Ben Conley Charitable & Education
The Ben D. Conley Charitable and Educational Foundation is a private foundation based in Kilmarnock, Virginia. Its website says it was formed to continue Ben Conley and Virginia Mae Hutchinson’s legacy by assisting students and organizations in the Lancaster and Northumberland communities.
Ben Conley Charitable & Education at a glance
In short: Ben Conley Charitable & Education gave $142K across 28 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Virginia. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $142,000
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 28
- -6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,071
- -1.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,500
- Total assets
- $2,580,085
- +4.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (6 of 28, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (88% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Ben Conley Charitable & Education
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2023 filing lists C. Dwight Clarke as the contact. It lists no required form or materials, no deadline, and no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: C Dwight Clarke
Mailing address: PO Box 420, Irvington, VA 22480
Phone: (804) 438-5656
Email: dclarke@dccocpa.com
Website: https://conleyfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Ben Conley Charitable & Education funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Boys and Girls Club ($15K). Together the top 10 received $84K.
Grant Size Distribution
129 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 129 grants of 129 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website identifies Lancaster and Northumberland communities as places it assists. In 2025, 88% of grant dollars went to Virginia recipients, 7% to North Carolina, 2% to Florida, and 2% to Montana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 28 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Ben Conley Charitable & Education open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 28 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 129% 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 $85K (2020) to $155K (2024). In 2025 it made 28 grants totaling $142K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boys and Girls Club Kilmarnock, VA | Safety, Education | $15,000 |
| James Madison Harrisonburg, VA | Education | $10,500 |
| Northern Neck YMCA Kilmarnock, VA | HEALTH | $10,000 |
| Healthy Food Harvest Warsaw, VA | Food Bank | $8,000 |
| Lancaster Va Education FD Kilmarnock, VA | Education | $8,000 |
| Lancaster County Youth Club Kilmarnock, VA | Youth Support | $8,000 |
| University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA | Education | $7,000 |
| Virginia Wesleyan Univ Virginia Beach, VA | Education | $7,000 |
| Lancaster Community Library Kilmarnock, VA | Education | $5,000 |
| Northern Neck Free Health Clinic Kilmarnock, VA | Health Clinic | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Ben Conley Charitable & Education?
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 | $2,580,085 | $185,624 | $174,541 | $142,000 | 28 | $157,342 | $168,457 | $121,910 |
| 2024 | $2,465,689 | $156,961 | $187,589 | $154,900 | 30 | $154,900 | $124,272 | $112,355 |
| 2023 | $2,167,075 | $133,941 | $164,796 | $135,285 | 26 | $135,285 | $104,638 | $104,946 |
| 2022 | $2,153,751 | $27,651 | $167,268 | $131,500 | 23 | $131,500 | $19,382 | $117,054 |
| 2021 | $2,610,641 | $341,199 | $153,657 | $117,899 | 22 | — | $306,467 | $120,533 |
| 2020 | $2,456,783 | $78,650 | $115,480 | $84,500 | 25 | — | $48,105 | $115,265 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Ben Conley Charitable & Education reported a distributable amount of $122K 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
The foundation’s website says it was organized exclusively for charitable purposes and that it assists students and organizations in the Lancaster and Northumberland communities. Its grants show support for educational institutions, youth organizations, health services, a food bank, and a library.
Among its 2025 grantees, Boys and Girls Club describes its mission as helping young people reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The University of Lynchburg says it aims to inspire independent thinkers and leaders who shape caring communities. Other supported organizations include a health clinic, a food bank, and universities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 28 grants totaling $142,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $15,000, with a median of $3,500. Its largest listed grants included Boys and Girls Club ($15,000), James Madison ($10,500), Northern Neck YMCA ($10,000), Healthy Food Harvest ($8,000), Lancaster VA Education FD ($8,000), and Lancaster County Youth Club ($8,000). It also gave $7,000 each to the University of Lynchburg and Virginia Wesleyan University.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists C. Dwight Clarke as president, James Conley as vice president, Vera Lee as treasurer, and C. Welby Saunders and Jean H. Light as directors.
Ben Conley Charitable & Education is led by C. Dwight Clarke, President since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
C. Dwight Clarke
President
Treasurer → President, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
C. Welby Saunders
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jean H. Light
Director
President → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Conley
Vice President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vera Lee
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
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 Ben Conley Charitable & Education
How much does Ben Conley Charitable & Education give each year?
Ben Conley Charitable & Education gave $142K across 28 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $155K across 30 grants.
What is Ben Conley Charitable & Education's typical grant size?
Ben Conley Charitable & Education's median grant in 2025 was $3,500, and its average grant was $5,071, across 28 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Ben Conley Charitable & Education that year got $5K on average.
Where does Ben Conley Charitable & Education give grants?
Ben Conley Charitable & Education gives mostly in Virginia: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Kilmarnock, VA (10 grants) and Warsaw, VA (2 grants).
Does Ben Conley Charitable & Education give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 28 grants with a stated purpose on Ben Conley Charitable & Education's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (16 grants).
Who are Ben Conley Charitable & Education's largest grantees?
Ben Conley Charitable & Education's largest 2025 grantees include Boys and Girls Club ($15,000), James Madison ($10,500) and Northern Neck YMCA ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Ben Conley Charitable & Education?
Ben Conley Charitable & Education reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $157K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $122K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Ben Conley Charitable & Education fund?
The foundation’s website says it was organized exclusively for charitable purposes and that it assists students and organizations in the Lancaster and Northumberland communities. Its grants show support for educational institutions, youth organizations, health services, a food bank, and a library. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Ben Conley Charitable & Education?
The foundation’s 2023 filing lists C. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Ben Conley Charitable & Education's EIN?
Ben Conley Charitable & Education's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1398809. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 20, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 11, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Ben Conley Charitable & Education funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/ben-conley-charitable-and-education-morg_5ee11d7e57b34c9c93838c6b532d355e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_541398809_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Ben Conley Charitable \& Education funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/ben-conley-charitable-and-education-morg_5ee11d7e57b34c9c93838c6b532d355e},
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 Ben Conley Charitable & Education'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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