F. M. Kirby Foundation

Name

F. M. Kirby Foundation

Legal name

F. M. Kirby Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://fmkirbyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Family foundation grantmaking
• Philanthropic grant programs
• Nonprofit endowment stewardship
• Scaling impact prize
• Education health arts funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Morristown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Endowment-based philanthropy: The foundation operates from an endowment established by Fred Morgan Kirby in 1931 with approximately nine million dollars, intended to continue in perpetuity through generations of the family. The foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations from investment returns on this endowment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The F. M. Kirby Foundation is a private family foundation that makes grants to nonprofit organizations from the investment returns of an endowment established in 1931. It funds programs across eight funding areas: Arts/Culture & Humanities, Education, Environment & Animals, Health, Human Services, Public Affairs & Society Benefit, Religion, and the Innovation Engine Grant Program. Grants are awarded by invitation only through an online application process via the GivingData portal, with a signature Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact awarded annually.

Product overview

The F. M. Kirby Foundation is a family foundation established in 1931 that makes grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation does not offer a technology product; rather, it operates several grant programs including its core grantmaking across eight programmatic areas (Arts, Culture & Humanities; Education; Environment & Animals; Health; Human Services; Public Affairs & Society Benefit; Religion; and Innovation Engine Grant Program). The Foundation also administers the F. M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact (a $150,000 annual prize in partnership with Duke University's CASE), runs a Summer Internship Program, and hosts the 'We the People: Reflections at 250' educational webinar series. Grant applications are managed through an online portal powered by GivingData.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grantmaking Programs The Foundation's primary grantmaking activities across eight programmatic funding areas: Arts, Culture & Humanities; Education; Environment & Animals; Health; Human Services; Public Affairs & Society Benefit; Religion; and Innovation Engine Grant Program. In 2025, the Foundation approved $17.1 million in grants across 269 grants to invited nonprofit organizations.
• F. M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact An annual global prize of USD $150,000 in unrestricted funds administered in partnership with the Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. The prize recognizes enterprises pursuing strategic pathways to impact at scale.
• Innovation Engine Grant Program A grant program supporting F. M. Kirby Foundation grantees in developing innovative new programs or initiatives. Based on the 'Twin Engines' model emphasizing scaling proven solutions and fostering innovation.
• Summer Internship Program A 10-week summer internship program for rising college sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in exploring careers in philanthropy or nonprofit management. Located at the Foundation's office in Morristown, NJ, offering $23/hour compensation.
• We the People: Reflections at 250 Webinar Series A five-part webinar series celebrating America's 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial) running from April through September 2026, exploring enduring principles that shaped the nation's foundation including free speech, civic virtue, and democratic institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 269 grants totaling $17.1 million awarded in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Adirondack Community FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 January 2026F. M. Kirby Foundation provided $300,000 grant to support Adirondack Community Foundation's Safety Net initiative improving social services delivery in the rural North Country addressing food security, healthcare, transportation, and housing.
• Duke University Fuqua School of Business - CASE (Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for administering the F. M. Kirby Prize for Scaling Impact, a $150,000 annual global prize. CASE manages the application process, selection, and provides ongoing support to winners. The partnership also includes joint webinars on innovation and scaling social impact through the 'Twin Engines' model.
• Gilder Lehrman Institute of American HistorycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner in We the People: Reflections at 250 webinar series; President James G. Basker presented opening session on revolutionary ideas that sparked American independence.
• National Constitution CentercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner in webinar series; CEO Emeritus Jeff Rosen presented on Character & Virtue in America's Founding.
• Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner; Vice President Nico Perrino presented session on free speech since 1776. Foundation has partnered with FIRE since 2001.
• Wake Forest UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessor Michael Lamb holds the F. M. Kirby Chair of Leadership & Character; presented on Character & Virtue in America's Founding.
• Lafayette CollegeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessor Bruce Murphy holds the F. M. Kirby Professor of Civil Rights; presented on free speech since 1776.
• American Red CrosscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner; Regional Vice President Rosie Taravella presented on volunteerism and civic heritage.
• American Enterprise InstitutecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner; Senior Fellow Yuval Levin presented closing session on trust and institutions. Foundation has supported AEI for nearly 50 years.
• George Washington Presidential Library at Mount VernoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner; Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky presented closing session on trust and institutions.
• American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrantee partner working to encourage rigorous standards of free expression and intellectual diversity in higher education through programs like Campus Freedom Initiative.
• Braver AngelscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrantee partner dedicated to bridging partisan divide and strengthening democratic republic through civil discourse programs on college campuses.
• Paper Mill PlayhousecoreGTM or Marketing Partner40-year partnership; Paper Mill Playhouse fosters creative environment for musical theater, educates students, and develops future theater lovers.
• Durham AcademycoreGTM or Marketing Partner40-year partnership; independent school in North Carolina receiving support for educational programs.
• Chancen InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Kirby Prize winner; nonprofit expanding access to tertiary education for underserved youth across Africa through income share agreements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Kresge Foundation: Private foundation providing multi-year grants across education, environment, health, human services, and arts/culture — a near-identical programmatic footprint and similarly invitation-driven approach.
• William Penn Foundation: Family foundation funding education, environment, and human services in the Greater Philadelphia region, with an invitation-based application model and similar program-area structure to F. M. Kirby Foundation.
• Mott Foundation: Family foundation with comparable geographic focus (Michigan), civic and education emphasis, and multi-generational grantmaking — making it a structural peer in scale and operating philosophy.
• Lilly Endowment Inc. Private family foundation with a similarly concentrated geographic focus (Indiana), emphasis on education, religion, and community development, and long-term grantee partnerships — making it a close structural analogue.
• The John Templeton Foundation: Family-endowed foundation funding science, education, and character development through globally competitive prize and grant programs — structurally analogous to the Kirby Prize model.
• The Pew Charitable Trusts: Large independent non-profit foundation that similarly supports research, education, environment, and public affairs through multi-year, often invitation-led grantmaking. Closely comparable in mission breadth and multi-decade orientation.

Regional players

• The Philadelphia Foundation: Community foundation operating in the Mid-Atlantic region (PA) with similar programmatic breadth across human services, education, and arts — overlapping with Kirby's PA geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large health-focused foundation that Kirby partners with by funding health-related grantees; comparable as a private foundation with rigorous impact-evaluation practices Kirby aspires to via its Duke partnership.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York: Established 1911 foundation with overlapping programmatic emphasis on education, democratic engagement, and civic life — directly relevant given Kirby's public-affairs and We the People programming.

Others

• GivingData: Online grants management portal used by the Kirby Foundation for application intake and grant administration; an enabling technology vendor rather than a peer, but central to its operational model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fmkirbyfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/f-m-kirby-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about F. M. Kirby Foundation