Harding Foundation

The Harding Foundation is a trustee-directed private non-operating foundation with approximately $53.8 million in assets, administered by The Glenmede Trust Company in Philadelphia, PA. Unlike most grant-making foundations, it publishes no application guidelines, operates no grants portal, and sets no submission deadlines. Every grant in its history has flowed from the initiative of its three-person leadership team: Chairman/President Paula K. Turrentine, Vice President/Treasurer Milo I. Mott, and Vice President/Secretary Paula M. Switzer, each receiving $77,000 in annual compensation as of 2022.

The foundation's core giving philosophy is organized around Christian Science organizations and causes, which receive the largest and most recurring awards. The Community Foundation For received $3.3 million across 3 grants; Peace Haven has received 9 grants totaling $505,000 for operating expenses and Christian history programming; First Church of Christ Scientist received 4 grants totaling $175,000; and Camps Newfound Owatonna Corporation — a well-known Christian Science summer camp — received $200,000 across 5 grants, including support for its 100th anniversary.

A secondary priority encompasses community-serving nonprofits in the St. Louis, Missouri area and the Holly, Michigan region. Holly Township itself has received $1.085 million across 6 grants — including support for hand pump infrastructure and the Holly Heritage preservation project — making it the third-largest documented grantee. This suggests the trustees may have personal or organizational roots in the Holly, MI community.

For organizations seeking funding, the most important strategic reality is that unsolicited proposals are not accepted and will not be considered. There is no LOI process, no grant application form, and no published review cycle. The only viable path is relationship-based: cultivate connections within the Christian Science network, engage directly with Glenmede Trust Company administrators (215-419-6000), and demonstrate sustained, place-based impact in St. Louis or Holly, Michigan. Organizations that are both Christian Science-aligned and located in one of these geographies have the strongest positioning. Multi-year patience is essential — the foundation's giving patterns show that most major grantees received 3 to 9 grants over time, not one-off awards.

The Harding Foundation has maintained a relatively stable asset base — ranging from $47.6 million (2010) to $54.3 million (2013), settling at $53.8 million in FY2024 — while exercising significant year-to-year discretion in its payout rate. Annual grants paid ranged from a low of $690,000 (2013) to a high of $3.545 million (2021). The 2024 charitable disbursements reached $3.14 million, while 2022 saw $2.82 million and 2020 — likely COVID-affected — dropped to $1.82 million.

Across 75 documented grants totaling $9.91 million in the IRS grantee database, the simple average grant is $132,133. However, this figure is skewed by one outsized relationship: The Community Foundation For received $3.3 million over 3 grants (~$1.1 million per grant), representing 33% of total documented giving. Excluding this outlier, the practical median grant lands in the $50,000–$100,000 range, with a modal award cluster between $25,000 and $175,000.

The smallest documented grant is $10,000 (Save the Sea Turtles International). Single-grant awards to established grantees have reached $150,000–$200,000 (Crystal Lake Camps at $150,000; Voices for Children Advocacy at $200,000). Multi-year recipients scale over time: Biblos Foundation received $950,000 across 3 grants (~$317,000 per grant), and The Blessing Projects received $1.09 million across 7 grants (~$156,000 per grant).

Geographically, Missouri leads with 24 grants, followed by Michigan (18), Wyoming (7), Florida (6), Maine (5), Colorado (3), Washington (3), California (2), Minnesota (2), and Tennessee (2). By program area, Christian Science-affiliated organizations account for the plurality of dollars. Education and youth programs — including The Classical Academy De Lafayette ($450,000 over 6 grants), Lift For Life Academy ($175,000 over 3 grants), City Academy ($150,000 over 2 grants), and E3 Elevating Education Everywhere ($30,000 over 2 grants) — represent approximately 15–20% of total giving. Animal welfare — Skydog Sanctuary, Animal Aid Unlimited, McCarthys Wildlife Sanctuary, Mercy for Animals, Save the Sea Turtles — accounts for roughly 8–10%. Community services and emergency aid (The Blessing Projects, Habitat for Humanity, Christmas in Action Holly Area, Holly Dickens Festival) constitute the remainder.

The following table situates the Harding Foundation among comparable private foundations by asset size, geographic focus, and philanthropic approach. Note: the foundation's internal peer data is not populated; the peers below are drawn from public 990-PF filings and grant intelligence databases and represent approximate figures.

Among these peers, the Harding Foundation is distinctive in its dual identity as both a Christian Science funder and a regional Missouri/Michigan community funder — a combination that creates a narrow but clear lane for aligned organizations. The H&R Block Foundation offers the most accessible entry point for Midwest-based nonprofits due to its open LOI process, making it a useful benchmark for organizations that cannot access Harding's closed network. Christian Science-focused organizations should prioritize The Longyear Foundation as a complementary funder with shared values. St. Louis nonprofits seeking multiple private foundation relationships should map relationships at The Saigh Foundation and Sunnen Foundation in parallel, as the same community networks often overlap.

No major public announcements, leadership transitions, or new program launches were identified for the Harding Foundation in 2025 or 2026. The foundation's three-officer leadership team — Paula K. Turrentine, Milo I. Mott, and Paula M. Switzer — has remained stable across at least three consecutive Form 990-PF filings, with compensation holding steady at $77,000 each (up from $70,000 in prior years). Officer compensation totaling $231,000 annually represents approximately 7% of annual charitable disbursements.

The most recent financial data (FY2024) shows $3.14 million in total charitable disbursements, $8.15 million in total revenue ($6.24M from asset sales, $1.76M from dividends, $143K other), and $53.8 million in net assets with zero liabilities — a financially sound endowment in steady-state operation.

A notable caution for researchers: the domain hardingfoundation.org resolves to a completely separate organization — the Harding School Foundation in Santa Barbara, CA — which supports Harding Elementary's Harding Hawks student community through field trips, classroom supplies, garden programming, and a food pantry. This school foundation has no affiliation with the Philadelphia-based Harding Foundation (EIN 38-2849003) covered in this report and received local media recognition in October 2025 for double-digit gains in English and math scores at Harding Elementary. Organizations should not conflate the two entities in their research.

Because the Harding Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, the conventional grant-writing playbook does not apply. Success here requires a fundamentally different strategy centered on relationship development rather than proposal submission.

Primary path — Christian Science alignment: Organizations with a mission rooted in Christian Science principles, affiliated with the Church of Christ, Scientist, or that directly serve Christian Science practitioners and communities should prioritize this foundation. Demonstrate your ties explicitly: reference your organization's founding within the tradition, your board's affiliations, your programming's connection to Christian Science healing or education. Vague spiritual language will not substitute for clear denominational alignment.

Secondary path — St. Louis or Holly, MI geography: St. Louis-area nonprofits (especially those in education, youth development, community services, or emergency aid) and Holly Township, Michigan organizations have an established access lane. Reference specific community ties — partnerships with local institutions, board members with regional roots, or programming that serves these specific geographies — rather than claiming broad regional relevance.

Relationship initiation: The correct touchpoint is The Glenmede Trust Company, which administers the foundation at (215) 419-6000, 1650 Market St, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103. A professional, brief inquiry — identifying your organization, your mission connection to the foundation's priorities, and a request for guidance on whether a relationship is appropriate — is more likely to be productive than any written proposal.

Animal welfare lane: Organizations working in animal welfare (particularly sanctuaries, wildlife rehabilitation, or international humane missions) have documented precedent. Emphasize mission clarity, financial stewardship, and long-term impact metrics.

What to avoid: Do not submit a full grant proposal without an invitation. Do not frame your work in generic community-benefit language without connecting explicitly to Christian Science, St. Louis, or Holly, MI. Do not expect rapid decisions — the foundation's giving pattern suggests annual or biennial review cycles with no fixed calendar.

Optimal timing: Given the FY2024 fiscal year data and the trustee-discretion model, relationship outreach is appropriate at any time. There is no seasonal advantage or deadline to target.