Grants for community recreation centers

557 community recreation centers received at least $28.3 million in grants for the most recent fiscal year. This includes 599 grants made from 513 grantmaking organizations, with a median grant amount of $1,500. Of these 513 foundations, 92% made just a single grant to rec centers, and 1% made grants to four or more rec centers. This analysis is based on grantmakers that e-file their Form 990s, and likely is an undercount of grants.
$28,253,482
Total grant dollars given to community recreation centers
599
Number of grants made annually to community recreation centers
513
Number of grantmakers funding community recreation centers
$1,500
Median grant size to community recreation centers

Foundations that support community recreation centers

Out of all grants made to community recreation centers, 73% came from small foundations with less than $10 million in assets. The top 10 grantmakers accounted for 95% of the dollar-value of grants to rec centers. Foundations funding rec centers also made grants to multiservice human service organizations, educational service providers, colleges, food banks, and food distribution programs.

Foundation size

Foundation size Number of grantmakers
Small
 
377
Medium
 
73
Large
 
63
Small foundations have <$10M in assets. Medium foundations have $10M to $50M in assets. Large foundations have >$50M in assets.

Foundation type

Foundation type Number of grantmakers
Community
 
20
Private
 
405
Corporate
 
34
Other
 
54

Grants made

Grants made to rec centers Number of grantmakers
1
 
472
2-3
 
34
4-10
 
6
11+
 
1

Top 10 foundations supporting community recreation centers

Grantmaker State Geographic focus Percent of grant dollars to rec centers Number of grants made to rec centers Median grant size
Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines IA State 0.1% 14 $2,000
The Troy Foundation OH Metro 0.2% 10 $750
Alliant Energy Foundation WI State 0.4% 9 $780
Shell Oil Company Foundation TX National 0.0% 6 $1,307
Baird Foundation WI National 0.1% 5 $700
Abbvie Foundation IL National 0.0% 4 $630
Greater Tacoma Community Foundation (GTCF) WA Metro 0.0% 4 $904
The Nord Family Foundation OH State 0.1% 3 $2,500
Arkansas Community Foundation AR State 0.0% 3 $1,000
MANNA Food Bank (MANNA) NC Metro 2.6% 3 $1,038

Community recreation centers grantees

Community recreation centers with more than $5 million in total revenues received 75% of all grant dollars. These larger organizations accounted for 21% of all rec centers.

Grant amounts

Size of grant Number of grants
<$10k
 
592
$10k-$25k
 
0
$25k-$100k
 
0
$100k+
 
7

Grant amount by grantee size

Grantee annual revenue Median grant size
<$100k
 
$2,000
$100k-$500k
 
$1,500
$500k-$1M
 
$1,500
$1M-$5M
 
$1,200
>$5M
 
$2,500

Grantee states

State of grantee Number of grants
California
 
57
New York
 
48
Pennsylvania
 
42
Illinois
 
35
Other
 
417

Grantee metros

Metro area of grantee Number of grants
New York City
 
38
Chicago
 
30
Madison
 
23
Atlanta
 
23
Other
 
362

Top 25 grants made to community recreation centers

Grantee Grant size Purpose Grantmaker
Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore $6,564,659 General Support The Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore
Muskingum Recreation Center $4,688,950 General Support Muskingum County Community Foundation (MCCF)
The Big Sky Community Organization (BSCC) $4,000,000 Environment Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF)
National Winter Activity Center Winter4kids (NWAC) $3,342,190 General Support Community Foundation of New Jersey
The Big Sky Community Organization (BSCC) $3,026,612 Community Center/trailhead Improv Yellowstone Club Community Foundation
Jewish Community of Louisville $2,854,005 Capital Campaign, Programs, Education, Preschool, Camps, Security, Outreach, Engagement Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence (JHFE)
Shepherd Center Foundation $2,500,000 Traumatic Brain Injury Center Expansion Partner Boulder Crest Foundation
Christian Schools Athletic Fellowship $5,000 Religious Evangelism The Clarence W Hottel SR Christian Ministry Trust
The Big Sky Community Organization (BSCC) $5,000 Program Support Christian Community Foundation of Memphis and the Mid-South
Prairie Grit Adaptive Sports $5,000 General Support InFaith Community Foundation (ICF)
Bensalem Kiwanis Foundation $5,000 To Build Rock Wall on the Playground To Help Promoting Physical Attributes and Build Self-Confidence of the Students Albert W Bader Foundation
Santa Fe Bridge Center $5,000 Operating Support Thornburg Foundation
Oshman Family Jewish Community Center $5,000 In Support of the Icon Program Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation
Oshman Family Jewish Community Center $5,000 General Operating Support Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation
Alchemy Skateboarding $5,000 Charitable Contribution Through the Matching Gifts Program Annie E Casey Foundation (AECF)
St Michaels Community Center $5,000 Sustaining Grant Ruth and Robert St John Foundation
The Community House $5,000 The Kids Community @ 284 People's United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts
Aquatorium Innovations $5,000 To Support the Mission of the Aquatorium Mon-Vale Health Resources
Hanover Improvement Society Corporation $5,000 Storrs Pond Recration Area Jack and Dorothy Bryne Foundation Match Challenge Hypertherm Hope Foundation
The Fit Kids Foundation $5,000 General Operating Support Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund
Friends of Boca Grande Community Center $5,000 General Support Hunter Family Foundation
Yates Cultural and Recreational Resources $5,000 In Support of Our Town Rocks The Nord Family Foundation
Charlo Community Outdoor Complex in $5,000 General Operating Headwaters Health Foundation of Western Montana
Florence Community Center $5,000 General Operating Headwaters Health Foundation of Western Montana
Miami Beach Jewish Community Center $5,000 General Support To Carry Out the Mission of the Organization Greater Miami Jewish Federation
Methodology: To determine grants and grantees, Cause IQ analyzes electronically-filed Form 990, Form 990-EZ, and Form 990-PF financial disclosure documents, matching grantees to specific organizations using EINs and fuzzy matching logic. The "Community recreation centers" category for this page is determined by the "N31: Community Recreational Centers" National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) code. Cause IQ determines NTEEs for organizations by its own internally-developed secret-sauce algorithms.