The William T. Grant Foundation is a donor nonprofit that gives between five and six-figure annual donations to universities, such as Duke University, to fund programs such as Duke’s “Making Black Reparations in America,” on controversial public-policy topics. The foundation also gives grants to policy and media groups like the Bipartisan Policy Center and the National Public Radio. ¹

Background

The William T. Grant Foundation, formerly known as the Grant Foundation, was founded in 1936 by William Thomas Grant, a former retail salesman who was also known for his philanthropic work. ² Between 2020 and 2021, $950,000 of its total revenues came from contributions from the Spencer Foundation. As of 2021, it possessed $406 million in total assets. ³

Grantmaking

The William T. Grant Foundation’s available financial filings from 2021 show total revenues of $64,033,690 and total expenses of $21,613,110. A total of $14,410,064 of its expenses were grants. ⁴

Universities Recipients

The William T. Grant Foundation annually gives an excess of $3.5 million to universities. The grant descriptions listed on the nonprofit’s tax filings show that many of the six figure annual grants to universities are used to produce research on controversial public policy questions. Examples from the group’s 2021 tax filing include a $150,526 grant to Duke University for “Making Black Reparations in America”; a $225,073 grant to Syracuse University to the study of “Long-term Consequences of the Voting Rights Act for Black-White Disparities in Childrens Later-Life Outcomes”; a $153,262 grant to University of Maryland Baltimore County to the study of “The Impact of Black Lives Matter Mobilization on Police Departments Policies to Reduce Racial Inequality”; and a $118,483 grant to the University of Virginia for “Developing an Effective White Bystander Intervention to Reduce Racial Inequality in Higher Education.” ⁵

Policy and Media Recipients

From the William T. Grant Foundation’s tax filings from 2021, the nonprofit gives grants to many policy and media organizations. Examples from the foundation’s 2021 tax filings include a $150,000 grant to the Bipartisan Policy Center to “Reduce Child Poverty Through Bipartisan Changes to the Tax Code”; a $150,000 grant to National Public Radio; a $203,574 grant to the Public Policy Institute of California for “Reducing Gaps in Educational Attainment”; a $175,893 grant to the Scholars Strategy Network; and a $186,515 grant to the National Academy of Sciences for “Reducing Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System.” ⁶

1.  A 990-PF: “William T. Grant Foundation.” Return of a Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part 1. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131624021/202223189349105212/full
2. “DIMES.” n.d. Rockarch.org. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://dimes.rockarch.org/collections/cCYJBJKFBTYnHLenGndpkN
3. A 990-PF: “William T. Grant Foundation.” Return of a Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF). 2020. Schedule B. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131624021/202113199349107751/full A 990-PF: “William T. Grant Foundation.” Return of a Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF). 2021. Schedule B. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131624021/202223189349105212/full
4. A 990-PF: “William T. Grant Foundation.” Return of a Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part 1. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131624021/202223189349105212/full
5. A 990-PF: “William T. Grant Foundation.” Return of a Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part XIV. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131624021/202223189349105212/full
6. A 990-PF: “William T. Grant Foundation.” Return of a Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF). 2021. Part XIV. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131624021/202223189349105212/full