FundersMaryland

The Phase Foundation

Germantown, MD · EIN 52-1611434. Reported 164 grants totalling $1,166,000 to 100 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$5,000median grant
$1,166,000granted, 2021-2024
100organizations funded
42%of grantees funded again the next year
$4,122,945assets, latest filing

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. The Phase 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.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $3,000 and $5,000; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $150,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

$1,000 - $5,000
79 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
75 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
6 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
1 grant
$100,000 and Up
3 grants

Every organization it funded

This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Wilmer Eye Institute (fund for Johns Hopkins Med)Baltimore, MD$300,000222024
Wilmer Eye InstituteBethesda, MD$114,000112022
Prospect Hill CemeteryBristow, VA$36,000442024
Second Chance Wildlife CenterGaitherburg, MD$32,000442024
Fund for Johns Hopkins MedicineBaltimore, MD$30,000112021
Partner for SurgeryMclean, VA$29,000442024
Hope HouseWashington, DC$26,000332023
Samaritan's PurseBoone, NC$23,500112024
Woodworkers for Children CharityLaytonsville, MD$22,000442024
Eastern Shore Chapel (chapel Pantry)Virginia Beach, VA$20,000442024
Red Wiggler Foundation IncGermantown, MD$20,000442024
University of the CumberlandsWilliamsburg, KY$20,000442024
Horizon Day CampBaltimore, MD$19,000442024
Housing UnlimitedSilver Spring, MD$16,000442024
Wildlife Veterinary CareBoyce, VA$16,000442024
A Wider CircleKensington, MD$15,000332023
Project VetsBoulder, CO$14,000222022
Project Animal AidBoulder, CO$13,000222024
Heroes Helping HeroesBaltimore, MD$12,000332024
Wanada Automobile Dealers Education InstituteWashington, DC$12,000222022
Armenia School FoundationGlendale, CA$11,500222024
Alice Lloyd CollegePippa Passes, KY$11,000442024
Wanada Automobile Dealer Education InstituteWashington, DC$11,000222024
Big Life FoundationRidgefield, WA$10,000222022
Big Life Foundation USARidgefield, WA$10,000222024
Colonial Williamsburg FoundationWilliamsburg, VA$10,000222022
Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale, MI$9,000332024
Rx PartnershipRichmond, VA$9,000222022
Als Assoc Dcmdva ChapterRockville, MD$8,000222022
American Red Cross of the National Capital RegionArlington, VA$8,000112021
Elephant Aid InternationalAttapulgus, GA$8,000112021
Integrated Living OpportunitiesWashington, DC$8,000222024
International Fund for Animal WelfareYarmouthport, MA$8,000112021
Montgomery County Coalition for the HomelessRockville, MD$8,000112021
Montgomery Hospice IncRockville, MD$8,000222022
Hopeful WaysGetzville, NY$7,000222023
Montgomery County Humane SocietyRockville, MD$7,000112021
Rockville Science CenterRockville, MD$7,000332024
Treatment & Leaning CentersRockville, MD$7,000222022
Condor ProjectWashington, DC$6,000222022
St Mary's Healthcare System for ChildrenBayside, NY$6,000222022
Wayne Opportunity CenterGoldsboro, NC$6,000222023
WetaArlington, VA$6,000112021
Chesapeake Region Accessible BoatingAnnapolis, MD$5,000112021
Conquer CancerAlexandria, VA$5,000112021
Conquer Cancer FoundationAlexandria, VA$5,000112023
Cornerstone MontgomeryRockville, MD$5,000112021
Great and SmallBoyds, MD$5,000112024
Greater DC Diaper BankWashington, DC$5,000112021
Hope and a HomeWashington, DC$5,000112021
Maryland Zoo in BaltimoreBaltimore, MD$5,000112022
Medstar Montgomery Medical CenterOlney, MD$5,000112024
Metropolitan Washington EarSilver Spring, MD$5,000112022
Northern Colorado Friends of FeralsFort Collins, CO$5,000222022
Petey Greene ProgramPrinceton, NJ$5,000112021
Robert E Lee Memorial AssociationStratford, VA$5,000112021
Stratford HallStratford, VA$5,000222024
Suburban Hopsital FoundationBethesda, MD$5,000112021
Suited for ChangeWashington, DC$5,000112021
Wesley HousingAlexandria, VA$5,000112021
Westminster Ingleside FoundationRockville, MD$5,000112021
Alex's Lemonade Stand FoundationWynnewood, PA$4,000112023
Cci Health and WellnessSilver Spring, MD$4,000112021
Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietyAlexandria, VA$4,000112021
Promise Landing FarmUpper Marlboro, MD$4,000222022
Alex's Lemonade StandWynnewood, PA$3,000112022
Als Therapy Development InstWatertown, MA$3,000112023
Animal Rescue of the RockiesAurora, CO$3,000112021
Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care ShelterBaltimore, MD$3,000112022
Berea CollegeBerea, KY$3,000112022
Community ForkliftEdmonston, MD$3,000112023
Community Free ClinicHagerstown, MD$3,000112022
Fellowship Place IncNew Haven, CT$3,000112021
Gaithersburg HelpGaithersburg, MD$3,000112024
Pet HelpersCharleston, SC$3,000112024
Rainbow Place Shelter for Homeless WomenRockville, MD$3,000112021
Salvation Army National Capital AreaWashington, DC$3,000112024
Tlc-Treatment & Learning CentersRockville, MD$3,000112023
Union Rescue Mission of Western MDCumberland, MD$3,000112022
American Kidney FundRockville, MD$2,000112021
Bishop John T Walker School for BoysWashington, DC$2,000112021
Diener SchoolNorth Bethesda, MD$2,000112023
February Star SanctuaryBrunswick, MD$2,000112022
Friends of Lackota Animal SanctuaryNunn, CO$2,000112024
Hearing the CallFt Wayne, IN$2,000112024
Help Me SeeJersey City, NJ$2,000112024
Holy Cross Health FoundationSilver Spring, MD$2,000112021
Hope for Children MinistriesBrentwood, MD$2,000112022
Kennedy Krieger InstitueBaltimore, MD$2,000112021
Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimore, MD$2,000112024
Live and Let Live FarmChichester, NH$2,000112021
Marian Manor Assisted LivingVirginia Beach, VA$2,000112021
Mary's CenterWashington, DC$2,000112021
Negotiation WorksWashington, DC$2,000112021
Ps You Are FabulousFrederick, MD$2,000112023
Sun Sounds of Arizona FoundationFlagstaff, AZ$2,000112021
Vet Treks FoundationFort Collins, CO$2,000112023
Agenacare Community MedicineGlenarden, MD$1,000112022
Arthritis FoundationWashington, DC$1,000112022
Zoological Society of NjWest Orange, NJ$1,000112022

37 of 100 (37%) received money in more than one year over the 4 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 42%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.

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.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 107 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.

Animal Welfare
28 grants
Human Services
22 grants
Education
12 grants
Health Care
10 grants
Arts & Culture
6 grants
Employment
5 grants
International Affairs
5 grants
Philanthropy & Grantmaking
4 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
202159$320,000$5,000
202243$270,000$3,000
202331$276,000$4,000
202431$300,000$4,000

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

Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 61% of this one's giving went to organizations in Maryland. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.

Maryland
$711K
Virginia
$165K
District of Columbia
$88K
Colorado
$39K
Kentucky
$34K
North Carolina
$30K
Washington
$20K
New York
$13K

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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 the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund48 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc37 shared recipientsDonor Advised Charitable Giving Inc35 shared recipientsVanguard Charitable Endowment Program28 shared recipientsNational Philanthropic Trust23 shared recipientsMorgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc22 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Maryland.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

Foundations funding education in VirginiaEvery funder in this group, ranked

Where these numbers come from

Everything above is taken from The Phase Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.

Address of record on the latest return: 2 Executive Park Ct, Germantown, MD, 20874. 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 52-1611434 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.