The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA EIN: 54-1426826

The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation is a family foundation established in 1987 in Virginia. Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, the foundation operates as a private philanthropic institution supporting educational, cultural, and medical causes across the country.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$38.9M

+8.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.8M

+780.0% YoY

Grant Count

+1050.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$77K

-23.5% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.6M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation supports numerous educational, cultural, and medical institutions. Known beneficiaries and areas of focus include:

Education (Yale University, University of Virginia)
Medical institutions
Cultural and arts organizations
Historical preservation (Thomas Jefferson Foundation)

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

Massachusetts $1.2M (37%)

New York $470K (14%)

New Hampshire $350K (11%)

California $303K (9%)

Minnesota $250K (8%)

Virginia $250K (8%)

Colorado $150K (5%)

District of Columbia $150K (5%)

+2 more states

States

California Colorado District of Columbia Massachusetts Maryland Minnesota New Hampshire New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Cities

ArlingtonBostonBrooklineCambridgeCentennialDracutLandoverLincolnLos AngelesNashuaNew YorkPlymouthReadingRochesterRoxburySan DiegoVeronaWashingtonYountville

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$38,890,096	$35,700,631	$35,290,003
Revenue	$7,389,312	$614,021	$29,762,048
Expenses	$1,763,416	$203,393	$497,794
Qualifying Distributions	$1,763,266	$203,243	$478,196
Net Investment Income	$1,765,239	$525,045	$293,080
Distributable Amount	$2,627,129	$1,593,732	$1,003,138

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

39 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Doctors Without Borders aka Medicins Sans Frontieres ($150,000), Dana Farber Cancer Institute ($150,000), Boston Children's Hospital ($150,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
Friends of the Longfellow House - George Washington Headquarters Cambridge, MA	General Support	$5,000
Carroll School Lincoln, MA	General Support	$50,000
Bionic Products Inc Cambridge, MA	General Support	$10,000
Mission of Deeds Reading, PA	General Support	$50,000
Homes Not Borders Landover, MD	General Support	$50,000
The Committee to Protect Journalists New York, NY	General Support	$100,000
National PERT Consortium Pulmonary Embolism Response Team Nashua, NH	General Support	$100,000
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Verona, VA	General Support	$50,000
World Central Kitchen Washington, DC	General Support	$100,000
Doctors Without Borders aka Medicins Sans Frontieres New York, NY	General Support	$150,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation was established by Edward Wyllis Scripps (born May 21, 1909 in San Diego, California; died September 4, 1997 in Charlottesville, Virginia) and Betty Jeanne Knight Scripps (died July 21 at age 95 in La Jolla, California).

Following their marriage on January 31, 1950, Edward and Betty Scripps built Scripps League Newspapers from a small regional company into a national publishing chain of 51 newspapers serving small to medium-sized markets, including publications such as the Daily Herald of Provo, Utah; The Napa Valley Register; the Arizona Daily Sun; and the Newport, Vermont Daily Express. The couple negotiated the sale of Scripps League Newspapers to Pulitzer Publishing Company in 1996.

Beyond newspaper publishing, Betty Scripps was an active investor in oil and gas drilling and founded Appellation Magazine, based in Napa, California, which covered the wine industry.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

No officer/director data available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation fund?

The foundation supports numerous educational, cultural, and medical institutions. Known beneficiaries and areas of focus include: • Education (Yale University, University of Virginia) • Medical institutions • Cultural and arts organizations • Historical preservation (Thomas Jefferson Foundation)

What size grants does The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation award?

In 2024, The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation awarded 23 grants totaling $1.8M — an average of about $77K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.6M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation's EIN?

The Edward W & Betty Knight Scripps Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1426826. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.