Estes Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 23-7045252 · since 1969·Virginia·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$1.2M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$2,500 to $25,000

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$15,000

Typical grant (median)

57 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

The foundation accepts contributions only from preselected charitable organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small nonprofit should not send it a cold application; the realistic route is to find a way to be invited.
Its filing states no geographic focus, so the Virginia concentration in its grant record reflects past giving and is not a rule about who may be considered.
About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $2,500 and $25,000, with a median of $15,000, so a request in that range is typical, though its largest grant was $325,000 and the band is not a ceiling.
Repeat giving is high: 97% of grant dollars to organisations went to groups it had also funded in its earlier filings, which suggests that existing relationships matter.
Its filing describes its grants as general rather than programme-specific, so a request framed around the organisation's broad needs may fit better than one tied to a narrow project.

Overview

Estes Foundation is a US private foundation based in Conshohocken, PA.

What they fund

Profile based on the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) only: no website or other web source for the foundation was found. Every statement is checked against the filings. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Estes Foundation grant record shows general support for a wide range of public charities, with the large majority of recorded grant dollars going to organisations in Virginia. The recipients include schools and youth-serving organisations, as well as organisations concerned with housing, health, arts and cultural heritage; religious and broader community organisations also appear. Its filings describe the grants as general rather than assigning them to distinct programme areas, so the record supports broad charitable giving and does not establish a narrower stated focus. Grants are made to charitable organisations, including schools, associations, community programmes and cultural institutions.

Geographic Focus

No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Virginia.

How to apply

Contributions are limited to preselected charitable organisations; the foundation does not accept unsolicited requests.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 97% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 188 grants to organisations were $15,000 or less.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Virginia94%

Maryland4%

District of Columbia<1%

California<1%

Massachusetts<1%

Tennessee<1%

1 other state: <1%

The largest single recipient received 13% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 97% of grant dollars went to organisations Estes Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
<1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

57 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $15,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 57 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k7%

$2.5k–$5k7%

$5k–$10k21%

$10k–$25k33%

$25k–$50k26%

$50k–$100k4%

$100k–$250k0%

$250k–$500k2%

Median $15,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Ywca · General
$325,0002024 tax year
Children's Hospital Foundation · General
$65,0002024 tax year
Saint Andrews School · General
$50,0002024 tax year
Caritasthe Healing Place For Women · General
$30,0002024 tax year
Challenge Discovery · General
$30,0002024 tax year
Communities in Schools · General
$30,0002024 tax year
Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School · General
$25,0002024 tax year
Higher Achievement · General
$25,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Martha E Grover — President / Vice President / Secretary / Treasurer
Kristen F Hager — Director
Meade A Spotts — Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$1,094,181	$867,000	$24,999,736	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$1,035,524	$883,000	$27,781,930	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$1,426,675	$1,207,500	$29,746,438	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

Sources

Registers and filings

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