Joseph M Simmons Foundation
The organization is a private foundation dedicated to supporting various charitable causes, primarily focusing on community service, homelessness, addiction recovery, and education. It provides funding to a range of organizations, including those that assist the homeless, promote addiction recovery, and support educational initiatives. The foundation demonstrates a strong commitment to improving community welfare, particularly in Utah, where it predominantly allocates its resources. Additionally, it supports health-related charities and food assistance programs, reflecting a broad interest in enhancing the quality of life for diverse populations.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
A small-to-midsize nonprofit (especially based in Utah) seeking general operating support or community-service funding and with existing local credibility or referral pathways to foundation decision‑makers.
Good Fit
- • Organization is located in Utah or has a clear, demonstrated Utah program.
- • Request is for general operating support or community services rather than a highly technical competitive project.
- • Has an introducer or existing relationship with local nonprofits or current grantees.
- • Capacity to manage mid-sized awards (observed grant sizes range up to six figures, with many awards in the $10k–$50k range).
- • Track record of delivering visible local impact in areas the foundation has funded (homeless services, community nonprofits, education, local media, animal/zoos).
Geography
Giving is heavily concentrated in Utah (about 87% of 2023 dollars) though four states appear in the latest year; the observable footprint is therefore primarily local to Utah.
Recipient Variety
The foundation funded 12 distinct recipients in 2023 (and nine in 2022), with seven new grantees in 2023 and five repeat grantees across the two years, indicating a broadly distributed recipient set despite dollar concentration among the top recipients.
New Applicants
The foundation states it funds only preselected applicants and no public application route is visible, but the 2023 data show multiple new grantees, suggesting new entrants can be added via selection or referral; direct evidence of an open application pathway is lacking.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
