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Alfa Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Montgomery, AL EIN: 72-1373145 Website

Alfa Foundation is a private foundation based in Montgomery, Alabama. Its 2025 filing reports grants to nonprofit organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Alabama.

Alfa Foundation at a glance

In short: Alfa Foundation gave $1.7M across 93 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Alabama. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,711,191
+17.6% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
93
-8.8% vs 2024
Average grant
$18,400
+29.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$5,000
Total assets
$30,742,304
-0.1% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
21% first-time grantees (17 of 82, 2025)
Primary geography
Alabama (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Alfa Foundation

Contact

Application contact: Wendy Golson
Mailing address: 2108 East South Blvd, Montgomery, AL 36116
Phone: (334) 288-3900
Email: wgolson@alfafarmers.org

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Alfa Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation: $945KAlabama Farmers AgricultureFoundation$945KKaleidoscope: $118K across 2 grantsKaleidoscope$118K · 2 grantsRiver Region United Way: $75K across 3 grantsRiver Region United Way$75K · 3 grantsAlabama Shakespeare Festival Inc: $75K across 2 grantsAlabama Shakespeare FestivalInc$75K · 2 grantsAuburn University Foundation: $50K across 2 grantsAuburn University Foundation$50K · 2 grantsHudson-Alpha: $50KHudson-Alpha$50KChildren's Hospital of Alabama: $25KChildren's Hospital of Alabama$25KBaron Critical Weather Institute: $25KBaron Critical WeatherInstitute$25KNorth Alabama Agriplex Foundation: $25KNorth Alabama AgriplexFoundation$25KMercy House Inc: $20K across 2 grantsMercy House Inc$20K · 2 grants

The largest 2025 recipient was Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation ($945K). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.

Grant Size Distribution

433 grants across all recorded years

400<$50K18$50–100K11$100–250K2$250–500K2$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 400 grants of 433 (92%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Alabama and 7% to Minnesota. Georgia accounted for 1%; the filing also lists District of Columbia and Oklahoma at 0% each.

Grant Distribution by State

15states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 93 itemized grants.

Cities

MontgomeryBirminghamHuntsvilleAuburnPrattvilleClantonWashingtonAbbevilleMoultonTuscaloosaAlexander CityRainsvilleSylacaugaTroyWetumpkaAuburn UniversityCullmanDothanEastabogaHartford

Is Alfa Foundation open to new grantees?

21%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 17 of 82 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $25K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.

  • 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+19%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 99% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M81 grants2020 70 grants2021 73 grants2022 95 grants2023 102 grants2024 93 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.3M (2023) to $1.8M (2021). In 2025 it made 93 grants totaling $1.7M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation Montgomery, ALPublic Charity$944,500
Kaleidoscope Minneapolis, MNPublic Charity$100,000
Hudson-Alpha Huntsville, ALPublic Charity$50,000
Alabama Shakespeare Festival Inc Montgomery, ALPublic Charity$50,000
Children's Hospital of Alabama Birmingham, ALPublic Charity$25,000
Auburn University Foundation Auburn, ALPublic Charity$25,000
River Region United Way Montgomery, ALPublic Charity$25,000
Auburn University Foundation Auburn, ALPublic Charity$25,000
Alabama Shakespeare Festival Inc Montgomery, ALPublic Charity$25,000
River Region United Way Montgomery, ALPublic Charity$25,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$30,742,304$1,717,698$1,775,314$1,711,19193$1,711,191$1,669,926$1,727,759
2024$30,774,886$3,055,413$1,502,275$1,454,660102$1,454,660$3,089,073$1,447,786
2023$29,313,953$805,434$1,383,750$1,268,55095$1,268,550$788,350$1,277,963
2022$29,800,064$5,072,947$1,505,563$1,434,49773$1,429,497$4,783,451$1,482,881
2021$26,232,680$4,953,566$1,865,683$1,823,62570—$4,827,475$1,844,312
2020$23,144,797$3,763,671$1,435,612$1,400,05081—$3,801,007$1,318,051

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Alfa Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.7M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include support for agricultural, educational, health, arts, community, and weather-research organizations. These describe grantees’ activities, not stated priorities of the foundation.

For example, the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation says its mission includes advancing agriculture in Alabama through education and research. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival says it engages, entertains, and inspires people through theater and educational and outreach programs. Auburn University Foundation says it operates for the exclusive benefit of Auburn University, an educational land-grant institution. Children’s Hospital of Alabama describes its mission as providing pediatric health services and supporting research and medical education.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 93 grants totaling $1,711,191. Grants ranged from $250 to $944,500, with a median of $5,000. The largest listed grant was $944,500 to the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation. Other listed awards included $100,000 to Kaleidoscope; $50,000 each to Hudson-Alpha and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival; and $25,000 awards to Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Auburn University Foundation, River Region United Way, and Baron Critical Weather Institute.

The 2023 filing describes a scholarship program that maintained 100 annual awards of $1,000 each. Its stated eligibility requirements are membership in the Alabama Farmers’ Federation and enrollment, or planned enrollment, at an Alabama post-secondary institution; employees of the sponsoring organization and their children are also eligible, subject to IRS regulations. These are scholarships for individual recipients, rather than grants to outside organizations.

The filing says grants are restricted to nonprofit 501(c) organizations, not private foundations. It also says there are no specific deadline requirements.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists James L. Parnell as president, John D. Hemmings Jr. as treasurer, and Angela L. Bradwell as secretary.

Alfa Foundation is led by James L. Parnell, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • James L. Parnell

    President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Angela L. Bradwell

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • John D. Hemmings Jr.

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2022

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: W. Scott Forrest (2020–2021) — Treasurer

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Alfa Foundation

How much does Alfa Foundation give each year?

Alfa Foundation gave $1.7M across 93 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.5M across 102 grants.

What is Alfa Foundation's typical grant size?

Alfa Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $18,400, across 93 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Alfa Foundation that year got $4K on average.

Where does Alfa Foundation give grants?

Alfa Foundation gives mostly in Alabama: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Minnesota (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Montgomery, AL (34 grants), Birmingham, AL (16 grants), Auburn, AL (3 grants) and Prattville, AL (3 grants).

Does Alfa Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 93 grants with a stated purpose on Alfa Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Public Charity" (93 grants).

Who are Alfa Foundation's largest grantees?

Alfa Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation ($944,500), Kaleidoscope ($118,241 across 2 grants) and River Region United Way ($75,000 across 3 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Alfa Foundation?

Alfa Foundation reported $30.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.

What does Alfa Foundation fund?

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants include support for agricultural, educational, health, arts, community, and weather-research organizations. These describe grantees’ activities, not stated priorities of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Alfa Foundation?

Alfa Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check alfascholars.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.

What is Alfa Foundation's EIN?

Alfa Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 72-1373145. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 7, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 30, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 3, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 22, 2025)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 27, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Alfa Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/alfa-foundation-morg_f63aeca02c4142678c552aeb60c5cb2e

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_721373145_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Alfa Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/alfa-foundation-morg_f63aeca02c4142678c552aeb60c5cb2e},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Alfa 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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