Bella Vista Foundation
Bella Vista Foundation is a private foundation based in Bristol, Virginia. Its 2025 giving included support for organizations in areas such as health care, the arts, education, and community activities.
Bella Vista Foundation at a glance
In short: Bella Vista Foundation gave $957K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $64K), mostly in Virginia. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $957,000
- +10.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- -53.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $63,800
- +136.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $3,138,342
- -25.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (3 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (73% 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 Bella Vista Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 16104 Colleton Ct, Bristol, VA 24202
Phone: (276) 525-1620
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bella Vista Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was City of Norton ($250K). Together the top 10 received $896K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($25,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
132 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 132 (63%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 73% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia and 27% to recipients in Tennessee.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Bella Vista Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 13 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $116K; repeat grants $53K. How we count
Medians: $88K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 468% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $864K (2024) to $1.5M (2020). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $957K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Norton Norton, VA | Gary F. Adams Memorial Tennis Courts | $250,000 |
| Healing Hands Health Center Bristol, TN | General Operations | $125,000 |
| Virginia Athletics - Friends Charlottesville, VA | General Operations | $100,000 |
| Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Founda Richmond, VA | General Operations | $100,000 |
| Virginia Athletics - JPJ Charlottesville, VA | JPJ Gift Agreement | $87,500 |
| YWCA Netn and SWVA Bristol, TN | General Operations | $60,000 |
| Virginia Athletics - Scholarships Charlottesville, VA | Scholarship Funding | $53,500 |
| Symphony of the Mountains Kingsport, TN | General Operations | $50,000 |
| William King Museum Abingdon, VA | General Operations | $50,000 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $25,000 |
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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 | $3,138,342 | $385,595 | $1,007,498 | $957,000 | 15 | $957,000 | $338,182 | $204,580 |
| 2024 | $4,197,740 | $427,718 | $923,194 | $864,000 | 32 | $864,000 | $362,348 | $240,770 |
| 2023 | $4,622,216 | $121,997 | $1,487,152 | $1,422,000 | 29 | $1,422,000 | $53,189 | $282,436 |
| 2022 | $5,970,919 | $371,244 | $1,177,945 | $1,107,000 | 28 | $1,107,000 | $301,511 | $331,021 |
| 2021 | $6,794,039 | $331,221 | $1,412,108 | $1,326,750 | 28 | $1,326,750 | $254,148 | $388,882 |
| 2020 | $7,924,065 | $411,671 | $1,526,778 | $1,474,500 | 29 | — | $127,185 | $380,059 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bella Vista Foundation reported a distributable amount of $205K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Healing Hands Health Center describes its mission as providing comprehensive care to underserved people in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Symphony of the Mountains says it works to enrich the cultural experience of audiences through musical entertainment and education. The Virginia Highlands Festival describes its mission as fostering public interest in creative expression and showcasing regional heritage and talents.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $957,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $250,000, with a median of $50,000. Among the largest grants were $250,000 to the City of Norton for the Gary F. Adams Memorial Tennis Courts, $125,000 to Healing Hands Health Center for general operations, and $100,000 each to Virginia Athletics - Friends and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Foundation for general operations.
Other 2025 grants included $87,500 to Virginia Athletics - JPJ for a gift agreement, $60,000 to YWCA NETN and SWVA for general operations, and $53,500 to Virginia Athletics - Scholarships for scholarship funding. The Birthplace of Country Music received $15,000. It describes its mission as celebrating Bristol’s musical heritage, educating audiences about the 1927 Bristol Sessions, and creating recognition, opportunities, and economic benefit for local and regional communities.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Marvin W Gilliam Jr as president; Marcia A Gilliam as vice president; and Donna Stevens, Kimberly Gibson, and Rodney Miller as directors.
Bella Vista Foundation is led by Marvin W. Gilliam Jr., President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Marvin W. Gilliam Jr.
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Donna Stevens
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kimberly Gibson
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rodney Miller
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Marcia A. Gilliam
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
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 Bella Vista Foundation
How much does Bella Vista Foundation give each year?
Bella Vista Foundation gave $957K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $864K across 32 grants.
What is Bella Vista Foundation's typical grant size?
Bella Vista Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $63,800, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bella Vista Foundation that year got $116K on average.
Where does Bella Vista Foundation give grants?
Bella Vista Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Tennessee (27%). The most frequent recipient cities were Charlottesville, VA (3 grants), Bristol, TN (3 grants) and Abingdon, VA (2 grants).
Does Bella Vista Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 73% of Bella Vista Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Bella Vista Foundation's largest grantees?
Bella Vista Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include City of Norton ($250,000), Healing Hands Health Center ($125,000) and Virginia Athletics - Friends ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($25,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 50% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bella Vista Foundation?
Bella Vista Foundation reported $3.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $957K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $205K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Bella Vista Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, Healing Hands Health Center describes its mission as providing comprehensive care to underserved people in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bella Vista Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bella Vista Foundation's EIN?
Bella Vista Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-2313963. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Bella Vista 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 October 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 May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bella Vista Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bella-vista-foundation-morg_b0221efd6f91481ab87aeb066175e3cf
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_272313963_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bella Vista Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bella-vista-foundation-morg_b0221efd6f91481ab87aeb066175e3cf},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Bella Vista 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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