The Scripps Family Fund for Education

FT MITCHELL, KY EIN: 47-2630731

The Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts (SFFEA) is a private family foundation established in 2014 by Sebastian and Barbara Scripps. Based in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, the organization holds 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and operates as a private grantmaking foundation. The foundation was created to support the philanthropic vision of its founders, who believe that every person should have access to quality educational opportunities and learning experiences.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

—

Annual Giving

$4.2M

+46.7% YoY

Grant Count

232

+21.5% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$18K

+20.8% YoY

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

Mission & Focus Areas

Mission Statement: The foundation believes that a productive democratic society is based on a broadly educated and well-informed population. SFFEA seeks to improve the prospects of economically disadvantaged populations with a focus on infants through young adults in Connecticut and beyond by investing in organizations that provide learning, enrichment, and inspiration to promote self-sufficiency and life success.

Primary Focus Areas:

Education support for pre-K through young adults
Arts and cultural enrichment programs
Learning and enrichment initiatives
Programs serving economically disadvantaged populations

Grantmaking

SFFEA makes grants to organizations in support of programs that serve a full range of ages. Grant types include:

Grant Range

$10,000

Average Grant

$16,900–$58,000 (varies by reporting period)

Grant Types

include:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

SFFEA supports organizations primarily in:

Connecticut (primary focus)
New York
Vermont
Additional support across multiple states including California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island

Grant Distribution by State

Connecticut $3.8M (82%)

New York $629K (14%)

Ohio $65K (1%)

North Carolina $40K (1%)

Massachusetts $39K (1%)

Vermont $32K (1%)

Kentucky $13K (0%)

+6 more states

States

Alabama California Connecticut District of Columbia Kentucky Massachusetts Mississippi North Carolina New Hampshire New Jersey New York Ohio Rhode Island Vermont

Cities

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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Most Recent Financial Data (2024):

Total Assets: $29.9 million
Total Revenue: $15.9 million
Total Expenses: $4.37 million
Total Liabilities: $0

Historical Financial Data (2023):

Total Assets: $18.4 million
Total Giving: $2.8 million–$2.84 million
Total Expenses: $3.0 million
Revenue: $1.1 million

Grant Activity:

Number of grants awarded: 33,801 (previous year data)
130 grants reported in another fiscal period
Total giving: $2.2 million (reported in one period)

The foundation demonstrates significant asset growth and maintains a healthy financial position with no liabilities.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	—	—	—
Revenue	—	—	—
Expenses	—	—	—
Qualifying Distributions	—	—	—
Net Investment Income	—	—	—
Distributable Amount	—	—	—

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

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Connecticut Public Broadcasting Inc ($150,000), Connecticut Public Broadcasting Inc ($80,000), Building One Community ($75,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ACTIVITIES BEYOND THE CLASSROOM CINCINNATI, OH	ABC CLUBS	$5,000
ADAM J LEWIS ACADEMY BRIDGEPORT, CT	SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT	$10,000
ALL OUR KIN INC NEW HAVEN, CT	CHILDCARE/WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CT	$10,000
ALOHA FOUNDATION INC FAIRLEE, VT	HULBERT SCHOOL GROUP SUPPORT	$5,000
AMERICAN DANCE FESTIVAL INC DURHAM, NC	PROJECT DANCE	$10,000
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NEW YORK, NY	EXPAND MUSEUM EDU EXPERIENCE PROGRAM	$50,000
AMERICAN SONGBOOK ASSOCIATION NEW YORK, NY	NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUSIC PROGRAMS	$10,000
ARTISTS COLLECTIVE INC HARTFORD, CT	AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS	$5,000
ARTS AT THE CAPITOL THEATER MAGNET SCHOOL (ACT) WILLIMANTIC, CT	FIELD TRIP	$510
ARTS FOR LEARNING CONNECTICUT HAMDEN, CT	ASHFORT HOT SCHOOLS/ARTS PROGRAMS NE CT	$45,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

J. Sebastian Scripps – Director
Barbara Briggs Scripps – Director

Both serve without compensation.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
J SEBASTIAN SCRIPPS	DIRECTOR	3	—
BARBARA BRIGGS SCRIPPS	DIRECTOR	4	—

Recent Activity

Recent developments and announcements

The foundation continues to support a diverse portfolio of educational and arts organizations. Recent and ongoing grantees include:

Hartford Stage Company

Music Will

Mill River Park Collaborative

Vermont Humanities Early Literacy

Hartford Promise

SoundWaters

Connecticut Storytelling Center

Vermont Institute of Natural Science

New England Science & Sailing

New England Air Museum

Tenement Museum

Arts for Learning

Montshire Museum of Science

Horizons at Ethel Walker School

National Dance Institute

The foundation remains open to new applicants and continues to accept grant proposals through its website at sffea.org.

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Scripps Family Fund for Education fund?

**Mission Statement:** The foundation believes that a productive democratic society is based on a broadly educated and well-informed population. SFFEA seeks to improve the prospects of economically disadvantaged populations with a focus on infants through young adults in Connecticut and beyond by investing in organizations that provide learning, enrichment, and inspiration to promote self-sufficiency and life success. **Primary Focus Areas:** • Education support for pre-K through young adults •…

How do I apply for a grant from The Scripps Family Fund for Education?

SFFEA makes grants to organizations in support of programs that serve a full range of ages. Grant types include: • New initiatives • Program support and expansion • Capacity building **Grant Characteristics:** • Typical award range: $135–$438,413 • Median grant size: $10,000 • Average grant size: $16,900–$58,000 (varies by reporting period) • The foundation does not generally make grants for certain categories (specific restrictions noted on their website but not fully detailed in available sou…

Where does The Scripps Family Fund for Education make grants?

SFFEA supports organizations primarily in: • Connecticut (primary focus) • New York • Vermont • Additional support across multiple states including California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island

What size grants does The Scripps Family Fund for Education award?

In 2024, The Scripps Family Fund for Education awarded 232 grants totaling $4.2M — an average of about $18K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

What is The Scripps Family Fund for Education's EIN?

The Scripps Family Fund for Education's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2630731. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.