Private Grants for 501(c)(3)s

Gadomski Foundation Grant

As family members live in the Lehigh Valley (located in Eastern Pennsylvania), San Francisco Bay area, Atlantic City (New Jersey) and Chicago area grants are typically limited to organizations serving these communities.

The Gadomski Foundation intends to continue its financial contributions to organizations supporting education, under-served children, physical/mental health, the arts, and the local community. 

The Foundation was formed in 2007 and is a private foundation. Due to aggressive grant making in recent years, the Foundation is well ahead of distributing its target of 5.5% in annual grants. The Foundation is committed to ongoing support of charitable organizations through several multi-year grants; this currently limits new annual gifts. Therefore, at this time, we are only providing grants to organizations where The Gadomski Foundation can make a notable impact.

The family's philanthropic interests are broad. We are especially open to grants where our grant is matched by others. Many grants are made confidentially and anonymously.

Our Interests

Over the years these organizations have received grants from The Foundation or our family:

• Religious organizations:
• Catholic Charities, Bishop's Appeal, Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Service, IJCU of Muhlenberg College, churches and temples 
• United Way Agencies:
• United Way of Lehigh Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley, Family Connection of Easton, Boys and Girls Club, Leukemia and Lymphoma of Eastern PA, Red Cross Of The Greater Lehigh Valley 
• Arts and Culture:
• Repertory Dance Theatre Foundation, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown Symphony, WDIY-public radio Lehigh Valley, WLTV-39 public TV, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Orchestra, Black Rock Arts Foundation, Historic Bethlehem Partnership
• Education:
• Purdue University, Lehigh University, Penn State-Lehigh Valley 
• Community wide agencies:
• Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, United Way
• Child Well Being:
• Make-A-Wish of Greater PA and West Virginia and Illinois, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, Community Services for Children, Embrace Your Dreams, Fund to Benefit Children & Youth, Minsi Trails Council, BSA

Robert B. Daugherty

Robert B. Daugherty Foundation is a private foundation established to provide charitable grants to worthy tax-exempt organizations that conduct charitable, scientific, cultural, religious or education activities exclusively. The Foundation gives preference to organizations which will use and apply substantially all of the charitable grant in the State of Nebraska and particularly in the greater Omaha area.

Core Values

• Passion
• Integrity
• Accountability

Investment Criteria

We invest in projects and organizations that demonstrate:

• Potential to meet substantiated community needs with high impact.
• A history of effective leadership and mission expertise.
• A diversified income stream and broad-based community support.
• Sound operational practices.

Operating Principles

• Remain steadfast to Robert B. Daugherty’s philanthropic intentions and respectful of his reputation and legacy.
• Make trustee-driven community investment decisions.
• Conduct business with highest degree of ethics and integrity.
• Practice independent judgment with effective collaboration.
• Sustain unwavering commitment to operational excellence and transparency.
• Conduct rigorous, fact-based due diligence with a sense of professional urgency.
• Recruit and retain an efficient, performance-driven team.

Our Story 

Some people dream of success; others get up early and work to achieve it. Art and Mary Schmuckal spent their 53 years of marriage achieving success and supporting many others through their philanthropic endeavors. Their life was a balance of family, Church, work, play, public service, and, within their means, charitable giving.

Many organizations have not only been financial benefactors, but also benefactors of the volunteer time and talents of Art and Mary. The success of their business, Schmuckal Oil Company, and the value of real estate acquired during the lifetime of Art and Mary, presented the opportunity to “jump start” an organization whose purpose was solely dedicated to philanthropy. 

A family foundation is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Michigan. The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation is administered by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of the founder’s four children, three grandsons, and two non-family, long time family friends (an attorney and a CPA). 

As is true in every charitable organization, there has been a learning curve of how best to be good stewards of the assets entrusted to the Foundation. Wise investments help grow the funds and grants must be wisely awarded to organizations who make a difference in the lives of the community they serve. 

Art Schmuckal was actively involved in the Foundation for 12 years until his death in 2012. Art and Mary both had a positive impact on their local community during their lifetime. The Art and Mary Family Foundation is intended to remain in good standing in perpetuity and to be a lasting legacy to the Art and Mary Schmuckal Family. 

Make A Difference

The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation is a private family foundation established in September 1999 to support charitable tax-exempt organizations, including religious, health and educational organizations serving citizens in the greater Grand Traverse region.  The Art and Mary Schmuckal Family Foundation has an open grant application policy.

Edward Sykes Foundation

Grants are made to charitable organizations serving disadvantaged children in New York City.

Program Areas

• Human and Social Services

The Vaughn Foundation

Funds are to be used for charitable purposes within the Houston and Tyler, Texas areas.

Program Areas

• Animal Welfare,
• Arts and Culture,
• Civic Activities,
• Community Development,
• Education,
• Environment,
• Human and Social Services,
• Religious,
• Health and Medical Research,
• Scientific

Ralph Franzen Charitable Foundation

Grants are made to faith-based organizations providing social services, with a preference towards Evangelical Christian organizations and organizations providing services in Illinois.