Margaret Briggs Foundation
Scranton, PA · EIN 23-2719328. Reported 219 grants totalling $3,663,573 to 105 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Margaret Briggs Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $10,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $5,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $150,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Count | Scranton, PA | $375,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Nepa | Scranton, PA | $185,092 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Uniited Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties | Scranton, PA | $176,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| United Neighborhood Centers of Nepa | Throop, PA | $128,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| United Way of Lackawanna Wayne and Pike Counties | Scranton, PA | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Valley Youth House | Waverly, PA | $125,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Children Hunger Outreach | Towanda, PA | $102,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Scranton Primary Health Care Center | Scranton, PA | $101,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Johnson College | Scranton, PA | $100,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Meals on Wheels of Nepa | Scranton, PA | $95,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Women's Resource Center Inc | Scranton, PA | $95,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ignatian Volunteer Corps Inc | Scranton, PA | $93,700 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Children's Advocacy Center of Northeast Pa | Scranton, PA | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Everhart Museum of Natural History | Scranton, PA | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Telespond Senior Services Inc | Scranton, PA | $65,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| St Joseph's Center | Scranton, PA | $63,250 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Goodwill Industries of Nepa | Scranton, PA | $61,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Northeastern Childcare Services | Scranton, PA | $53,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| St Francis of Asisi Kitchen | Scranton, PA | $53,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Keystone Rescue Mission | Scranton, PA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Neighborworks Northeastern Pennsylvania | Scranton, PA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| United Neighborhood Centers | Scranton, PA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing | Clarks Summit, PA | $45,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Catherine Mcauley Center | Scranton, PA | $42,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Lacawac Sanctuary | Lake Ariel, PA | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Scranton Counseling Center | Scranton, PA | $37,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Safetynet | Scranton, PA | $35,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| All One Charities | Pittston, PA | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Catholic Social Services | Scranton, PA | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Lackawanna Blind Association | Scranton, PA | $35,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Greater Scranton YMCA | Dunmore, PA | $32,401 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Outreach Mentoring Program | Scranton, PA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends of the Poor | Scranton, PA | $28,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Neighborworks of Ne | Scranton, PA | $27,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Allied Services Foundation | Clarks Summit, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Allone Charities | Pittston, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Arc of Northeastern Pennsylvania | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Breadbasket of Nepa Inc | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Broadway Theatre League of Ne Pa | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Chop Out Hunger | Towanda, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Congolese Community of Scranton | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Cypress Huse at St Lukes | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Family Service Association | Dunmore, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Jewish Community Center | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Marywood University | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Nepa Alliance | Pittston, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Penn State University Philanthropy Fund | University Park, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Recovery Rises Foundation | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Scranton Cultural Center | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Scranton Jewish Community Center | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Scranton Tomorrow | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Scranton Public Library | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Scranton | Scranton, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wvia | Pittston, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Youth Arts Coalition | Peckville, PA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Dress for Success | Scranton, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dunmore Business Association Inc | Dunmore, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jewish Family Service of Nepa | Scranton, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Mom-N-Pa | Scranton, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Nepa Youth Shelter | Scranton, PA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Scranton Area Foundation | Scranton, PA | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| North Pocono School District | Covington Township, PA | $17,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Court Appointed Special Advocates Progra | Concord, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lackawanna Historical Society | Scranton, PA | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Scranton Jazz Festival | Scranton, PA | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| The Advocacy Alliance | Scranton, PA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Thinkbig Pediatric Cancer Fund Inc | Bloomsburg, PA | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Nativity Miguel School | Scranton, PA | $13,230 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Our Lady of Snows Parish | Clarks Summit, PA | $12,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic | Moosic, PA | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart | Scranton, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Congregation of the Sisters | Scranton, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Dress for Success Lackawanna | Scranton, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Enrichment Audio Resource Svc | Lake Ariel, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Katies Place Clubhouse | Clarks Summit, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Providence Pregnancy Center | Scranton, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Scranton Shakespeare Festival | Scranton, PA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vna Hospice | Olyphant, PA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Salvation Army Scranton Citadel | Scranton, PA | $7,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Agency for Community Empowerment | Scranton, PA | $6,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Exponent Philantropy | Washington, DC | $5,950 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Burn Prevention Network | Allentown, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Burn Prevention Foundation | Allentown, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends of West Scranton Invader Wrestli | Scranton, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lackawanna County Library System | Scranton, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North Pocono Booster Association | Jefferson Township, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St Francis Commons | Scranton, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| St Mathews Fund | Scranton, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Waverly Community House | Waverly, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Scranton Area Foundation Molly Calpin & Meghan Calpin Hughes Fund | Scranton, PA | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| A Home of My Own | Tucson, AZ | $3,600 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Pauls Parish Food Pantry | Scranton, PA | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| A Home on My Own | Johnson City, NY | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Gonzaga College High School | Washington, DC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lackawanna Historicaly Society | Scranton, PA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Saint Paul's Parish | Scranton, PA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Scranton Lackawanna Human Development | Scranton, PA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Paul'sst Clare's Church Food Pantry | Scranton, PA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Leukemia and Lymphoma Society | Scranton, PA | $1,250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Dinners for Kids | Wilkes Barre, PA | $1,100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Saint Ignatius College | Chicago, IL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Scott Township Veterans | Scott, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Ann's Monastery | Scranton, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Ann's Shrine Basilica | Scranton, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| World Central Kitchen Incorporated | Washington, DC | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
43 of 105 (41%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 59%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- United Way of Lackawanna Wayne and Pike Counties
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN & GIFT OF - Scranton Primary Health Care Center
DENTAL SEALANTS AND FLORIDE - Boys and Girls Clubs of Nepa
AFTER SCHOOL-SUMMER PROGRAM - Children Hunger Outreach
LACKAWANNA COUNTY EXPANSION - University of Scranton
SCRANTON MENTORS FOR TEENS - Johnson College
DENTAL HYGIENISTS PROGRAM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 75 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | $689,892 | $8,000 |
| 2022 | 41 | $684,600 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 47 | $745,680 | $5,100 |
| 2024 | 42 | $786,000 | $12,250 |
| 2025 | 46 | $757,401 | $9,950 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
99% of its giving went to organizations in Pennsylvania. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $10,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Pennsylvania.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Margaret Briggs Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: Po Box 937, Scranton, PA, 18501. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 23-2719328 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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