The Stirling Foundation
The Stirling Foundation is a private foundation based in Pleasant Grove, Utah. It provides strategic support and financial resources to partners working to strengthen families, catalyze economic development, promote interfaith cooperation, enable education, improve health, and deliver emergency aid.
The Stirling Foundation at a glance
In short: The Stirling Foundation gave $3.7M across 44 grants in 2025 (avg $84K), top state Utah. 75% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,677,576
- +39.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 44
- +69.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $83,581
- -17.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $2,633,770
- +112.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 75% first-time grantees (30 of 40, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Utah (8% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Stirling Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. It states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and offers grants or partnerships by invitation.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1955 W Grove Parkway Suite 300, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
Phone: (385) 365-0195
Website: https://thestirlingfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Stirling Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Elevate for Community Development ($513K). Together the top 10 received $2.3M.
Organizations only. It also paid 5 grants to individuals ($28,004), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
128 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 128 (53%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website says its work focuses on the Middle East, Eurasia, and parts of Africa. Its 2025 grants included support for work in Sudan, Jordan, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Armenia and Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. The filing reports that 8% of 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Utah, 2% to Massachusetts, and 1% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 44 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Stirling Foundation open to new grantees?
75%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 30 of 40 grantees (75%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $72K; repeat grants $150K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $109K repeat.
- 23% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.3M (2021) to $3.7M (2025). In 2025 it made 44 grants totaling $3.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Elevate for Community Development | To facilitiate humanitarian and development work in sudan including operational costs and expenses associated with the development and implementation of emergency response, economic development and self-reliance projects. | $513,037 |
| Princess Taghrid Institute | To fund the measurement, diagnosis, assessment and treatment of orphaned children in social institutions in jordan; to fund a program to train women in vocational skills; to fund the purchase of solar-powered street-lights to improve community safety. | $330,000 |
| G20 Interfaith Forum-G20I Provo, UT | To fund an international forum that connects a network of religious institutions supporting interfaith dialogue and peace building. | $240,000 |
| Child Rescue Ukraine | To fund the medical and psychological care and treatment of children who have been victims of abuse or exploitation. | $210,847 |
| Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia | To fund initiatives designed to promote interfaith tolerance and peaceful coexistence among communities in ethiopia. | $209,000 |
| Ayar Bala-Public Humanitarian Fund | To fund specialized rehabilitation and sensory equipment for a rehabilitation facility for children with disabilities, allowing the center to offer enhanced physical therapy | $181,976 |
| Eurasia Partnership Foundation | To fund a variety of small charitable projects in armenia and Georgia. | $173,672 |
| Qatar Red Crescent | To fund a project for emergency relief, including food and shelter kits, after the devastating heavy rains and floods in eastern africa. | $150,000 |
| Sunny World | To fund the development and implementation of services for children with disabilities and their families, including clinical and occupational services. | $138,595 |
| Teach for Uzbekistan | To fund the development of a training curriculum and the training for 30 fellows in a program that places recent college graduates as teachers-fellows in rural primary schools in uzbekistan. | $124,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Stirling Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,633,770 | $8,838,976 | $7,484,296 | $3,677,576 | 44 | $7,459,390 | $74,050 |
| 2024 | $1,242,334 | $6,618,946 | $6,496,923 | $2,632,110 | 26 | $6,371,110 | $860 |
| 2023 | $1,141,001 | $5,156,473 | $6,062,562 | $2,326,756 | 24 | $6,040,707 | $49,538 |
| 2022 | $2,002,294 | $4,323,067 | $6,078,013 | $3,296,848 | 16 | $6,043,999 | $7,478 |
| 2021 | $3,741,239 | $6,624,341 | $3,557,849 | $1,310,558 | 18 | $3,552,190 | $86,550 |
| 2020 | $643,444 | $2,571,666 | $2,355,443 | $1,575,867 | 14 | — | $2,434 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to empower a global network of partners that foster collaboration and accelerate impact. Its website describes two approaches: International Projects, which provide strategic support and financial resources for locally informed initiatives, and International Exchanges, which bring leaders together through activities such as consultative visits, conferences, student exchanges, and scholarships.
The foundation’s website identifies work in areas including child development, education, sustainable agriculture and livelihoods, economic empowerment, health, community inclusion for people with disabilities, and emergency relief. Its 2025 grants also supported humanitarian and development work, children’s services, interfaith dialogue, and peacebuilding.
Among its 2025 grantees, G20 Interfaith Forum Association received $240,000. The grantee describes its mission as working with religious thought leaders and policymakers to increase the role of faith and religion in promoting peaceful and harmonious relationships within and between nations.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 44 grants totaling $3,677,576. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $513,037, with a median of $50,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $513,037 to Elevate for Community Development for humanitarian and development work in Sudan; $330,000 to Princess Taghrid Institute for programs concerning orphaned children, vocational training for women, and community safety; $240,000 to G20 Interfaith Forum Association for an international interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding forum; and $210,847 to Child Rescue Ukraine for medical and psychological care for children who have experienced abuse or exploitation. Other large awards included $209,000 to the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia for interfaith tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and $181,976 to Ayar Bala-Public Humanitarian Fund for rehabilitation and sensory equipment for children with disabilities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Miles C. Hansen as President and CEO, Nicole Stirling as Vice President and CRO, and Federico Kahnlein as COO, CFO, and Treasurer. It also lists Edward Rowe as CEO through April 2025 and Jeffrey D. McGhie as CFO and General Counsel through April 2025. David Stirling and Laurea Stirling are listed as directors.
The Stirling Foundation is led by Edward Rowe, CEO since 2022 (on filings since 2020); 5 of 7 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Edward Rowe
CEO
Director → President, CEO & Director, 2021
President, CEO & Director → CEO, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$150K (2020) → $48K (2025)
Miles C. Hansen
President & CEO
President → President & CEO, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$64K (2023) → $174K (2025)
David Stirling
Director
Director → President, 2022
President → Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laurea Stirling
Director
Vice President → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Stirling
Vice President & Cro
Vice President, Cro, Secretary, Treasurer & Director → Vice President, Cro, Secretary & Treasurer, 2022
Vice President, Cro, Secretary & Treasurer → Vice President & Cro, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$100K (2020) → $160K (2025)
Jeffrey D. McGhie
CFO & General Counsel
COO & General Counsel → CFO & General Counsel, 2025
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$117K (2021) → $46K (2025)
Federico Kahnlein
COO, CFO & Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$138K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $174K, to Miles C Hansen (President & CEO). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Stirling Foundation
How much does The Stirling Foundation give each year?
The Stirling Foundation gave $3.7M across 44 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $2.6M across 26 grants.
What is The Stirling Foundation's typical grant size?
The Stirling Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $83,581, across 44 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Stirling Foundation that year got $72K on average.
Where does The Stirling Foundation give grants?
The Stirling Foundation's top state is Utah, with 8% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Does The Stirling Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 5% of The Stirling Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (2 of 44) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Stirling Foundation's largest grantees?
The Stirling Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Elevate for Community Development ($513,037), Princess Taghrid Institute ($330,000) and G20 Interfaith Forum-G20I ($240,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 5 grants to individuals ($28,004), which are not listed by name. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Stirling Foundation?
The Stirling Foundation reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $8.8M.
What does The Stirling Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to empower a global network of partners that foster collaboration and accelerate impact. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Stirling Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Stirling Foundation's EIN?
The Stirling Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-0616659. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Stirling Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Stirling Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Stirling Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-stirling-foundation-morg_04cac5b6e3a44b8cbc594dd306c8a440
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_830616659_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Stirling Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-stirling-foundation-morg_04cac5b6e3a44b8cbc594dd306c8a440},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Stirling 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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