The Britton Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Erie, PA EIN: 25-1618532

The Britton Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Erie, Pennsylvania. In its 2024 filing, it reported grants to nonprofit organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Pennsylvania.

The Britton Family Foundation at a glance

In short: The Britton Family Foundation gave $265K across 45 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 2% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2024)
$265,375
+9.3% vs 2023
Grants made (2024)
45
+2.3% vs 2023
Average grant
$5,897
+6.8% vs 2023
Median grant
$2,500
Total assets
$2,807,565
-3.7% vs 2023
New grantees (estimate)
2% first-time grantees (1 of 45, 2024)
Primary geography
Pennsylvania (96% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to The Britton Family Foundation

How to Apply

The 2024 filing lists John W. Britton, President, as the contact and says to see attached materials for the application form and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions. The filing does not provide those details in the information available here.

Contact

Application contact: John W Britton President
Mailing address: 100 State St Ste 700, Erie, PA 16507
Phone: (814) 870-7710
Email: mminnaugh@skmco.com

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Britton Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Hamot Health Foundation: $23KHamot Health Foundation$23KBayfront Maritime Center: $20KBayfront Maritime Center$20KErie County Historical Society: $15KErie County Historical Society$15KAchievement Center: $10KAchievement Center$10KAlzheimer's Association Greater PA: $10KAlzheimer's AssociationGreater PA$10KDr Gertrude Barber Foundation: $10KDr Gertrude Barber Foundation$10KErie City Mission: $10KErie City Mission$10KSarah Reed Children's Center: $10KSarah Reed Children's Center$10KShriners Hospitals for Children: $10KShriners Hospitals forChildren$10KSt Jude Children's Research Hospit: $10KSt Jude Children's ResearchHospit$10K

The largest 2024 recipient was Hamot Health Foundation ($23K). Together the top 10 received $128K.

Grant Size Distribution

216 grants across all recorded years

216<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 216 grants of 216 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Pennsylvania and 4% to recipients in Tennessee. The listed recipients include organizations in Erie, Pennsylvania, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Grant Distribution by State

2states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 45 itemized grants.

Cities

ErieFairviewHarborcreekMemphis

Is The Britton Family Foundation open to new grantees?

2%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 1 of 45 grantees (2%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $6K. How we count

Medians: $10K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 98% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+5%). Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 113% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K41 grants2020 42 grants2021 44 grants2022 44 grants2023 45 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $243K (2022) to $265K (2024). In 2024 it made 45 grants totaling $265K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Hamot Health Foundation Erie, PAUnrestricted$22,875
Bayfront Maritime Center Erie, PAUnrestricted$20,000
Erie County Historical Society Erie, PAUnrestricted$15,000
Achievement Center Erie, PAUnrestricted$10,000
Alzheimer's Association Greater PA Erie, PAUnrestricted$10,000
Dr Gertrude Barber Foundation Erie, PAUnrestricted$10,000
Erie City Mission Erie, PAUnrestricted$10,000
Sarah Reed Children's Center Erie, PAUnrestricted$10,000
Shriners Hospitals for Children Erie, PAUnrestricted$10,000
St Jude Children's Research Hospit Memphis, TNUnrestricted$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

The foundation’s filing type is Form 990-PF.

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2024$2,807,565$184,375$293,395$265,37545$265,375$161,931$235,606
2023$2,916,585$66,344$268,001$242,87544$242,875$75,982$213,595
2022$3,118,242$29,240$280,721$242,87544$242,875$59,587$217,515
2021$3,369,723$458,379$278,811$251,87542$251,875$435,339$238,247
2020$3,190,430$2,583$275,290$250,00041—$52,922$210,717

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Britton Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $236K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission statement is provided in the available information. The 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Hamot Health Foundation says it supports UPMC Hamot’s work in patient care, community service, healing, and education. Erie County Historical Society says it engages the community through educational programs, exhibits, and publications and preserves collections and archives. Child Development Centers Inc. says it provides child care and early childhood education in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Other 2024 recipients include Achievement Center, which describes providing child- and family-centered therapeutic services, and Asbury Woods Partnership, which says it offers environmental, educational, and recreational experiences. SafeNet says it provides shelter and safety to victims of interpersonal violence, while Mercy Center for Women says it advocates for women and provides transitional housing for homeless women and children.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 45 grants totaling $265,375. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $22,875, with a median of $2,500. The largest listed grant was $22,875 to Hamot Health Foundation. Other notable grants included $20,000 to Bayfront Maritime Center, $15,000 to Erie County Historical Society, and $10,000 each to Achievement Center, Alzheimer’s Association Greater PA, Dr Gertrude Barber Foundation, Erie City Mission, Sarah Reed Children’s Center, Shriners Hospitals for Children, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Stairways Behavioral Health, and Erie Homes for Children and Adults. The listed purposes for these grants were unrestricted.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists John W. Britton as President/Director, James E. Spoden Esq. as Treasurer/Director, and Margaret Britton and Matthew M. Minnaugh as directors.

The Britton Family Foundation is led by John W. Britton, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • John W. Britton

    President & Director

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • James E. Spoden Esq.

    Treasurer & Director

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Margaret Britton

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Matthew M. Minnaugh

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Frequently asked questions about The Britton Family Foundation

How much does The Britton Family Foundation give each year?

The Britton Family Foundation gave $265K across 45 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $243K across 44 grants.

What is The Britton Family Foundation's typical grant size?

The Britton Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,500, and its average grant was $5,897, across 45 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Britton Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.

Where does The Britton Family Foundation give grants?

The Britton Family Foundation gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Erie, PA (40 grants) and Fairview, PA (3 grants).

Does The Britton Family Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of The Britton Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (45 of 45) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Britton Family Foundation's largest grantees?

The Britton Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Hamot Health Foundation ($22,875), Bayfront Maritime Center ($20,000) and Erie County Historical Society ($15,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is The Britton Family Foundation?

The Britton Family Foundation reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $265K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $236K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Britton Family Foundation fund?

No foundation mission statement is provided in the available information. The 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Hamot Health Foundation says it supports UPMC Hamot’s work in patient care, community service, healing, and education. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Britton Family Foundation?

The 2024 filing lists John W. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Britton Family Foundation's EIN?

The Britton Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 25-1618532. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Britton Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-britton-family-foundation-morg_6d40feefdb82433f865258ecb4fd4142

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_251618532_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Britton Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-britton-family-foundation-morg_6d40feefdb82433f865258ecb4fd4142},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}

The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.

Figures come from The Britton Family Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.

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