Grant funders / District of Columbia / Higher Education
Higher Education Grant Funders in District of Columbia
747 foundations with a documented higher education focus have made grants to District of Columbia nonprofits in recent years, together directing $412.9M to organizations across the state. Below are the most active — every funder links to a full giving profile, and Bespoke Grants will match all 747 against your nonprofit's specific mission, for free.
747
Higher education funders
$412.9M
Given to District of Columbia nonprofits
4,157
Grants on record
2025
Most recent giving
Most active higher education funders in District of Columbia
| # | Funder | Based in | Total District of Columbia giving | Grants | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Negro College Fund Inc | District of Columbia | $48.6M | 7 | 2025 |
| 2 | Hispanic Scholarship Fund | California | $23.2M | 18 | 2025 |
| 3 | Ascendium Education Solutions Inc | Wisconsin | $22.8M | 24 | 2024 |
| 4 | The Kresge Foundation | Michigan | $18.3M | 83 | 2024 |
| 5 | The Andrew W Mellon Foundation | New York | $17.2M | 26 | 2024 |
| 6 | Clark Charitable Foundation Inc | Maryland | $16.7M | 43 | 2024 |
| 7 | The Bloomberg Family Foundation Inc | New York | $15.3M | 3 | 2024 |
| 8 | The Ford Foundation | New York | $12.8M | 44 | 2024 |
| 9 | Ecmc Foundation | Minnesota | $11.9M | 21 | 2022 |
| 10 | Lumina Foundation for Education Inc | Indiana | $9.5M | 48 | 2024 |
| 11 | John S and James L Knight Foundation | Florida | $8.3M | 32 | 2024 |
| 12 | The Tracking Foundation | New York | $7.6M | 2 | 2023 |
| 13 | The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation | California | $7.4M | 14 | 2024 |
| 14 | Bedford Falls Foundation | District of Columbia | $6.8M | 9 | 2022 |
This list is ranked by size. Yours should be ranked by fit.
The funders above are the biggest higher education funders in District of Columbia — not necessarily the right ones for you. Bespoke Grants ranks all 747 against your nonprofit's actual mission, service area, and budget, and shows you why each one matches. Free, no credit card.
Rank these funders for my nonprofit →Higher Education funders in other states
Other causes funded in District of Columbia
How this list is built. Bespoke Grants indexes 13M+ grants from public IRS Form 990 filings. This page shows foundations whose giving carries a documented higher education focus and that have funded District of Columbia nonprofits. Giving figures reflect each funder's total recent grants to District of Columbia recipients. IRS data publishes on a 1–2 year lag; figures are current through the most recent available filings.