Eamon Foundation

The Eamon Foundation is a Pittsburgh-based private foundation with $62.3 million in assets dedicated exclusively to improving quality of life for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Originally incorporated as the AVS Foundation — a name directly tied to its foundational relationship with Allegheny Valley School, a Pennsylvania institution serving people with intellectual disabilities — the foundation rebranded to Eamon Foundation as its grantmaking scope broadened. First-time applicants must understand this origin: the foundation was designed to fill gaps in publicly funded IDD support, and every documented grantee either serves this population directly or channels funds toward IDD programs.

The foundation is unambiguously relationship-driven. Every organization in the available grantee dataset received at least two grants, and the distribution of dollars is highly concentrated among a small number of trusted partners. Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Sarasota, FL) received $3.08 million across two grants; Allegheny Valley School received $763,374 across two grants. This pattern strongly suggests that the foundation is not actively seeking to diversify its grantee portfolio but will consider high-quality new relationships that demonstrate clear mission fit.

The application process follows a strict two-step model. Step one requires submission of an Initial Inquiry Form — available online or as a downloadable PDF at eamonfoundation.org — which the foundation reviews before extending an invitation to submit a full grant proposal. Organizations that skip the Initial Inquiry or submit unsolicited proposals are not reviewed. Once invited, the formal review cycle takes approximately four months, during which the foundation may request supplemental documentation, schedule conference calls, or conduct site visits. The Board communicates final decisions within three weeks of completing its review.

Geographic positioning is meaningful: 14 of 18 documented grants went to Pennsylvania-based organizations, primarily in the Pittsburgh and Western PA region, with 4 grants directed to Florida. Organizations outside these regions face a structural disadvantage and should explicitly justify geographic relevance in their initial inquiry. Contacting the foundation directly by phone (412-781-0880) or email (eamonfoundation@gmail.com) before submitting is strongly advisable to verify that your program area aligns with current funding priorities.

The Eamon Foundation distributed between $1.6 million and $4.7 million annually over the FY2018–FY2024 period, with typical annual giving in the $2.3–3.2 million range. The FY2019 spike to $4.7 million in total giving ($4.1 million in grants paid) is an outlier attributable to large Gulf Coast Community Foundation disbursements. Excluding that year, the five-year average (FY2018, FY2020–FY2022, FY2024) is approximately $2.7 million per year. FY2024 data from IRS filings indicates $3.23 million in charitable disbursements — the highest on record — as the asset base grew to $62.3 million. At this level, the foundation is distributing approximately 5.2% of assets annually, just above the IRS minimum 5% distribution requirement for private foundations.

Typical grant size spans an enormous range: from $5,000 (documented minimum) to $2,354,308 (documented maximum), with a median of $61,556 and a per-grant average of $413,042. The average is heavily skewed by a small number of very large awards. In practice, most organizations — particularly those in the early stages of a relationship with the foundation — should calibrate requests in the $50,000–$160,000 range. The $300,000 to University of Florida Foundation and $160,000 to University of Pittsburgh represent the upper bound of what institutional partnerships outside the very largest relationships have received.

Critically, 100% of documented grants in the available dataset are classified as operational support — not project-specific, not capital. The foundation does list capital improvements as an eligible funding category on its website, but the documented record strongly favors organizations requesting operational support for core IDD service delivery. Proposals structured as project grants or capital campaigns should acknowledge this pattern and justify why a different grant structure is appropriate.

Geographic breakdown: Pennsylvania accounted for 78% of grant count (14 of 18 grants). By dollar, however, Florida-directed giving is disproportionately large due to the Gulf Coast Community Foundation mega-grants, which alone represent approximately 67% of all documented grant dollars. IDD direct service providers in Pennsylvania (Allegheny Valley School, Wood Services, Best Buddies, Glade Run Foundation) collectively received approximately $895,000, or 19% of documented total grant dollars.

The table below compares the Eamon Foundation to its five closest asset-comparable private foundation peers, all classified under Education (NTEE B) and holding between $61.6M and $63.8M in assets.

The Eamon Foundation stands apart from all five peer foundations in one decisive way: despite its NTEE classification as Education (B112 — Single Organization Support), its actual grantmaking is concentrated in health and human services for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Grant seekers should not rely on the education classification when assessing fit; the IDD mission is the operative filter. The Eamon Foundation is also the only foundation in this peer group with a publicly accessible application portal and documented process, giving it a meaningful transparency advantage. Its consistent annual payout of 5%+ of assets and a growing asset base suggest financial stability that peer foundations of comparable size may not match.

The Initial Inquiry Form is the only entry point to the Eamon Foundation — submitting a full proposal without an invitation is wasted effort and will not be reviewed. The form is available online at eamonfoundation.org/apply-for-funding/initial-inquiry-form/ and as a downloadable PDF for mail submission to 1000 Gamma Drive, Suite 106, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. Before investing time in the form, contact the foundation at eamonfoundation@gmail.com or 412-781-0880 to confirm that your program area is a current funding priority. No formal application deadlines are published, indicating rolling intake, but direct pre-inquiry contact helps you avoid submitting during a funding cycle that has already closed.

Frame everything in IDD-specific language. The foundation's mission explicitly targets "people with intellectual and developmental disabilities," and all known grantees serve this population directly or channel funds toward IDD programs. Proposals that describe disability services in broad terms without naming the IDD population risk looking misaligned. Use the foundation's own vocabulary — intellectual and developmental disabilities, quality of life, independence, therapeutic recreation, communication technology — throughout your inquiry narrative.

Emphasize operational sustainability, not project novelty. Every documented grant in the database is classified as operational support. The foundation's pattern of repeat multi-year funding to the same organizations signals that it values reliable direct-service delivery over innovative one-time projects. Lead with how many people you serve annually, your per-person cost, and how this grant sustains that capacity.

Prepare rigorous outcome data before starting the Initial Inquiry. The form requires "specific, measurable outcomes and evaluation methods" — not aspirational language. Submit numbers: individuals served per year, measurable improvement metrics, follow-up assessment timelines, and data collection methodology. Weak outcome language is a common and easily avoidable failure point.

Geographic fit is a real factor. If your organization is in Western Pennsylvania or Southwest Florida, make that explicit early. If you are outside these regions, address geographic rationale directly — explain your programmatic connection to communities the foundation has historically prioritized, or make the case for why your IDD population served merits geographic exception.