Bedford Falls Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Bedford Falls Foundation's principal focus is nursing education, working with nursing schools and local hospital pathway programmes to widen access, strengthen faculty and support workforce retention; its separate health and human services giving - covering healthcare, food insecurity, housing insecurity and sustainable employment - is limited to public charities working in the Washington, D.C. or Nashua, New Hampshire areas.
- Most grants to organisations fall between $120,000 and $2,000,000, with a typical grant around $270,000, so pitch a request in that range rather than a small ask.
- The foundation favours relationship-based, collaborative, long-term partnerships and takes time to understand a prospective grantee's needs, leadership and strategic vision, so treat this as a dialogue rather than a one-off application; public charities in the two funding areas can email to request a conversation, and the foundation also identifies and approaches aligned charities itself.
- It accepts applications on a rolling basis with no stated deadline, and just over half of its grant dollars go to organisations it has funded before, suggesting continuity once a relationship is built.
- It does not fund individuals directly, nor organisations other than public charities.
Overview
Bedford Falls Foundation is a US private foundation based in Mclean, VA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2025, TY2024, TY2023) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
Bedford Falls Foundation’s principal mission is to widen access to high-quality nursing education and help nursing schools address the nursing workforce shortage. It partners with nursing schools and local hospital pathway programmes to remove financial barriers, strengthen faculty and staff, support workforce retention and re-entry, and foster innovative, practice-ready education. Its health and human services grants are limited to public charities working in the Washington, D.C. or Nashua, New Hampshire areas. These organisations provide healthcare to at-risk populations, address food and housing insecurity, and create pathways to sustainable, living-wage employment and economic mobility. The foundation favours relationship-based, collaborative, long-term partnerships, taking time to understand a partner’s needs, leadership and strategic vision and how they align with its priorities. Grants support current use and are usually paid over multiple years.
Themes
- Nursing education
- Healthcare
- Food insecurity
- Housing insecurity
- Sustainable employment
Geographic Focus
Washington, D.C.; Nashua, NH area.
What They Don't Fund
- Direct scholarships or other funding to individuals
- Organisations other than public charities
How to apply
Public charities in the two funding areas may email to request a conversation with the team. The foundation also identifies aligned charities, contacts their leadership to begin a dialogue, and may invite them to submit a proposal.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2025 filing, 51% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 or TY2024 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023, TY2024 and TY2025 filings, half of its 49 grants to organisations were about $270,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The foundation considers the net price of education and average debt at graduation.
- The foundation considers the opportunity for sustainable growth.
- The foundation considers alignment with its vision and mission.
- The foundation considers the stability of the leadership team.
- The foundation considers the programme’s accreditation and reputation.
- For pre-licensure programmes, the foundation considers NCLEX pass rates.
- The foundation invests time in understanding a prospective grantee’s needs and strategic vision and how they align with its priorities.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2023–2025.
Grant dollars by state
6 other states: 9%
- The largest single recipient received 20% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2025, 51% of grant dollars went to organisations Bedford Falls Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 19 grants in tax year 2025 by size
Median $271k (tax year 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Trinity Washington University · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$2,100,0002025 tax year
- Capital Area Food Bank · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$2,000,0002025 tax year
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$1,450,0002025 tax year
- West Virginia University Foundation · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$1,142,3852025 tax year
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Foundation · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$1,000,0002025 tax year
- Howard University · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$950,0002025 tax year
- Villanova University · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$600,0002025 tax year
- Rivier University · To further the exempt purpose of the organization$585,0002025 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Elizabeth Minnigh — CEO & General Counsel
- William E Conway Jr — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 tax year | $11,677,120 | $11,218,310 | $129,693,641 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $8,951,180 | $7,950,173 | $236,439,458 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
| 2025 tax year | $13,848,444 | $12,584,006 | $507,661,692 | Filing for 2025 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
Other sources
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At a glance
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Applying to Bedford Falls Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required