Tyrrell Foundation

The Tyrrell Foundation is a family foundation originally established in 1996 in Connecticut and now headquartered at 6800 N Ellen Creek Road in Teton Village, Wyoming (Jackson Hole area). The foundation operates as a classic preselected-only private foundation, meaning it identifies and funds organizations of its choosing rather than accepting open applications. With $16M in total assets, the foundation focuses on a distinctive mix of military/veterans support, higher education and policy research, environmental conservation, and children's welfare. The foundation's giving pattern reveals a clear philosophical orientation: it supports institutions that advance national security and defense (Special Operations Fund is its largest grantee), academic excellence and public policy research (Hoover Institution, Princeton University), environmental stewardship (NH Audubon), and direct human services for vulnerable populations (New Beginnings Family Academy, Pestalozzi US Children's Charity). The foundation has made 76 grants over the past five years, averaging about 15 grants per year. Its Connecticut origins (phone: 203-254-0091) combined with Wyoming headquarters suggest the founding family has roots in the Northeast but relocated to Jackson Hole, which is reflected in the geographically diverse grant portfolio spanning from Virginia to New Hampshire to Arizona. The dedicated website (tyrrell.org) returns only a minimal response, indicating the foundation intentionally maintains a low public profile consistent with its preselected-only approach.

In FY2024, the Tyrrell Foundation made 10 grants totaling $389,460. The grant distribution reveals a highly concentrated portfolio: the single largest grant to Special Operations Fund ($168,450) represented 43% of all grant dollars. The remaining nine grants ranged from $10,000 to $58,692. Key funding categories by dollar amount: (1) Military/Veterans: $168,450 (43%) — Special Operations Fund; (2) Education: $101,692 (26%) — New Beginnings Family Academy ($58,692) and Princeton University ($43,000); (3) Policy Research: $50,000 (13%) — Hoover Institution; (4) Conservation: $20,000 (5%) — NH Audubon; (5) Healthcare/Children/Arts: $49,318 (13%) — Barry Lopez Foundation, Eleanor Campbell Charitable Fund, Mayo Clinic, Pestalozzi US Children's Charity ($10,000 each). The median grant is $15,000, indicating a right-skewed distribution where a few large grants to priority organizations dominate the portfolio. Over five years, the foundation has made 76 total grants, suggesting stable annual output of 10-18 grants. The foundation does not appear to make multi-million dollar grants; the maximum observed is $168,450. Grant purposes are uniformly listed as "General Purpose," indicating the foundation provides unrestricted operating support rather than program-specific or project-restricted funding — a highly valued form of support among nonprofits.

Among Wyoming-based foundations operating from the Jackson Hole/Teton area, the Tyrrell Foundation is a small, focused family foundation that punches above its weight in terms of average grant size ($39K vs. peers at $25K-$40K). Its national geographic scope sets it apart from most local foundations that focus on Teton County. The foundation's military/defense funding focus (43% of giving) is highly unusual among Jackson Hole-area foundations, most of which emphasize environmental conservation. The all-unrestricted grant model is also distinctive — most peer foundations make program-restricted grants. For the organizations it chooses to support, Tyrrell offers the most flexible form of funding, which is especially valuable for smaller organizations.

In its most recent reporting year (FY2024), the Tyrrell Foundation made 10 grants totaling $389,460, down from 18 grants in the prior period. The largest single grant of $168,450 went to Special Operations Fund in Arlington, VA, continuing the foundation's established pattern of significant military/veterans support. New Beginnings Family Academy in Bridgeport, CT received $58,692, suggesting continued connection to the foundation's Connecticut roots. The Hoover Institution received $50,000 for its public policy research programs, and Princeton University received $43,000. Environmental giving continued with $20,000 to NH Audubon in Concord, NH. The foundation added Barry Lopez Foundation ($10,000, Santa Fe, NM) as a grantee — Barry Lopez was a renowned author and environmentalist whose foundation supports nature writing and environmental education, suggesting the foundation values the intersection of conservation and culture. Healthcare giving included $10,000 to Mayo Clinic. The foundation's asset base remained stable at approximately $16M. Over five years, the foundation has maintained consistent giving patterns with 76 total grants, demonstrating steady philanthropic commitment without dramatic shifts in strategy or scale.

The Tyrrell Foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. This means traditional grant application strategies are not applicable. Organizations that wish to be considered should: (1) Understand the foundation's clear priority hierarchy — military/veterans organizations receive the largest grants (43% of dollars), followed by education and policy research (39%), conservation (5%), and healthcare/children's services (13%); (2) Recognize the foundation provides exclusively unrestricted "General Purpose" funding — this is rare and highly valued, making the foundation an ideal funder for organizations seeking flexible operating support; (3) Note the geographic breadth — grantees span from Virginia to Arizona to New Hampshire, so geographic proximity to Wyoming is not a requirement; (4) The foundation maintains connections to both Connecticut (New Beginnings Family Academy in Bridgeport) and the broader national landscape, reflecting the family's personal network; (5) Organizations working in special operations and military veteran support, elite higher education, environmental conservation, or children's welfare are most aligned with the portfolio; (6) The foundation can be reached at 203-254-0091 (Connecticut area code) or at its Wyoming address: 6800 N Ellen Creek Road, Teton Village, WY 83025; (7) Given the small grant count (10-18/year) and preselected model, entry requires building awareness through shared networks, community visibility, or sector leadership in the foundation's priority areas.