Private Foundations

Private foundations are nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations that meets the 501(c)(3) definition.  They operate from a principle fund or endowment and is governed by its own trustees and board of directors.  Their focus of giving is often to other non-profit entities.

In general, there are four types of foundations, listed in decreasing order of market share:

• independent foundations (established by families, e.g., the Rockefeller Foundation)
• company-sponsored foundations (also called corporate foundations) funded by business corporations;
• operating foundations (focus is on research, social welfare, or other charitable programs); and
• community foundations supported by and operated for the benefit of a specific community or region.

The first three types are private foundations. Technically, community foundations are public charities (sometimes called "public foundations"), but because their primary activity is grant making, grant resources often include them in their coverage of available funding.

Here is a sampling of education-related foundation funding sources:

• The Annenberg Foundation (PreK-12 education)
• The Carnegie Corporation (education, child development)
• Charles A. Dana Foundation (research, school reform)
• DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund (improve education, low income)
• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (education, community)
• Pew Charitable Trusts (education, policy)
• Rockefeller Brothers Fund (teacher education)
• Spencer Foundation (research, fellowship programs)
• Nellie Mae Educational Foundation (literacy, after school, minority, adult literacy)
• MarcoPolo Professional Development Grant Program (K-12, internet)
• Verizon Foundation (technology, literacy)
• The Sprint Foundation (technology, teacher skills)
• Corning Foundation Grants (education, curriculum enrichment)
• National Education Association (educational improvement, professional development)
• Educational Foundation of America (general education)

For an even more exhaustive listing, explore this link for details on various private foundations, links to their Web sites and descriptions of their offerings.