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Donald C McGraw Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$5.6M
Grant Range
$1K - $0.3M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $5,600,000
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: $500 - $350,000
  • Median Grant: $25,000
  • Geographic Focus: Massachusetts (primary), Florida, and selective national organizations

Contact Details

Headquarters: Delray Beach, FL

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited funding requests. All grants are made to preselected charitable organizations identified by the foundation's leadership.

Overview

The Donald C McGraw Foundation Inc was established in 1963 and is named after Donald Cushing McGraw (1897-1974), who served as president of McGraw-Hill publishing company from 1953 to 1966. The foundation is currently administered by his grandsons and holds total assets of approximately $37 million. With annual giving of $5.6 million distributed across approximately 127 grants per year, the foundation focuses on advancing community efforts in health care and medical research, education, museums, and human services. The foundation has demonstrated particularly strong commitment to the Berkshire County region of Massachusetts, where it has been a major donor for over 20 years, while also maintaining connections to Florida communities. Robin McGraw serves as Senior Director, actively involved in both grantmaking decisions and hands-on volunteer leadership with recipient organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation provides general support grants across its priority areas. All grants are listed as "GENERAL SUPPORT" in public filings, suggesting flexible, unrestricted funding for organizational operations and programs.

Grant Distribution (2024):

  • $100,000 - $350,000: 16 grants (major institutional support)
  • $25,000 - $99,999: 52 grants (substantial support)
  • $5,000 - $24,999: 52 grants (moderate support)
  • $500 - $4,999: 7 grants (small support)

Application Method: Invitation only - the foundation proactively identifies and selects organizations to support.

Priority Areas

Healthcare & Medical Research (Primary Focus):

  • Multiple sclerosis research and support
  • Cancer research and treatment centers
  • Hospital infrastructure and modernization
  • Regional healthcare access, particularly critical access hospitals
  • Substance abuse prevention and treatment

Education:

  • Educational institutions and programs
  • Youth development programs

Museums & Cultural Institutions:

  • Support for arts and cultural organizations

Human Services:

  • Community-based social service organizations
  • Youth and family services
  • Substance abuse prevention programs

Community Foundations:

  • Support for regional community foundations in areas of interest

Geographic Priorities

Massachusetts (particularly Berkshire County): Strongest concentration of giving Florida (particularly Palm Beach and Martin Counties): Secondary focus area Other States: Selective major medical and research institutions nationally (including Hawaii, New York, Connecticut)

Top Recent Grant Recipients

  • National Multiple Sclerosis Society: $350,000
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital: $300,000
  • Mayo Clinic Jacksonville: $250,000
  • Bethesda Hospital Foundation: $250,000
  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute: $250,000
  • Fairview Hospital: $1,000,000 (2025 leadership gift)
  • Brien Center: $50,000 (youth substance abuse prevention)

What They Don't Fund

Based on their giving pattern, the foundation does not appear to fund:

  • Individual scholarships or fellowships
  • International organizations
  • Political or advocacy organizations
  • Religious organizations for religious purposes

Governance and Leadership

President: Donald C McGraw III

Directors:

  • David C McGraw
  • Robert L W McGraw

Secretary: J Patterson Cooper

Treasurer: Thomas A Smith

Senior Director: Robin McGraw (South Egremont, MA) - actively involved in grant selection and community engagement

All leadership positions are uncompensated, consistent with private family foundation governance.

Leadership Philosophy

Robin McGraw has articulated the foundation's approach in public statements:

On community need and evidence-based practice: "We need to get to the adolescent population sooner," emphasizing the importance of making treatment more accessible than substance abuse for at-risk youth. McGraw noted that the Brien Center does "excellent work with the resources they have" and that state funding is insufficient to address crises like the opioid epidemic.

On long-term commitment: The foundation's 20+ year partnership with Fairview Hospital demonstrates their preference for sustained, deep relationships with organizations serving communities they care about, rather than one-time grants.

Robin McGraw is noted by community leaders as demonstrating "the power of community members having a voice" through active involvement as both donor and volunteer, serving on development committees and helping lead fundraising efforts beyond the foundation's own giving.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Donald C McGraw Foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded based on:

  • Trustee and director discretion
  • Pre-existing relationships with organizations
  • Proactive identification of organizations aligned with foundation priorities
  • Long-term partnerships with organizations demonstrating impact

Organizations cannot submit applications, letters of inquiry, or funding proposals.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation operates on its own timeline for identifying and supporting organizations.

Success Rates

Not applicable - there is no public application process. The foundation made 127 grants in 2024 and 120 grants in 2023, all to organizations selected by foundation leadership.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - organizations do not apply to this foundation.

Application Success Factors

Note: Since there is no application process, these insights are based on the foundation's documented giving patterns and public statements.

What This Foundation Values

Long-term relationships and sustained impact: The foundation has supported Fairview Hospital for over 20 years, demonstrating preference for multi-year partnerships rather than one-time grants. This suggests they value seeing organizations grow and improve over time with their support.

Evidence-based approaches: In supporting the Brien Center's youth substance abuse prevention program, Robin McGraw specifically noted the importance of documented outcomes - the program showed 82% of participants demonstrated improvements in substance use knowledge and risky behaviors. The foundation responds to data showing program effectiveness.

Community infrastructure: Major gifts to hospital capital campaigns and modernization projects show commitment to strengthening the physical infrastructure that serves communities, not just programs.

Addressing critical gaps: Robin McGraw's statement that "state funding is insufficient to address the crisis" indicates the foundation sees its role as filling gaps where public funding falls short on urgent community needs.

Geographic connection: The foundation shows particular loyalty to Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and Palm Beach/Martin Counties in Florida, suggesting personal or family connections to these regions drive some giving decisions.

Their Funded Projects

Recent grants provide insight into what captures the foundation's attention:

  • Fairview Hospital campus revitalization ($1M): Multi-year capital project to expand surgical suites, add state-of-the-art MRI, enlarge emergency department - completion expected 2028
  • Brien Center youth substance abuse prevention ($50K): Evidence-based curriculum reaching 1,722 teens with measurable outcomes in reducing risky behaviors
  • Major medical research institutions ($250K-$350K): Ongoing support for nationally recognized cancer research, multiple sclerosis research, and teaching hospitals
  • Community foundations: Supporting intermediary organizations that strengthen regional philanthropy

Foundation Language and Priorities

The foundation uses straightforward language focused on "general support" and community needs rather than complex program terminology. Their statements emphasize:

  • "Excellence with limited resources"
  • "Early intervention and prevention"
  • "Community voice and leadership"
  • "Evidence-based services"
  • "Critical access" and addressing service gaps

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant writing - they do not accept unsolicited proposals, letters of inquiry, or applications of any kind.

  • All grants are to preselected organizations - the foundation's leadership proactively identifies and selects organizations to support based on their own research and relationships.

  • Geographic focus is clear: The strongest concentration of giving is in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, followed by Palm Beach/Martin Counties in Florida, with selective support for major medical institutions nationally.

  • Healthcare and medical research dominate - approximately two-thirds of grants support healthcare, hospitals, and medical research, with particular emphasis on multiple sclerosis, cancer, and community health access.

  • Multi-year relationships are preferred - the foundation's 20+ year partnership with Fairview Hospital and sustained support for other organizations suggests they prefer deep, ongoing relationships over one-time grants.

  • Grant sizes vary widely but cluster around $25,000 median - while major gifts of $250,000-$1M go to hospitals and research institutions, the typical grant is $25,000, with 104 of 127 grants (82%) falling between $5,000 and $99,999.

  • Evidence of impact matters - when foundation leadership discusses grants publicly, they reference measurable outcomes, program reach, and documented effectiveness, even though organizations don't apply competitively.

References

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