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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Pennsylvania
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 17,367 grantmakers listed 183,201 grants totaling $13.6 billion to 56,303 organizations in Pennsylvania. 16,499 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 868 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 4,904 are based in Pennsylvania; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Pennsylvania organization was $6,000. Philadelphia County received the most grants (38,078, from 5,881 funders), followed by Allegheny County (31,488) and Montgomery County (11,601). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (25,286 grants), children & youth (12,239 grants) and health & mental health (12,161 grants).
The Cigna Group Foundation (Philadelphia, PA) funded the most different Pennsylvania organizations: 5,449, through 7,504 grants with a typical size of $250.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Pennsylvania organizations
Ranked by the number of different Pennsylvania organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to PA organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Cigna Group Foundation Philadelphia, PA · EIN 23-6261726 | 7,504 | 5,449 | $250 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 2 | The Pittsburgh Foundation Pittsburgh, PA · EIN 25-0965466 | 876 | 871 | $22,740 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 3 | Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Harrisburg, PA · EIN 23-2202250 | 1,448 | 849 | $39,446 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 4 | The William Penn Foundation Philadelphia, PA · EIN 23-1503488 | 2,328 | 707 | $58,333 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | The Philadelphia Foundation Philadelphia, PA · EIN 23-1581832 | 500 | 499 | $28,454 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 6 | Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Fund Tyrone, PA · EIN 45-4423429 | 436 | 427 | $45,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 7 | Hillman Family Foundations Pittsburgh, PA · EIN 25-6065959 | 914 | 425 | $38,750 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | Enterprise Holdings Foundation Saint Louis, MO · EIN 43-1262762 | 647 | 399 | $2,500 | 2023 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | Connelly Foundation West Conshohocken, PA · EIN 23-6296825 | 525 | 387 | $15,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | The Heinz Endowments Pittsburgh, PA · EIN 25-1721100 | 921 | 376 | $75,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Ppl Foundation Allentown, PA · EIN 46-1605118 | 581 | 374 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | The Philadelphia Cultural Fund Inc Philadelphia, PA · EIN 23-2683335 | 522 | 360 | $17,578 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 13 | Lancaster County Community Foundation Lancaster, PA · EIN 20-0874857 | 360 | 359 | $18,738 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 14 | Erie Community Foundation Erie, PA · EIN 25-6032032 | 353 | 353 | $24,985 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 15 | Firstenergy Foundation Akron, OH · EIN 34-6514181 | 507 | 343 | $2,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia County | 38,078 | 5,881 | $2.3 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Allegheny County | 31,488 | 3,288 | $2.2 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Montgomery County | 11,601 | 3,092 | $2.4 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Chester County | 7,986 | 1,769 | $351.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Lancaster County | 6,104 | 1,091 | $201.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Delaware County | 6,059 | 1,910 | $291.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Bucks County | 4,353 | 1,351 | $96.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Dauphin County | 4,305 | 854 | $397.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Lehigh County | 4,099 | 733 | $152.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| York County | 4,023 | 618 | $137.9 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 25,286 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 12,239 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 12,161 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 10,585 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 7,402 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 3,901 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 3,877 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 3,675 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 2,522 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 1,851 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 1,567 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 1,097 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 319 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Pennsylvania ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.