The John J & Frank Sparacio Foundation

Vision: A world where communities are heard and valued.

Mission: We believe communities know best. We listen, learn, and strengthen community-rooted partners.

The foundation's work spans diverse causes connected by education, care, and cultural continuity. Current focus areas include:

• Animals: Partnering to safeguard vulnerable animals and strengthen the human–animal bond through education, medical care, and community-rooted approaches that prevent cruelty and promote long-term wellbeing.

• Christian/Catholic Charities: Partnering with Christian- and Catholic-affiliated nonprofits whose work centers education and community engagement (not necessarily religious), particularly in underserved communities and in alignment with the Foundation's other focus areas.

• Environment: Supporting place-based stewardship of wilderness, waterways, and wildlife, while expanding environmental education and community-rooted conservation.

• Midwifery: Advancing Dorothea Lang's vision of midwifery as a stand-alone profession by partnering with organizations that support education, advocacy, and community-rooted maternal health, with particular attention to underserved communities in the U.S. and internationally.

• Native Americans: Supporting cultural sustainability through language, arts, and education—primarily through Native-led organizations—using place-based approaches that also advance healing, peace, and justice.

• Palestinian/Middle East: Partnering with Palestinian-led organizations and U.S.-based groups engaged in education, nonviolent peace-building, and public learning, recognizing the role of both local leadership and U.S. engagement in advancing long-term pathways toward justice and peace.