Jes Avanti Foundation Inc.

Jes Avanti Foundation Inc. is a private operating foundation — a fundamentally different vehicle from a traditional grantmaking private foundation. Based in Hughesville, Maryland (7350 Knolltop Pl, zip 20637), the Sanders family operation holds ~$17.97M in assets but channels its energy into programs it designs and controls directly: five managed facilities in southern Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina; the DolphinWatch citizen science platform in collaboration with UMCES; Heritage Educational Programs at its Roxboro, NC site; Books For A Better Tomorrow in partnership with local schools; and Vacations For Vets outdoor recreation events for service members. An annual NWTF Wheelin' Sportsmen Event anchors its accessible-outdoors pillar.

The FY 2024 Form 990-PF (published December 2025) makes the operating model explicit: the foundation "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and doesn't accept unsolicited applications for funds." This is the most important fact any prospective partner must absorb. There is no grant cycle, no RFP, no LOI template, and no grants manager on staff. The entire five-person board — James Sanders (President), Liz Sanders (Secretary/founder), and sons Joshua, Kyle, and Beau Sanders (all Directors) — serves without compensation and governs informally.

The foundation's giving philosophy is relationship-first and mission-convergent. The three-year, $60,000 commitment to UMCES DolphinWatch (July 2023) illustrates the model: a multi-year programmatic partnership with an established research institution, preceded by shared interest in Chesapeake Bay ecology, not a competitive grant response. Organizations seeking to work with Jes Avanti should expect to invest considerable time — likely 12–24 months — in cultivating a relationship before any financial commitment is discussed.

Entry pathways include: engaging with the annual NWTF Wheelin' Sportsmen Event, partnering with the SOMD Audubon Society (a documented foundation collaborator), or connecting through University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science networks. Cold contact via email (jesavantifoundation@gmail.com) is technically possible but should lead with a collaborative offer, not a funding request. Organizations operating in Southern Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, southwestern Virginia, or western North Carolina — where the foundation's facilities sit — have a structural geographic advantage.

Understanding Jes Avanti's financial architecture is essential to setting realistic expectations. The foundation was capitalized by two anchor contributions: $5M in 2015 and $4M in 2020, growing assets from $12.99M to $17.34M in that period. Since then, the endowment has been sustained almost entirely by investment income — in FY 2024, dividends and asset sales generated $647,458 in total revenue (dividends: 80.4% or $520,503; asset sales: 19.6% or $126,955). No external contributions have been received since 2020.

The "total giving" figures reported on Form 990-PF — $709,706 in FY 2022, $603,581 in FY 2023 — are program service expenses covering the foundation's own operations, not external grant budgets. Actual cash grants paid to outside organizations are dramatically smaller and declining: $10,037 (FY 2019), $2,613 (FY 2020), $4,145 (FY 2021), $2,750 (FY 2022), $2,159 (FY 2023). FY 2024 data shows 7 external grants ranging from $30 to $911 with a median of $300 — a new low.

Historical grantee-level data across 28 recorded grants shows: median grant $500, average $829, maximum $4,806 (Jane Goodall Institute, three cumulative grants). Other top external recipients include Church of Christ ($2,000 for a coat drive), Fauna & Flora USA ($1,150), Southern Maryland Vacations for Vets ($1,115), and Tropical Audubon Society ($1,033). The clear exception is the UMCES DolphinWatch multi-year partnership at $60,000 over three years — far above the norm and structured as an institutional collaboration, not a standard grant.

By program area, internal expense allocation in FY 2023 breaks down as: disabled/economically disadvantaged outdoor access and veteran support ($302,956 — 50.2% of expenses), wildlife conservation and animal rescue/rehabilitation ($109,387 — 18.1%), and nature appreciation and environmental education ($82,807 — 13.7%). Geographically, external grants skew to Maryland (9 of 28 grants), Washington DC (5), Virginia (3), Arizona (3), North Carolina (2), Massachusetts (2), and single grants in Florida, Pennsylvania, and California.

The following table compares Jes Avanti Foundation to its closest asset-peer set, all classified NTEE T23 (Philanthropy & Grantmaking) with assets in the $17.96–17.98M range:

Jes Avanti is asset-comparable to all five peers — each clustered within a $20,000 band near $17.97–17.98M — but its operating foundation structure sets it decisively apart. None of the peer foundations has a public-facing website, suggesting similarly family-controlled, private vehicles operating without public grant programs. The critical differentiator for Jes Avanti is its operational depth: five managed physical facilities, multiple active citizen-science partnerships (UMCES, Yellowstone Forever, Motus Wildlife Tracking), and co-branded programs with national wildlife organizations (NWTF). Prospective partners should benchmark their pitch against the foundation's programmatic work, not against an imaginary open grant budget.

The most significant recent public announcement came on July 11, 2023, when the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) reported that Jes Avanti Foundation had committed $60,000 over three years to the Chesapeake DolphinWatch citizen science program. Liz Sanders, identified as a founder of the foundation, was quoted directly: "We are pleased to help keep the DolphinWatch program going. It is a valuable tool that appeals to everyone living near or recreating on the Chesapeake Bay." The grant funds app capability upgrades, staff validation of dolphin sighting reports, and outreach across the Bay region. Since 2017, the DolphinWatch app has collected over 7,000 sighting reports from 13,000+ users.

No additional news announcements from 2025 or 2026 surfaced in web searches. The foundation's FY 2024 Form 990-PF, published December 2025, shows 7 small external grants ($30–$911) alongside $326,411 in direct charitable disbursements for the foundation's own programming — confirming the operational model is deepening, not pivoting toward external grantmaking. Leadership has remained stable since the foundation's March 2016 incorporation: the five-person all-Sanders volunteer board shows no known changes. The foundation maintains active social media accounts on Facebook (@JESAvantiFDN) and Instagram, though no major programmatic announcements have appeared there in 2025–2026 based on available search results.

The single most important piece of advice for organizations seeking a relationship with Jes Avanti Foundation is this: do not submit an unsolicited grant proposal. The FY 2024 Form 990-PF confirms the preselected-only model. There is no portal, no deadline, no LOI template, and no grants staff. Cold applications will almost certainly be ignored.

The only viable pathway is relationship cultivation. The UMCES DolphinWatch partnership — the largest known external commitment at $60,000 over three years — was almost certainly preceded by organizational familiarity, shared field interest, and trust-building, not a competitive RFP. Plan for a 12–24 month cultivation timeline before raising funding.

Alignment language that resonates: Frame outreach around the foundation's three documented pillars — (1) outdoor recreation access for disabled and economically disadvantaged persons, specifically hunting and fishing; (2) veteran support through outdoor experiences (Vacations For Vets model); and (3) wildlife conservation, animal rescue/rehabilitation, and citizen environmental science. The words "sustainable," "hands-on," "community science," and "outdoor access" appear consistently in the foundation's own language.

Geographic fit is a filter. Prioritize connections rooted in Southern Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, southwestern Virginia, and western North Carolina — the jurisdictions where the foundation's five facilities (Heritage: A Gathering Place, Tharp Creek Reserve, Goshen River Retreat, Bluff Point Refuge, Richmond office) are located. SOMD Audubon Society and NWTF chapters in these regions are documented warm-introduction pathways.

Offer participation, not just a grant request. Propose co-hosting an event, contributing data, or providing volunteer support for an existing foundation program before any funding discussion. The Books For A Better Tomorrow and Wheelin' Sportsmen events are documented collaborative models.

Scale expectations ruthlessly. Even if a relationship develops successfully, the historical ceiling for external one-time grants is ~$4,806. Multi-year programmatic partnerships (like DolphinWatch) are the only route to five-figure commitments. Think $20K/year partnership, not a $150K operating grant.

Direct contact: jesavantifoundation@gmail.com (primary); jesavantieducation@gmail.com (Heritage/NC site); phone (240) 837-2082. Address all initial correspondence to Liz Sanders.