It "concentrates its giving in the Southwestern Pennsylvania area and confines most of its grant awards to programs for historic preservation, civic development and education.
The foundation's largest donations went to Point Park University for the Pittsburgh Playhouse and the Center for Media Innovation.
It concentrates its efforts towards politically conservative causes focused on public policy at a national and international level.
[9][10] The Scaife Family Foundation has financially backed Reason magazine[10] and the RealClearInvestigations website.
[2] The Scaife Family Foundation is controlled by Richard Mellon Scaife's daughter Jennie; who, according to 2014 article in Inside Philanthropy, shifted over time from funding conservative groups to becoming "almost exclusively a supporter of animal welfare and other humanitarian issues.