Foundation Funds to Maryland
Clickhereto look at the list of foundations headquartered in Maryland by County (courtesy of the Urban Institute) and view their most recent 990 tax filing which includes information on board members and recent donations.
On occasion, a State agency will receive a grant directly from a private foundation. A more typical interaction will find a State agency and a foundation working together around a shared goal, with the foundation funding a nonprofit organization that is trying to achieve that goal. While some Maryland foundations have large and experienced staff capable of providing detailed analysis on a large number of grant applications, many small and medium-size foundations may benefit from the technical and performance-based expertise that State agencies can provide. This kind of assistance can help foundations make targeted decisions related to their grant-making goals.
The Governor’s Grants Office works closely with foundations, nonprofits, and local governments. All three constituencies use our website, Annual Report, and participate in our training sessions.
A foundation is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization established under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to support religious, charitable, and/or educational activities. Private foundations are created by individuals or by families. Governance may rest with the family or a board of trustees. Community foundations are public charities established to serve the needs of a particular geographic area. They provide a framework for individual donors to support charitable causes without having to create their own foundations. Private foundations must distribute at least 5% of their assets each year. Community foundations do not have this same requirement. Some corporations also have their own foundations.
- In Maryland there are 1,438 foundations (2007) according to the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers (ABAG).
- Maryland foundation total assets (2007): $13.4 billion, up from $12.9 billion in 2006.
- In 2007, total giving for Maryland foundations was $812.8 million, a significant (and surprising?) increase from $735.7 million in 2006.
- In Maryland, 43% of assets are held by just 2Maryland foundations (Annie E. Casey and Harry & Jeanette Weinberg).
- There are two foundations headquartered outside of Maryland that contributed amounts of money to Maryland organizations sufficient to rank in our top fourdomestic givers (Gates, at $294 millionwould actually be #1, Mellon gave $86.5 million).
There are thirteen community foundations in Maryland($399 million in assets) making $46 million in contributions in 2007. For more information, visit Maryland Community Foundations Association online.T
Top Maryland-Based Foundations 2007
By $ Giving
URankFoundation Name/Location $ inMillions % ofTotal
(1) Annie E. Casey / Baltimore$ 192.023.6%
(2) Harry & Jean. Weinberg/Owings Mills $ 99.612.3%
(3)Baltimore Community / Baltimore $ 30.0 3.7%
(4) Ellison Medical / Bethesda$ 29.2 3.6%
(5)Sherman Fairchild / Chevy Chase $ 23.5 2.9%
(6) FranceMerrick /Towson$ 12.0 1.5 %
(7) Abell / Baltimore $ 10.1 1.2%
(8)Tamias$ 8.9 1.1%
(9) Jacob/Hilda Blaustein/Baltimore$ 8.5 1.0%
(10) Merril$ 8.1 1.0 %
UAll Others in Maryland $390.9 48.1%
Total $ 812.8 100.0 %
This next chart lists the top 10 foundation grant recipients in Maryland for 2006, with the amounts awarded.
Top Maryland Foundation Grant Recipients 2006
URankRecipient Name$ INMillions
(1)Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation$200.7
(2) JohnsHopkinsUniversity$ 69.7
(3)Catholic Relief Services$ 31.5
(4)Univ. of MD, Baltimore$ 24.1
(5)Univ. System of Maryland Foundation$ 15.1
(6) Enterprise Community Partners$ 12.6
(7)Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance$ 11.0
(8)Univ. of MD, College Park$ 10.5
(9)Natl Inst of Child Health/Human Development $ 9.3
(10)CHF International$ 8.5
UAll Others in Maryland $419.8
Total $812.8
Number of Maryland-Based Foundations By County
Montgomery 620 / Frederick 34 / Worcester 15 / Queen Anne’s 9BaltCity 348 / Harford 30 / Carroll 14 / Garrett 8
Balt County 335 / Talbot 26 / St. Mary’s 13 / Cecil 8
Anne Arund 129 / Washington 22 / Calvert 12 / Dorchester 7
Howard 83 / Charles 17 / Wicomico 10 / Caroline 1
Pr. George’s 80 / Kent 17 / Allegany 10 / Somerset 0
NOTE: The foundations based in each County (total of1,848)were compiled using the Urban Institute’s Center on Charitable Statistics website that is linked to the Grants Office website. The figure in the above table totals more than the ABAG 1,438total due to inactive foundations still filing tax forms.
Simply listing numbers can mask the range of activities that fall under the heading of foundation giving. In some cases corporations give money through a foundation, but other times contributions are made without the creation of a foundation.
As noted above, on occasion a foundation will provide a grant directly to an agency of State government. This report includes some information on individual foundation grants received by individual agencies. This information appears at the back of each agency’s section, but this is not a complete accounting of all foundation grants received by State government.
Unless otherwise noted, all data in this section appeared in publications written by the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers.