The JEM Project

What The JEM Project does

The JEM Project Foundation is a private 501c3 grant-making foundation headquartered at 1180 Rosecrans Street #528 in San Diego, California, founded in 2019 by Jessica Manning. The foundation's sole offering is the deployment of financial grants to registered nonprofit 501c3 organizations across four philanthropic focus areas: child welfare, animal welfare, women's empowerment, and environmental sustainability. Grants are distributed through invitation-only spring and fall cycles to returning nonprofit partners that have been operating for a minimum of three years and are based in the United States; the foundation explicitly does not solicit applications from new organizations.

The foundation operates with an exceptionally lean team of 1-10 employees led by Founder and President Jessica Manning, Executive Director Leah Poston Burroughs, and Program Manager Priscilla Castro. Documented grants range from $5,000 (Fort Mill Care Center COVID-19 response) to $1,200,000 (charity:water wells in Africa), with cumulative animal-welfare donations exceeding $610,000 in the first three years of operation as of November 2023. Recurring core partnerships include San Diego Humane Society, Lions Tigers & Bears, Carolina Caring, Isabella Santos Foundation, and MANA de San Diego, supplemented by event sponsorships (Fur Ball, Wild in the Country, Home Start Blue Ribbon Gala, A Kid Again Birthday Bash).

The foundation holds no technology product, proprietary platform, or AI capabilities; its distribution model is direct and selective, relying on personal networks and brand reputation rather than public application intake. Revenue (donations and endowment inflows) is not publicly disclosed. Geographic grant reach is concentrated in California, the Carolinas, and select international partnerships, with GuideStar transparency verification (EIN 84-3344588) providing third-party credibility assurance.

Name

The JEM Project

Legal name

The JEM Project Foundation

Website

https://thejemproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The JEM Project Foundation is a San Diego-based 501c3 grant-making foundation founded in 2019 by Jessica Manning, deploying financial grants to USA-based nonprofit organizations across child welfare, animal welfare, women's empowerment, and environmental sustainability through invitation-only spring and fall cycles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grant-Making Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grants
• Nonprofit funding
• Charitable foundation
• 501c3 support
• Focused philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grant Making: The JEM Project operates as a private grant-making foundation that provides financial grants to registered nonprofit 501c3 organizations. The foundation raises and deploys charitable funds to support organizations focused on child welfare, animal welfare, women's empowerment, and environmental sustainability. Grants are provided on a selective basis to returning nonprofit partners who are invited to apply during spring or fall cycles.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The JEM Project is a private grant-making foundation that raises and distributes charitable funds to registered US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. It focuses on four philanthropic areas: child welfare, animal welfare, women's empowerment, and environmental sustainability, awarding grants on an invitation-only basis to returning nonprofit partners during spring or fall cycles.

Product overview

The JEM Project is a private grant-making foundation that operates as a single, unified philanthropic offering — distributing financial grants to qualified 501c3 nonprofit organizations. The foundation does not offer a software product or platform; its sole offering is its grant-making program focused on four impact areas: child welfare, animal welfare, women's empowerment, and environmental sustainability. Grants are awarded through spring and fall cycles to returning nonprofit partners who have been in operation for a minimum of three years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2026 Grants Program
• Grant Recipients Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Donated over $610,000 in three years to animal welfare causes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and secondary.

• Carolina CaringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021$50,000 grant to expand Cardinal Kids palliative care program into four additional counties. The program helps families navigate challenges when a child is diagnosed with a serious illness or condition, providing specialized healthcare team visits primarily in the home.
• Isabella Santos FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2021Partnership to support a new pediatric oncology research laboratory in Charlotte, NC - the only one of its kind in the region. The JEM Project has provided a $250,000 gift and $50,000 grant to support research for pediatric cancers including neuroblastoma and brain tumors.
• charity:watermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2020The JEM Project partnered with charity:water in February 2020, providing a $1,200,000 donation to repair 200 wells in Africa. This partnership helps provide safe and clean drinking water to local communities and represents one of the foundation's largest commitments.
• Lions Tigers & BearscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing support for the animal sanctuary including: covered lost income from cancelled 2020 Wild in the Country event, funded bobcat habitat construction, solar power installation ($60,000+ annual savings), food prep trailer, matching funds for bear habitats, ADA restroom facilities, and shade canopies.
• San Diego Humane SocietycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual sponsorship of the 36th Fur Ball event which raised nearly $1.18 million in one evening for animals in need. The JEM Project supports various fundraising events and initiatives of the San Diego Humane Society.
• MANA de San DiegosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the largest and most active of the 17 MANA national chapters. MANA de San Diego's mission is to empower Latinas through education, leadership development, community service and advocacy with over 500 members.
• Free Flight Exotic Bird SanctuarysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted tours available at no cost on the last Friday of each month. The partnership involves Palomar College student interpreters.
• San Diego Fire Rescue FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonation of 900 face shields during COVID-19 pandemic to protect first responders and their patients against coronavirus exposure during treatment and medical transport. Also supported local small business 3dyn Composites who manufactured the shields.
• Isabella Santos FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGiving Tuesday matching campaign partnership. The JEM Project provided a $50,000 grant and matched donations during the fundraising campaign for rare pediatric cancers.
• A Kid AgainsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship of birthday bash events for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. The Central Carolinas Chapter serves over 900 families throughout the region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations, addressing poverty, environment, gender, and child welfare globally. Relevant broad incumbent demonstrating the scaling trajectory of private foundation grantmaking platforms.
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation: Major private foundation with multi-cause focus including children, water/sanitation, and humanitarian assistance. Comparable to JEM in its grantmaking model and multi-pillar structure, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation: Major private foundation with significant overlap on environmental conservation and select child welfare causes. Comparable in multi-pillar private-foundation model, though operating at substantially greater scale.
• Annenberg Foundation: Established private foundation funding education, children/welfare, environment, and arts — directly overlapping JEM's four focus areas. Operates at larger scale but serves as a structural comparable for diversified private foundation grantmaking.
• David & Lucile Packard Foundation: Major private foundation with deep overlap on environment/conservation and children/family programs. Comparable grantmaking model with a focus on long-term outcomes, similar in mission framing to JEM though larger.
• Heinz Endowments: Private foundation supporting children, youth & families, food systems, and environmental sustainability. Directly comparable thematic overlap with JEM and similar grantmaking-to-nonprofits model.

Direct peers

• The Kendeda Fund: Private foundation investing in equitable communities and environmental sustainability. Closely comparable to JEM as a smaller, mission-driven private foundation with both environmental and social-justice themes.
• Blue Moon Fund: Private foundation focused on environment and social equity with grants to nonprofit partners. Comparable in private-foundation structure, programmatic grantmaking, and multi-cause orientation.
• Tara Health Foundation: Private foundation funding women's health, well-being, and environmental sustainability. Directly comparable to JEM's four-pillar model and similar small-scale private foundation structure.
• Sandler Foundation: Private foundation supporting environmental protection, human rights, and animal welfare causes. Closely comparable thematic overlap to JEM's child/animal/women/environment focus at similar mid-sized scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheJEMProject
• Facebookfacebook.com/thejemproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-jem-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/thejemproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The JEM Project