A Better South Foundation
A Better South Foundation is a private foundation based in Birmingham, Alabama. It reported 24 grants totaling $808,500 in 2025, with listed grants supporting educational funding, youth sports development, and environmental protection.
A Better South Foundation at a glance
In short: A Better South Foundation gave $809K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $34K), mostly in Alabama. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $808,500
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- Average grant
- $33,688
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,422,356
- -28.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Alabama (87% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to A Better South Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1506 Valley Place, Birmingham, AL 35209
Phone: (205) 488-4300
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who A Better South Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Auburn University ($601K). Together the top 10 received $796K.
Grant Size Distribution
24 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 22 grants of 24 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 87% of grant dollars went to recipients in Alabama and 12% to recipients in Tennessee. The filing also lists 0% for recipients in Washington, DC, and New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
How A Better South Foundation gives
- In 2025 it paid out 925% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $809K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn University Auburn, AL | Educational Funding | $601,000 |
| University of the South Sewanee, TN | Educational Funding | $100,000 |
| Homewood Soccer Club Homewood, AL | Youth Sports Development | $30,000 |
| Alabama Rivers Alliance Birmingham, AL | Environmental Protection Funding | $25,000 |
| Southern Environmental Law Center Birmingham, AL | Environmental Protection Funding | $25,000 |
| Nature Conservatory of Alabama Birmingham, AL | Environmental Protection Funding | $10,000 |
| Cahaba River Society Birmingham, AL | Environmental Protection Funding | $1,500 |
| Freshwater Land Trust Birmingham, AL | Environmental Protection Funding | $1,500 |
| Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network Birmingham, AL | Environmental Protection Funding | $1,000 |
| Black Warrior Riverkeeper Birmingham, AL | Environmental Protection Funding | $1,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,422,356 | $251,746 | $831,068 | $808,500 | 24 | $813,316 | $86,517 | $87,917 |
| 2024 | $2,001,678 | $2,001,678 | — | — | — | — | $1,678 | $9,961 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, A Better South Foundation reported a distributable amount of $88K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in education, youth sports, and environmental protection, as well as organizations whose stated work includes racial justice and economic opportunity for women.
Among its grantees, Alabama Rivers Alliance says it works to protect and restore Alabama’s water resources, while Freshwater Land Trust says it conserves environmentally significant land in central Alabama and connects the Red Rock Trail System. The Homewood Soccer Club says it provides children with a regulated environment to learn soccer and teamwork. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes its work as advancing racial justice and human rights, and the Women’s Foundation of Alabama says it works to accelerate economic opportunity for women.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $808,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $601,000, with a median grant of $1,000.
The largest awards included $601,000 to Auburn University for educational funding; $100,000 to the University of the South for educational funding; and $30,000 to Homewood Soccer Club for youth sports development. Environmental protection grants included $25,000 each to Alabama Rivers Alliance and Southern Environmental Law Center, and $10,000 to Nature Conservatory of Alabama. The foundation also gave $1,000 to the Southern Poverty Law Center and $1,000 to the Women’s Foundation of Alabama.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Julie G Price, John Henry Price III, and Nancy Turner Jones as directors.
A Better South Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Henry Price III
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie G. Price
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Turner Jones
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2024–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about A Better South Foundation
How much does A Better South Foundation give each year?
A Better South Foundation gave $809K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is A Better South Foundation's typical grant size?
A Better South Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $33,688, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does A Better South Foundation give grants?
A Better South Foundation gives mostly in Alabama: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Tennessee (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Birmingham, AL (14 grants) and Homewood, AL (2 grants).
Does A Better South Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on A Better South Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Environmental Protection Funding" (10 grants), "Animal Rescue Assistance" (4 grants) and "Social Service Funding" (4 grants).
Who are A Better South Foundation's largest grantees?
A Better South Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Auburn University ($601,000), University of the South ($100,000) and Homewood Soccer Club ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 90% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is A Better South Foundation?
A Better South Foundation reported $1.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $813K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $88K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does A Better South Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in education, youth sports, and environmental protection, as well as organizations whose stated work includes racial justice and economic opportunity for women. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from A Better South Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is A Better South Foundation's EIN?
A Better South Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 33-2108014. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2024–2025.
Does A Better South 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 September 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 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal year 2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). A Better South Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/a-better-south-foundation-morg_a087be4b0ac34e8fb580bb93db14a209
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_332108014_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{A Better South Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/a-better-south-foundation-morg_a087be4b0ac34e8fb580bb93db14a209},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 A Better South 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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