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
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 |
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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.
| $135K |
7.4% |
| 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, De | $84,193 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| UK Online Giving Foundation | Cirencester, Gl | $77,616 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| TOGETHER WE RISE CORP | Brea, CA | $36,338 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CANADIAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION | Mississauga, On | $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, Ba | $5,868 | 2025 | Donor advised fund matching gifts |
| DIGNITY MATTERS INC | Westborough, MA | $5,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Landon Cottrell - Appalachian State University | Boone, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| John Gebhardt - North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Makenzie Quick - Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, CT | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Madison Dwyer - D'Youville College | Buffalo, NY | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Michael Woody - Wofford College | Spartanburg, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Merrily Tew - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Hope Holderle - Southwest Baptist University | Bolivar, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Savannah Hairr - William Peace University | Raleigh, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Kelci Wunschel - Illinois State University | Normal, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Bailey Gutelius - Eastern University | St Davids, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Allison Schellenberg - Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, IN | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Tate Pierce - University of North Alabama | Florence, AL | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Sarah Calbaum - University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Haylee Gurney - California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| HORIZONS FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN INC | ROXBURY, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Peter Lipscombe - Presbyterian College | Clinton, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Cassandra Murphy - University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Ford Robbins - Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Sophia Spencer - Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, GA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Rachael Russell - Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| George Perkins - University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Alexa Hall - Drake University | Des Moines, IA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Monserrat Tejeda-Munoz - University of Georgia | Athens, GA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Bailey Bryan - Villanova University | Villanova, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Hannah Sheets - Miami University Oxford | Oxford, OH | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Austin Goetsche - Northwest Missouri State University | Maryville, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Brayden Merrill - Brigham Young University | Provo, UT | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Lilly Burke - University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Jennifer Livingston - Utah State University | Logan, UT | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| patrick capesius - The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Casey Reno - West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Alaina Sheedy - University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| Maia Bumgardner - Luther College | Decorah, IA | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
| MYSTIC RIVER WATERSHED | Arlington, MA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Mylie Hammonds - Texas A&M University | College Station, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Recipient |
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
CANADIAN ONLINE GIVING FOUNDATION
$28,279Donor advised fund matching gifts
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
Landon Cottrell - Appalachian State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
John Gebhardt - North Carolina State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Makenzie Quick - Sacred Heart University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Madison Dwyer - D'Youville College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Michael Woody - Wofford College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Merrily Tew - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Hope Holderle - Southwest Baptist University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Savannah Hairr - William Peace University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Kelci Wunschel - Illinois State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Bailey Gutelius - Eastern University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Allison Schellenberg - Indiana Wesleyan University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Tate Pierce - University of North Alabama
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Sarah Calbaum - University of Wisconsin-Madison
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Haylee Gurney - California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Peter Lipscombe - Presbyterian College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Cassandra Murphy - University of Iowa
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Ford Robbins - Florida State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Sophia Spencer - Georgia Institute of Technology
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Rachael Russell - Colorado State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
George Perkins - University of Michigan
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Alexa Hall - Drake University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Monserrat Tejeda-Munoz - University of Georgia
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Bailey Bryan - Villanova University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Hannah Sheets - Miami University Oxford
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Austin Goetsche - Northwest Missouri State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Brayden Merrill - Brigham Young University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Lilly Burke - University of Northern Iowa
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Jennifer Livingston - Utah State University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
patrick capesius - The University of Texas at Austin
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Casey Reno - West Chester University of Pennsylvania
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Alaina Sheedy - University of Wisconsin-Madison
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
Maia Bumgardner - Luther College
$5,000Scholarship Recipient
MYSTIC RIVER WATERSHED
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
Mylie Hammonds - Texas A&M University
$5,000Scholarship Recipient