Howard P Colhoun Family Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $3.8 million (2024)
• Total Assets: $105.9 million
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed (invitation only)
• Grant Range: $1,000 - $553,000
• Median Grant: $10,000
• Number of Grants: 74 grants (2024)
• Geographic Focus: Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, with additional grants to Colorado and Vermont

Contact Details

Foundation Address: Glyndon, MD

Note: The foundation does not maintain a public website or accept unsolicited applications.

Overview

The Howard P Colhoun Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation established in 1993 in Maryland as a supporting organization of the Baltimore Community Foundation, Inc. With assets exceeding $105 million and annual charitable disbursements of approximately $3.8 million, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations focused on education, philanthropy and voluntarism, and human services. The foundation operates primarily in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Maine, with additional grants to organizations in other states. Leadership includes Howard P Colhoun (President) and Alexander HP Colhoun (Vice President). The foundation's mission centers on supporting the charitable purposes of the Baltimore Community Foundation through strategic grant distributions to carefully selected nonprofit organizations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation operates on an invitation-only basis and does not have formally named grant programs. Instead, grants are awarded through trustee discretion to preselected charitable organizations.

2024 Grant Activity: 74 grants totaling $3.8 million

• Grant range: $1,000 - $553,000
• Median grant: $10,000

Notable Recent Recipients (2024):

• Vanguard Charitable Trust (multiple grants up to $553,000)
• National Outdoor Leadership School ($420,000)
• New Profit Inc ($212,500)
• Acumen Fund NYC ($200,000)
• Maine Community Foundation ($170,000)

Priority Areas

Education: Support for educational institutions and programs, outdoor leadership education, and educational access initiatives

Philanthropy and Voluntarism: Grants to community foundations, donor-advised fund sponsors, and organizations promoting charitable giving

Human Services: Support for organizations providing direct services to communities across their geographic focus areas

Social Innovation: Funding for organizations working on innovative approaches to social challenges, including social venture funds

What They Don't Fund

The foundation has stated it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. This suggests they do not fund:

• Organizations outside their established network
• Individual applicants
• For-profit entities

Governance and Leadership

Howard P Colhoun - President

Alexander HP Colhoun - Vice President (also serves as President of the National Outdoor Leadership School, one of the foundation's major grantees)

The foundation maintains a family foundation structure with close involvement from the Colhoun family in grantmaking decisions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion to organizations that have been identified and selected by the foundation's leadership. Organizations cannot submit applications or letters of inquiry.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation's relationship with the Baltimore Community Foundation suggests that organizations working with or known to BCF may have pathways to the Colhoun Foundation's attention. The family's known involvement with outdoor education (through Alexander Colhoun's leadership at NOLS) and social innovation organizations (evidenced by grants to New Profit Inc and Acumen Fund) may indicate areas where the trustees have deep personal connections.

Given Alexander HP Colhoun's role as President of the National Outdoor Leadership School and the foundation's significant support to NOLS, the foundation appears to support causes where trustees have direct leadership involvement or personal passion.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. As an invitation-only funder, decisions are made at the discretion of the trustees throughout the year.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process exists.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation operates on an invitation-only basis, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, analysis of their grantmaking patterns reveals:

Relationship-Driven Grantmaking: The foundation's support appears heavily influenced by personal connections and trustee involvement. Alexander Colhoun's leadership of NOLS correlates with significant foundation support to that organization.

Focus on Intermediaries: Major grants to donor-advised fund sponsors (Vanguard Charitable), community foundations (Maine Community Foundation), and social venture intermediaries (New Profit Inc, Acumen Fund) suggest the foundation values partnerships with established philanthropic infrastructure.

Geographic Concentration: While based in Maryland, the foundation demonstrates particular interest in Maine and Massachusetts, suggesting family or trustee connections to these regions.

Support for Innovation: Grants to organizations like New Profit Inc and Acumen Fund indicate interest in innovative approaches to social change and social entrepreneurship.

Multi-Year Relationships: Analysis of grant patterns shows the foundation tends to support the same organizations over multiple years, indicating preference for long-term partnerships over one-time grants.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant application channels. Organizations should not submit unsolicited proposals.

• Relationship-Based: Grantmaking appears driven by trustee relationships and areas of personal passion, particularly outdoor education and social innovation.

• Baltimore Community Foundation Connection: As a supporting organization of BCF, there may be indirect pathways through relationship-building with BCF.

• Significant Family Involvement: Both the president and vice president are members of the Colhoun family, indicating strong family direction of philanthropic priorities.

• Large Grant Capacity: While median grants are $10,000, the foundation has demonstrated capacity and willingness to make grants exceeding $500,000 to aligned organizations.

• Focus on Established Organizations: Grant recipients tend to be well-established national or regional organizations with strong track records rather than emerging grassroots groups.

• Intermediary Strategy: Significant support flows through community foundations and donor-advised fund sponsors, suggesting interest in leveraging institutional knowledge and infrastructure.

References

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Howard P Colhoun Fam Foundation Inc (EIN: 52-1853373). Available at: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/521853373 (Accessed January 2026)

• Grantmakers.io Profile - Howard P Colhoun Family Foundation Inc. Available at: https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/521853373-howard-p-colhoun-family-foundation-inc/ (Accessed January 2026)

• Candid Foundation Directory - Howard P Colhoun Family Foundation Inc. Available at: https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=COLH002 (Accessed January 2026)

• Cause IQ - Howard P Colhoun Family Foundation. Available at: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/howard-p-colhoun-family-foundation,521853373/ (Accessed January 2026)

• Instrumentl - Howard P Colhoun Family Foundation Inc 990 Report. Available at: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/howard-p-colhoun-fam-foundation-inc (Accessed January 2026)