The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking foundation dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Based in Lansdowne, Virginia, the foundation operates nationally and supports students from elementary school through graduate school with scholarships, grants, direct services, and knowledge creation initiatives.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$890.3M
+7.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$24.4M
-15.2% YoY
Grant Count
1,419
-4.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$17K
-11.2% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission centers on identifying and supporting high-achieving students with financial need who often exist in isolation and may be less likely to pursue rigorous coursework or score highly on achievement tests. The foundation provides:
- Academic challenge and inspiration during school, after school, and summer programs
- Information and guidance for navigating transitions to high school and college
- Financial resources to develop academic and artistic talents
- Comprehensive educational advising and career counseling
Primary funding interests include education and support for organizations serving exceptional students with financial need.
Grantmaking
Recent grants include $275,000 to The Aspen Institute for the Transfer Scholars Network, $150,000 to Bridge To Enter Advanced Mathematics for Beam Discovery in New York, and $150,000 to High Jump for the Scholars Program. The foundation also recently awarded $1.7 million to three nonprofits for mental health support and invested over $5 million at five public HBCUs.
Grant Range
for organizations: $10,000 to $35,000
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation supports students and organizations nationally across the United States, with primary geographic focus in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $890,282,047
- Total revenues: $39,346,404
- Total expenses: $45,416,521
- Total giving: $24,367,313
Historical Context: As of May 2023, the foundation reported assets of $827,130,951 and income of $150,626,402.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $890,282,047 | $827,130,951 | $847,517,889 |
| Revenue | $39,346,404 | $46,441,200 | $110,148,703 |
| Expenses | $45,416,521 | $45,028,935 | $41,260,979 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $39,750,836 | $42,315,898 | $36,957,476 |
| Net Investment Income | $29,228,056 | $36,245,781 | $79,010,640 |
| Distributable Amount | $41,194,458 | $39,413,922 | $42,691,158 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Executive Leadership:
- Giuseppe Basili, Executive Director
- Ricardo Deleon, CFO & Treasurer (as of October 2023)
- Howard B. Soloway, Director/President
Board Members:
- John Kent Cooke Sr., Director
- Gregory R. Dillon, Director
- Linda J. King, Director
- Ted Mitchell, Director
- Mark Pollak, Director
- Sherice Torres, Director
- Samantha Tweedy, Director
- Wanda G. Wiser, Director/Secretary
Staff:
- Dana O'Neill, Director, Scholarship Programs
- Janoah G. Williams, Dean, Scholar Support
- Natalie Jansorn, Scholarship Programs staff
The foundation employs approximately 61 full-time staff members.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GUISEPPE BASILI | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $596,443 |
| MARIANNE STANLEY | CFO & TREASURER (THRU 9/23) | 40 | $267,051 |
| RICARDO DELEON | CFO & TREASURER (AS OF 10/23) | 40 | $236,375 |
| JOHN KENT COOKE SR | DIRECTOR | 2.5 | — |
| GREGORY R DILLON | DIRECTOR | 6.1 | $52,000 |
| LINDA J KING | DIRECTOR | 4 | $48,000 |
| TED MITCHELL | DIRECTOR | 4.7 | $50,000 |
| MARK POLLAK | DIRECTOR | 4.2 | $48,000 |
| HOWARD B SOLOWAY | DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT | 5.1 | $48,000 |
| SHERICE TORRES | DIRECTOR | 4.5 | $48,000 |
| SAMANTHA TWEEDY | DIRECTOR | 4 | $48,000 |
| WANDA G WISER | DIRECTOR/SECRETARY | 4 | $48,000 |
Contact Information
Main Office:
- Address: 44325 Woodridge Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176
- Phone: 703-723-8000
- Fax: 703-723-8030
- Website: jkcf.org
Department Contacts:
- Scholarships: scholarships@jkcf.org | Text: 703-687-0150 | Phone: 571-799-8064
- Current Scholars & Alumni: scholars@jkcf.org | 571-799-8000
- Media & Press: media@jkcf.org | 571-799-8067
- General Grants: grants@jkcf.org
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET (closed on federally observed holidays)
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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