alexa Hall - Drake University | Des Moines, IA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Bailey Gutelius - Eastern University | St Davids, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Jacob Greene - University of California San Francisco School of Medicine | San Francisco, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Hannah McLeod - Cleveland State University | Cleveland, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Katherine Rippon - University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Ashleigh Hoskins - University of Evansville | Evansville, IN | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Casey Reno - West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Ashley Marchant - Abilene Christian University | Abilene, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Madison Dwyer - D'Youville College | Buffalo, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Allison Schellenberg - Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, IN | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Abigail Shaffer - Wake Technical Community College | Raleigh, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Jordan Shopp - University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Maeve McNulty - University of New England | Biddeford, ME | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Rachael Russell - Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Kelci Wunschel - Illinois State University | Normal, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Faith Ettlich - Gordon College | Wenham, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Josclyn Boynton - Clovis Community College | Fresno, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Maia Bumgardner - Luther College | Decorah, IA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| John Iskat - Pensacola Christian College | Pensacola, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Jacob Rippon - University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Gabrielle Capesius - University of Texas Health Science Center Med School | San Antonio, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Hannah Sheets - Miami University Oxford | Oxford, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Madelyn Frank - University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Merrily Tew - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Evan Mahanna - Pace University at Pleasantville | Pleasantville, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
Charities Aid Foundation of America
$5,664,271Donor advised fund grants
American Online Giving Foundation
$3,099,585Donor advised fund matching gifts
ENTHUSE CHARITABLE TRUST
$259,520GENERAL SUPPORT
TRUSSELL TRUST
$204,500GENERAL SUPPORT
Charitable Giving
$84,193Donor advised fund matching gifts
UK Online Giving Foundation
$77,616Donor advised fund matching gifts
TOGETHER WE RISE CORP
$36,338GENERAL SUPPORT
CANADIAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION
$28,279Donor advised fund matching gifts
CRADLES TO CRAYONS
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HOPE AND COMFORT INC
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CITY YEAR INC
$24,100GENERAL SUPPORT
THOMPSON ISLAND OUTWARD BOUND EDUCATION CENTER
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
Cassidy Taylor - Eckerd College
$7,500Scholarship Recipient
Haus Des Stiftens gGmbH
$5,868Donor advised fund matching gifts
DIGNITY MATTERS INC
$5,500GENERAL SUPPORT
Margaret Burke - Appalachian State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Lilly Burke - University of Northern Iowa
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Marcelo Salazar-Barragan - University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Owen Bubczyk - University of Delaware
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Elizabeth Wheeler - University of Northwestern - St Paul
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Monserrat Tejeda-Munoz - University of Georgia
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Taylor Rolefson - Bates College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
emma eckert - Texas A&M University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Daviney McKay - Hamline University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Benjamin Clark - Clemson University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Alexa Hall - Drake University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Bailey Gutelius - Eastern University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Jacob Greene - University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Hannah McLeod - Cleveland State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Katherine Rippon - University of Delaware
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Ashleigh Hoskins - University of Evansville
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Casey Reno - West Chester University of Pennsylvania
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Ashley Marchant - Abilene Christian University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Madison Dwyer - D'Youville College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Allison Schellenberg - Indiana Wesleyan University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Abigail Shaffer - Wake Technical Community College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Jordan Shopp - University of Pittsburgh
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Maeve McNulty - University of New England
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Rachael Russell - Colorado State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Kelci Wunschel - Illinois State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Faith Ettlich - Gordon College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Josclyn Boynton - Clovis Community College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Maia Bumgardner - Luther College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
John Iskat - Pensacola Christian College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Jacob Rippon - University of Delaware
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Gabrielle Capesius - University of Texas Health Science Center Med School
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Hannah Sheets - Miami University Oxford
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Madelyn Frank - University of Wisconsin-Madison
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Merrily Tew - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Evan Mahanna - Pace University at Pleasantville
$5,000Scholarship Recipient