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Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

Annual Giving
$7.5M
Grant Range
$25K - $0.3M
Decision Time
5mo

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Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $7,496,605 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $306 million (2021)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Up to 5 months from LOI to decision
  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $350,000 (typically)
  • Geographic Focus: United States only
  • Application Schedule: Fixed annual cycle (next cycle opens January 2026)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.avdf.org

Phone: 904-359-0670

Email: [email protected]

Address: 814 Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, Suite 300, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 32082

Grantee Portal: avdf.fluxx.io

Note: Staff cannot discuss projects pre-submission due to limited capacity. Applicants should review programme area pages and FAQs before applying.

Overview

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations were established in 1965 upon the death of Arthur Vining Davis, the first employee of Pittsburgh Reduction Company (later Alcoa) who served as the company's president and chairman and was listed as the third-richest individual in the world at his retirement in 1957. Operating as two separate legal entities (Foundation No. 2 and No. 3) with shared administration, the foundations have distributed over $385 million through more than 4,600 grants since inception. With assets of approximately $306 million, the foundations made 93 grants totalling $7.5 million in 2023. Their mission is to fund organisations advancing "religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational purposes" with a current strategic emphasis on investing in "key assets that define our common future including education, spirituality, health, and the well-being of the environment."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Private Higher Education (Open Application)

  • Grant Range: $25,000 - $300,000 (typical); larger requests considered
  • Duration: 1-2 years typically; multi-year projects supported
  • Focus: Projects that improve student outcomes or enhance faculty leadership at four-year residential liberal arts institutions
  • Special Initiatives:
    • Transfer Pathways Programme: Up to $350,000 over 24-36 months for community college partnerships serving historically excluded students
    • Civil Discourse on Campus: Programmes promoting respectful dialogue across differences using evidence-based methods
    • Advocacy for the Liberal Arts: Expanding liberal arts access and educating stakeholders about its value
  • Annual Set-Asides: Funding reserved for Historically Black Colleges, Native American tribal colleges, Appalachian institutions, and Work College Consortium members
  • Application Method: Two-stage process (LOI then invited Full Proposal); annual cycle with August deadline

Interfaith Leadership & Religious Literacy (Open Application)

  • Grant Range: $100,000 - $300,000 (typical); larger requests considered
  • Duration: Typically 1-2 years
  • Three Priority Areas:
    1. Digital Media for Religious Literacy: Production/distribution of digital content (social media, podcasts, videos) improving religious understanding for broad audiences
    2. Campus Interfaith Collaborations: Projects bringing college students from different religious backgrounds together for sustained engagement
    3. Religious Publications: Magazines and online outlets producing content helping readers understand traditions beyond their own
  • Application Method: Two-stage process (LOI then invited Full Proposal); annual cycle with August deadline

Public Educational Media (Invitation Only)

  • Works exclusively through existing partnerships
  • Supports PBS series, individual episodes, and films focusing on history, science, or children's programming
  • Limited funding for local public journalism and podcasts
  • Example: Recent grant to GBH Kids for "Work It Out Wombats!" animated series

Environmental Solutions (Invitation Only)

  • Works exclusively through pre-identified partners
  • Supports practical solutions to discrete environmental challenges
  • Focuses on targeted public engagement efforts, not primarily research or technical innovation
  • Emphasises communication and solutions over policy advocacy

Palliative Care (Invitation Only)

  • Works exclusively through pre-identified partners
  • Supports improvements in medical training, patient care, and resources for those facing serious illness
  • Focuses on education, treatment access and delivery, interfaith resources, and quality standards development

Priority Areas

What They Actively Fund:

  • Leadership development, diversity, and inclusion within higher education
  • Evidence-based civil discourse programming on college campuses
  • Community college to four-year institution transfer pathways
  • Research on the value of liberal arts education (e.g., AVDF/ACLS Fellowships)
  • Multi-faith conversations and collaborations
  • Religious literacy education for broad audiences
  • Interfaith campus programming involving sustained student engagement
  • High-quality educational content for PBS audiences (history, science, children's programming)
  • Institution-based environmental sustainability initiatives
  • Student-faculty environmental research collaborations
  • Endangered species rehabilitation and pollution/climate change mitigation

What They Don't Fund

  • Scholarships or endowments
  • Capital projects (generally)
  • Direct service programmes (housing services, food pantries)
  • Proposals with indirect costs exceeding 5% of direct costs budget
  • Organisations outside the United States
  • Grants to individuals
  • Interfaith centres or organisations operating at the local/community level
  • Environmental research, technical innovation, or policy advocacy (primarily)

Governance and Leadership

Staff

Dr. Michael Murray — President and CEO

  • Oversees development and execution of strategic objectives
  • Previously Senior Vice President of Programmes at John Templeton Foundation
  • Background in philosophy and academia

Dr. John Churchill — Vice President of Grants and Programmes

  • Leads grantmaking across all five programme areas (joined 2019)
  • Former Director of Philosophy and Theology at John Templeton Foundation

Jessica Russell — Director of Operations

  • Oversees grant management and operational functions
  • Manages Palliative Care Programme Area
  • Former Senior Programme Associate at John Templeton Foundation

Nate Schult — Senior Programme Officer

  • Manages grantmaking across programme areas
  • Develops partnerships aligned with philanthropic priorities

Miica Patterson — Associate Director of Board Relations and Communications

  • Manages Public Educational Media Programme Area
  • Serves as Secretary to the Board
  • Oversees board relations and foundation communications

Board of Trustees

Individual Trustees: William Given Kee (Chair), Margaret Davis Maiden, Sarah H. Davis, Ian H. Davis, James Coté, Dorothy Davis Kee, Nathan Davis Kee, Amanda Davis, Jonathan P. Davis

Corporate Trustees: Julie Dever (representing BNY Mellon, Foundation No. 2), Erin Hogan (representing Bank of America, Foundation No. 3)

Emeritus Leadership: Serena Davis Hall (Chair Emeritus), J.H. Dow Davis (Chair Emeritus)

The board includes multiple family members reflecting the foundation's roots as a family foundation, with dual corporate trustee representation from BNY Mellon and Bank of America.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Eligible Programmes (Public Application Process):

  • Private Higher Education
  • Interfaith Leadership & Religious Literacy

Application Stages:

  1. Letter of Inquiry (LOI) - First Stage

    • Submit through online Grantee Portal (avdf.fluxx.io) only
    • Email and postal submissions will not be considered
    • Multiple LOIs may be submitted across eligible programme areas
    • Staff review each LOI to determine if proposed project represents potentially successful opportunity to advance AVDF's mission

  2. Full Proposal - Second Stage (Invitation Only)

    • Only most competitive LOIs receive invitation to submit full proposal
    • Requires detailed budget showing AVDF request, other funding sources, and line item totals
    • Budget must limit indirect costs to 5% or less of direct costs
    • For interventions with measurable outcomes, must include evaluation plan overseen by qualified evaluator (foundations can help identify evaluators)

Important Notes:

  • Organisations may submit multiple Letters of Inquiry simultaneously across eligible programme areas
  • The foundations describe their process as "systematic, rigorous, and as streamlined as possible with an 8 stage process"
  • Staff cannot discuss projects before submission due to limited staffing capacity
  • Applicants should thoroughly review specific programme area pages and FAQs before applying

Non-Public Programmes: Three programme areas work exclusively through existing partnerships and do not accept open applications:

  • Public Educational Media
  • Environmental Solutions
  • Palliative Care

Decision Timeline

2025-2026 Review Cycle:

  • Letter of Inquiry Deadline: August 28, 2025 (5:00 pm ET)
  • Full Proposal Invitations Issued: October 9, 2025
  • Full Proposal Deadline: November 14, 2025 (5:00 pm ET)
  • Board Review Decisions: February and May 2026
  • Final Notification: No later than June 1, 2026

Typical Timeframes:

  • LOI to Full Proposal invitation: Approximately 6 weeks
  • Full Proposal review: Up to 5 months
  • Applicants should assume project start date of June 1 or later of the year following submission

Next Application Window: Information for the 2026-2027 grant review cycle will be announced in January 2026.

Success Rates

The foundations made 93 awards in 2023, 111 awards in 2022, and 95 awards in 2021, averaging approximately 100 grants annually across all programme areas. Specific success rates and application numbers are not publicly disclosed.

According to Inside Philanthropy, the foundations "frequently work with well-established institutions and organisations with which they maintain longstanding partnerships; however, they accept a handful of new grantees each year."

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants are not publicly documented. However, the foundations do not provide feedback on declined proposals due to high application volume. Applicants should carefully review programme priorities and guidelines before reapplying in subsequent cycles.

Application Success Factors

Strategic Positioning:

According to Inside Philanthropy, the foundations are "a relatively accessible and supportive funder that likes to help its grantees grow long-term over several years." Organisations with longstanding partnerships tend to receive larger grant amounts, suggesting that successful initial grants can lead to multi-year relationships.

Alignment with Current Initiatives:

For Private Higher Education applicants:

  • Demonstrate how your project improves student outcomes or enhances faculty leadership
  • Show knowledge of evidence-based methods for improving dialogue across disagreement (for civil discourse projects)
  • Clearly articulate how your project expands liberal arts access or educates stakeholders about its value
  • For Transfer Pathways projects, emphasise service to historically excluded students
  • Include qualified evaluation plans for interventions with measurable outcomes

For Interfaith Leadership & Religious Literacy applicants:

  • Focus on national or regional impact (not local/community level)
  • Demonstrate capacity for broad audience reach through digital platforms
  • Show evidence of sustained engagement (not one-time events)
  • Emphasise promotion of respect and cooperation across faith traditions
  • Highlight how your work increases religious understanding in America

Recent Successful Projects as Models:

  • American Council of Learned Societies ($355,000, 2023): AVDF/ACLS Fellowships for Research on the Liberal Arts, funding scholarly projects on liberal arts education impact
  • Hartford International University ($200,000, 2024): Recruiting Black ministers and Christian peacebuilders for conflict transformation and reconciliation
  • Heterodox Academy and BridgeUSA (2024): Campus programming modelling constructive dialogue across divergent views
  • Fellowship of Catholic University Students ($300,000): Led to 62 interfaith campus events involving 2,000+ students over two years
  • Crash Course (YouTube series): Digital media production improving religious understanding for broad audiences
  • GBH Kids: "Work It Out Wombats!" animated series helping children build problem-solving skills

Application Quality Indicators:

The foundations state that "while the details of a successful application vary by programme area, the Foundations do place value on certain general criteria," though they direct applicants to review specific programme area pages rather than providing generic guidance.

Institutional Preferences:

The foundations prioritise:

  • Private four-year residential liberal arts institutions (for higher education grants)
  • Established institutions and organisations with track records
  • 501(c)(3) organisations based in and operating from the United States
  • Projects demonstrating national or broad regional impact
  • Organisations capable of multi-year sustained engagement

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Relationship-oriented funder: The foundations maintain longstanding partnerships and are described as supporting grantees' long-term growth over several years. First-time applicants should recognise that securing an initial grant can lead to larger, multi-year support.

  • Two-stage selective process: Only the most competitive Letters of Inquiry receive full proposal invitations. Invest significant effort in crafting a compelling, well-aligned LOI that clearly demonstrates how your project advances AVDF's specific programme priorities.

  • Evidence-based approaches required: Particularly for Private Higher Education civil discourse projects, demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based methods. Include qualified evaluation plans for projects with measurable outcomes.

  • Budget discipline matters: Keep indirect costs at or below 5% of direct costs—this is a firm requirement. Proposals exceeding this threshold will not be considered.

  • National/regional focus preferred: Avoid purely local or community-level projects, especially for Interfaith programmes. Emphasise broad impact and scalability.

  • Long planning horizon: With decision timelines extending up to 5 months and project start dates of June 1 or later following submission, build application planning into your organisation's strategic timeline 12-18 months in advance.

  • Three programmes are invitation-only: Public Educational Media, Environmental Solutions, and Palliative Care work exclusively through existing partnerships. Building relationships through other programme areas first may create pathways to these restricted programmes over time.

References

All sources accessed December 2025.

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