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The McCausland Foundation

Annual Giving
$11.3M
Grant Range
$250K - $75.0M

The McCausland Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $11.3 million (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly available
  • Grant Range: Varies widely - from $250,000 to $75 million
  • Geographic Focus: Martin County, FL; Nantucket, MA; and Philadelphia, PA areas
  • Total Assets: $229 million (2024)

Contact Details

Address: P.O. Box 274, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-0274

Contact Person: Peter Ernst, President & CEO

Phone: (215) 948-3245

Website: Not available

Email: Not available

Overview

Founded in 1994 by Peter and Bonnie McCausland, The McCausland Foundation is a substantial private family foundation with over $229 million in assets. Peter McCausland, a 1971 University of South Carolina history graduate, founded Airgas Inc. in 1982, which became a major industrial and medical gas company. The foundation's mission centers on three core areas: education (especially for vulnerable youth), medical research (particularly neuroscience and brain health), and conservation. The foundation operates primarily through trustee discretion, making very few but extremely large grants to carefully selected organizations in their three geographic focus areas. In 2023, the foundation distributed $11.3 million, while their 2024 giving increased to $15.9 million. The McCauslands maintain residences in Hobe Sound, Florida, and at the historic Erdenheim Farm outside Philadelphia, where the foundation is based.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate traditional grant programs with fixed application cycles. Instead, it makes strategic, high-impact grants determined by the trustees. Recent major grants include:

  • $75 million to University of South Carolina (2025) - To establish the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, supporting career development, neuroscience research, and faculty excellence
  • $250,000 to Community Foundation for Nantucket (2020) - Challenge grant for community health, focusing on mental health and social-emotional learning
  • Multiple grants to University of South Carolina - Including initial funding for the McCausland Center for Brain Imaging (2006) and the McCausland Faculty Fellowship (2014)

Priority Areas

Education for Vulnerable Youth:

  • K-12 public and private schools in Philadelphia area and Florida
  • After-school programs aimed at helping vulnerable youth access quality education
  • University-level programs that support student career development and remove financial barriers to internships

Medical Research:

  • Neuroscience and brain health research
  • Brain imaging technology
  • Programs addressing mental health and behavioral health needs
  • Student and faculty research initiatives

Conservation:

  • Land conservation and preservation (exemplified by the McCauslands' personal purchase and preservation of historic Erdenheim Farm)
  • Environmental protection initiatives

Community Health:

  • Psychiatric services and counseling
  • Child counseling and parental education
  • Addiction services
  • Women's security programs
  • Social and emotional learning initiatives

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented. However, given the foundation's pattern of making very large, strategic grants to established institutions with which the trustees have personal connections, they likely do not fund:

  • Small general operating grants
  • Organizations outside their three geographic focus areas (Martin County FL, Nantucket MA, Philadelphia PA)
  • Organizations without established track records
  • Projects unrelated to their core focus areas of education, medical research, and conservation

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors and Officers (as of 2024 Form 990-PF filing):

  • Peter Ernst - President & CEO
  • Peter McCausland - Director and Co-Founder
  • Bonnie McCausland - Director and Co-Founder
  • Christopher F. McCausland - Director
  • Elizabeth M. Salata - Vice President & Director
  • Kate Legere - Secretary
  • Julie Seely - Treasurer

All board members serve without compensation. Additional board members may exist beyond those listed in public filings.

Leadership Background

Peter McCausland has described the foundation's philosophy: The McCauslands maintain strong ties to their philanthropic focus areas through personal connections—Peter's education at USC, the family's residences in Florida and Pennsylvania, and their connection to Nantucket. Bonnie McCausland has served on numerous nonprofit boards including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation.

The foundation operates from the McCauslands' historic Erdenheim Farm in Whitemarsh and Springfield Townships, Pennsylvania, which they purchased in 2009 to save from development. The 475-acre farm, protected by conservation easements, houses approximately 550 animals and exemplifies the family's commitment to conservation.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The McCausland Foundation does not have a traditional public application process. While the foundation's limited public information indicates that applicants should submit a "written request describing the nature of the program," the foundation's grantmaking pattern suggests it operates primarily through trustee discretion and pre-existing relationships.

Evidence of this approach:

  • The foundation made only 1 grant award per year from 2020-2023, despite having substantial assets
  • Recent grants have been to institutions with which the McCauslands have longstanding personal relationships (University of South Carolina, Community Foundation for Nantucket)
  • Annual giving ranges from $4.4 million to $17.3 million, indicating grants are very large and highly selective

For organizations seeking funding: Contact Peter Ernst, President & CEO, at (215) 948-3245 with a written request describing your program. However, organizations should understand that successful grants appear to come primarily through trustee initiative and established relationships rather than unsolicited applications.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly available. Given the foundation's pattern of making very few, very large strategic grants, the decision process likely involves extensive due diligence and may take several months to over a year.

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly available. However, with only 1-2 grants made annually despite substantial assets ($229 million), the success rate for unsolicited applications is likely extremely low.

Reapplication Policy

No public information is available regarding reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's operating pattern, the following factors appear critical for potential grantees:

Personal Connection to the McCausland Family: All publicly documented major grants have gone to organizations or communities with which Peter and Bonnie McCausland have strong personal ties—Peter's alma mater (USC), communities where they maintain residences (Nantucket, Philadelphia area, Martin County FL), and causes they are personally involved in (conservation, brain research).

Alignment with Core Priorities: Projects must align closely with one of three areas: education for vulnerable youth, medical research (especially neuroscience/brain health), or conservation. The foundation's giving in the Nantucket community health initiative specifically emphasized alignment with "existing McCausland Foundation donations focused on mental health and social and emotional learning."

Institutional Capacity for Large Grants: The foundation makes very large grants ($250,000 to $75 million) to established institutions capable of managing substantial gifts and producing measurable impact at scale.

Strategic, Transformational Impact: The foundation's recent $75 million gift to USC was described as supporting specific outcomes: paid internship stipends for up to 150 students annually, student and faculty neuroscience research, and faculty recruitment and retention. Successful proposals likely need to articulate clear, ambitious goals with transformational potential.

Geographic Focus: Organizations must be located in or primarily serve Martin County, FL; Nantucket, MA; or the Philadelphia, PA area.

Long-term Sustainability: The McCauslands established endowed programs at USC (McCausland Faculty Fellowship in 2014, McCausland Center for Brain Imaging in 2006) before their major 2025 gift, suggesting they prefer to build relationships over time and support institutions that demonstrate sustainable impact.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This foundation operates primarily through trustee discretion, not competitive applications. Success appears to depend on personal connections to the McCausland family or pre-existing relationships rather than unsolicited proposals.

  • Focus on three specific geographic areas: Martin County, FL; Nantucket, MA; and Philadelphia, PA. Organizations outside these areas are unlikely to be funded regardless of program quality.

  • Prepare for very large, transformational gifts. This foundation makes 1-2 grants annually averaging over $11 million. They are not a source for small operating grants or project support under $250,000.

  • Demonstrate long-term institutional capacity. The foundation's pattern shows preference for established institutions (major universities, community foundations) capable of managing multi-million dollar initiatives.

  • Align precisely with education for vulnerable youth, neuroscience/brain health research, or conservation. These are non-negotiable priority areas based on documented giving patterns.

  • If you don't have an existing relationship, building one may take years. The USC relationship developed over nearly 20 years (2006 to 2025) before the transformational gift.

  • Contact information is available (Peter Ernst, 215-948-3245), but expectations should be realistic. Given the extremely selective grantmaking pattern, unsolicited applications face very long odds.

References

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