Scaife Family Foundation

The Scaife Family Foundation has operated for nearly four decades as a private family foundation, established in 1985 and controlled by Jennie Scaife (daughter of the late Richard Mellon Scaife) with day-to-day leadership by President and Chairman David Zywiec from West Palm Beach, FL. The foundation has distributed over $180 million since inception and now holds approximately $104.5M in assets with annual giving near $8.5M.

This is a relationship-oriented, impact-first funder — not a policy or systems-change foundation. The giving philosophy centers on direct programmatic delivery to vulnerable populations, and the grantee roster is full of long-term partners. Magee-Womens Research Institute has received 8 grants totaling $8M. Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation has received 14 grants totaling $3.07M. Puppies Behind Bars has received 4 grants totaling $900K. This pattern of multi-cycle, multi-year commitments is the norm, not the exception — suggesting the foundation sustains proven partners rather than rotating its portfolio.

For first-time applicants, the key insight is that Scaife is accessible but not easy. Unlike many foundations of comparable size, it does not require an invitation or LOI — you can submit a full proposal directly. However, that directness cuts both ways: your first contact is your full proposal, so there is no relationship-warming stage. A cold, complete proposal package is the standard entry point.

Organizations in South Florida or Western Pennsylvania have a structural advantage. The foundation explicitly states these regions receive priority consideration, consistent with 136 FL grants and 70 PA grants in the tracked dataset. National organizations can compete, but should make any regional footprint in FL or PA prominent.

The typical progression once funded is sustained: organizations that receive one grant tend to receive multiple. New grantees should position a first grant as the beginning of a partnership, not a one-time transaction, by articulating a multi-year program arc in the proposal narrative.

Analysis of 310 recorded grants totaling $24.2M reveals a consistent and data-rich picture of Scaife Family Foundation grantmaking.

Grant Size: Median grant is $30,000, with an average of $62,987–$78,067 depending on period analyzed. The range spans $5,000 (minimum) to $1,500,000 (maximum). The gap between median and average reflects the outsized influence of a few large, multi-year anchor grants — particularly the Magee-Womens Research Institute relationship ($8M across 8 grants, averaging $1M per grant).

Annual Giving Trajectory: The foundation's annual disbursements have grown substantially: $4.9M in FY2020, $6.1M in FY2021, $8.1M in FY2022, $8.1M in FY2023, and approximately $8.45M in FY2024 — a 72% increase from the COVID-era trough. Total assets grew from $76.7M (2019) to $104.5M (2024), driven by an unusually large $28.3M in contributions received in FY2022 and consistent investment income averaging $5–13M annually.

Focus Area Breakdown (estimated from grantee data): - Women's and children's health/welfare: ~35–40% of tracked giving, dominated by the $8M Magee-Womens anchor relationship and organizations like Holtz Children's Hospital ($420K), Make-A-Wish Greater PA ($396K), Shelter for Abused Women & Children ($400K), and Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse ($305K). - Animal welfare and human-animal interaction: ~25–30%, spanning service dog organizations (K9s for Warriors, Puppies Behind Bars, Southeastern Guide Dogs, America's VetDogs, Paws 4 Liberty, Freedom Service Dogs, New Leash on Life), therapeutic riding (Vinceremos, Quantum Leap Farm), rescue organizations (Peggy Adams, PA SPCA, Providence Animal Center), and veterinary training. - Addiction prevention and treatment: ~15–20%, led by Hazelden Betty Ford ($3.07M), National Rural Alcohol and Drug Abuse Network ($335K), and IRETA ($308K). - Community social services (DV shelter, meals, senior care, youth): ~10–15%.

Geography: Florida accounts for 136 grants, Pennsylvania for 70 — together representing 67% of all tracked awards. DC (14), Ohio (14), Minnesota (14), and New York (12) round out the top states, often reflecting national organization headquarters rather than program delivery geography.

The Scaife Family Foundation occupies a distinctive niche among private foundations: a mid-sized endowment ($104.5M) with three highly specific program pillars rarely bundled together by a single funder.

Scaife stands out for two key reasons. First, it is more accessible than most peer foundations of comparable size — Ittleson and Brach both operate by invitation only, while Scaife accepts direct, unsolicited proposals. Second, its focus on service animals and human-animal therapeutic interaction is unusual among health-oriented foundations, creating a genuinely underserved funding niche for canine assistance, therapeutic riding, and similar programs. Applicants who fit that intersection — particularly organizations serving veterans, children with disabilities, or recovery populations through animal-assisted programming — face far less competition here than at a general-purpose health foundation.

The clearest recent signal from the Scaife family's philanthropic network came in February 2025, when the Jennie K. Scaife Charitable Foundation (a related but separate entity) announced a $1.8 million gift to Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh — reinforcing the Scaife family's enduring commitment to healthcare in Western Pennsylvania.

The Scaife Family Foundation itself reported its strongest giving year on record for FY2024: approximately $8.45M in charitable disbursements across 79 grant awards, against total assets of $104.5M. Revenue in FY2024 reached $17.8M, including $6.7M in contributions (37.7%), $7.5M in asset sales (41.9%), and $3.5M in dividends (19.8%).

David Zywiec continues as President and Chairman; his compensation was $172,704 in 2024, down from a peak of $233,104 in an earlier filing period, suggesting a stabilization of administrative costs as the foundation's operating model matures. Directors Joshua Armstrong, Laurie Moritz, and Elvasio Vaccaro each receive $10,000–$11,000 in annual compensation, consistent across multiple years.

No leadership transitions, program pivots, or formal new initiative announcements were found in public sources for 2025–2026. The foundation's next confirmed deadline is August 1, 2026, with the subsequent spring cycle closing February 1, 2027.

Lead with one pillar, not three. The foundation funds three distinct areas (women/children welfare, addiction prevention, human-animal interaction), but proposals that try to span multiple pillars in a first application tend to read unfocused. Identify which pillar is your strongest fit and build the entire proposal around it.

Claim your geography upfront. If your organization serves South Florida or Western Pennsylvania — even as part of a national footprint — make that explicit in the first paragraph of your proposal letter. The foundation's guidelines state these regions receive enhanced consideration. National organizations should note any regional delivery, offices, or partnerships in FL or PA.

Go straight to a full proposal — skip the relationship-building stage. Unlike foundations with multi-stage processes, Scaife accepts no LOIs. Your first contact is your full proposal package. This means your narrative, budget, and supporting documents must be polished before outreach. Cold emailing to ask questions before submitting is not a recognized step in their process.

Size the first ask conservatively. With a median grant of $30,000 and a typical first-time range of $25,000–$75,000, new applicants should resist the impulse to request maximum funding. The grantee data shows a clear pattern: organizations start smaller and scale up over multiple cycles. A $35,000 first grant that gets renewed is worth far more than a $200,000 ask that gets declined.

Mirror the foundation's exact language. Use these phrases from the foundation's own materials: 'beneficial interaction between humans and animals,' 'early intervention and prevention in the area of drug and alcohol addiction,' and 'health and welfare of women and children.' Alignment is signaled through vocabulary, not just program type.

Submit email to [email protected] for a documented trail. Both mail and email are accepted; email creates a delivery confirmation. Submit at least two weeks before the February 1 or August 1 deadline to allow time for a completeness check — incomplete packages may be delayed to the next cycle.

Do not include any capital components in the ask. Capital campaigns and renovations are explicitly ineligible. If your project has a capital element, separate it entirely and request only the programmatic or operating portion.

Document outcomes for renewal. Multi-year grantees represent the vast majority of the foundation's top relationships. When reporting on a first grant, provide outcome data that justifies the next ask — the transition from one-time to sustained grantee is where the real funding relationship begins.