de Beaumont Foundation

OVERVIEW: The de Beaumont Foundation is primarily a public health funder, but also funds the intersection between health, disease prevention and research, as well as between a variety of fields, such as community and economic development, nonprofit development, housing, human services, and higher education.

IP TAKE: A major national health funder, the de Beaumont Foundation is a supportive funder that addresses public health philanthropy from a variety of prospectives. The foundation is grounded in the public health field from the top down. It hosts its own in-house, while many staff members have degrees and backgrounds in public health. Its President and CEO Brian Castrucci, an epidemiologist, has worked in several health departments in the U.S. This funder’s work is conducted through a health equity lens. As one IP contributor reports, “identifies gaps where work needs to be done,” most recently through a national survey called the Public Health Work, Interests and Needs survey (PH WINS). The survey has helped to set priorities amongst public health leaders. de Beaumont —working at the intersection of grantmaking, policy and advocacy — is a staunch advocate of improving health outcomes in the U.S. De Beaumont ultimately approaches questions of health through a multi-pronged approach.

The foundation also likes to partner with other established organizations that can scale. Given its size and high number of requests, this nontraditional funder prefers a proactive approach to grantmaking making it relatively inaccessible. That said, this funder puts out occasional calls for applications, which offer flexible grants that can be used as grantees need. This is an approachable funder that welcomes contact, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

PROFILE: Founded in 1998 by Pierre S. (Pete) de Beaumont, the founder of the Brookstone Company, the de Beaumont Foundation works to “advance policy, build partnerships, and strengthen public health to create communities where people can achieve their best possible health.” Pierre de Beaumont was born and raised in New York City. He graduated from Harvard in 1938 to become a mechanical engineer with Packard Motor Car Co. (where he was granted several patents) and General Motors. He temporarily paused this work during WWII to serve as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. After the war, de Beaumont continued as an engineer at Apex Electrical Manufacturing Company and Bostic. In 1965, Mr. de Beaumont and his wife, Mary Deland (Robbins), founded the Brookstone Company, retiring in 1980 when they also sold the company to the Quaker Oats Company.

The de Beaumont Foundation is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Since its inception, the Foundation’s mandate was created to be purposefully expansive in the public health space. Consequently, this large public health funder features programs that address public health through advocacy, partnerships, strengthening the public health system and improving communication — all work oriented in nontraditional health areas, including: housing, community and economic development, human services, nonprofit development and higher education.

Grants for Public Health and Diseases

de Beaumont centers work on building healthier communities, which includes supporting organizations focused on bodily health and illness. The foundation supports hospitals and health centers all over the country and does not appear to favor one region over another.

It developed new initiatives, such as the Public Health Communications Collaborative, founded with the CDC Foundation and Trust for America’s Health.
The Health Action Alliance focuses on businesses and public health, which was co-founded with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the CDC Foundation, the Business Roundtable, and the Ad Council.
The foundation has also addresses disease-specific causes. The de Beaumont Foundation has sought to address vaccine hesitancy among groups of Americans by working with the White House, the CDC and other philanthropic foundations.
Recent disease-specific grantees include the National Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and International Eye Foundation, to help prevent eye disease.
Recent public health grantees in this space include multiple grants to Big Cities Health Coalition FS: Vose River Charitable Fund (a recent grant totaled $1,443,000) and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Other grantees include ChangeLab Solutions, Delta Health Alliance, and Florida Institute for Health Innovation.

While many of the foundation’s regional, smaller public health grantees include Jackson Medical Mall in Mississippi, Kentucky Public Health Institute, New Brunswick Tomorrow, The Jewish Healthcare Foundation of Pittsburgh, Spokane Regional Health District, Texas Department of State Health Services, and Cabin Creek Health Center in Dawes, West Virginia.

Grants for Homelessness, Community and Economic Development

Included in the de Beaumont Foundation’s definition of community health is a number of human services and economic development organizations. It also routinely gives to groups working with the unhoused and focused on increasing access to affordable housing and ending homelessness.

Some recent grantees in this space include The Community Builders in Boston, Covenant House, Strong City Baltimore, Crossroads Community Services, and The Civic Canopy in Denver, Colorado. It has also given to Parkside Business and Community In Partnership in Camden, New Jersey, for development of affordable housing.

Grants for Higher Education

This funder’s grants for higher education always have a focus on community health and improvement. Most recipients here tend to be larger, public universities, especially those with a vibrant public health program.

Sarah Lawrence College has seen support in recent years, as has The City University of New York’s Research Foundation. Other grantees include Tufts College, University of Miami, University of Chicago’s Medical Center, University of Otago in America, University of Washington, and University of California’s Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health for graduate education in the field.

Grants for Nonprofits

While it makes these grants in much smaller numbers than in other areas, the de Beaumont Foundation occasionally gives to philanthropic nonprofits whose mission and direction coincide with its own. Some of these organizations include NEO Philanthropy, which has received millions, and Council on Foundations in Washington, D.C. Other grantees include Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, which has seen steady support, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.

Grants for Journalism and Media

The de Beaumont Foundation sets aside some funding for journalism and communications, typically that which is focused on providing clear journalism on health issues. It also works to address the causes and impact of misinformation in the United States, including calling for potential professional consequences for physicians who have spread COVID disinformation.

Recent projects and partnerships in this area include:

Public Health Reaching Across Sectors (PHRASES), which is a collection of research-based tools from de Beaumont and the Aspen Institute.
The Public Health Communications Collaborative is a collaborative developed by de Beaumont, the CDC Foundation, Trust for America’s Health, and the Kresge Foundation in order to provide communications tools and training that support state and local health officials.

Important Grant Details:

The de Beaumont Foundations grantmaking tends to range widely from $5,000 to $1 million, though most grants average about $100,000 to $500,000. In recent years, the foundation’s annual charitable disbursements have hovered between roughly $10 million and $14 million.

It does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. Instead, it prefers to self-select its grantees.

It offers general and programmatic support through cash grants, and looks to “invest in measurable, replicable, scalable projects that have the potential for systemic impact.”
Its Board typically meets in February, May, August and October. While many of the foundation’s public health grantees are larger national organizations, it also supports smaller, regional groups.
Each team at the de Beaumont Foundation is responsible for its own programmatic area, so reach out accordingly.

Grantseekers can reach out with general inquiries at info@debeaumont.org, or by phone at 301-961-5800.

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