Blackburn Foundation
The Blackburn Foundation is a private foundation based in Alexandria, Virginia. Its filings report grants to organizations including schools, a church, and other nonprofits.
Blackburn Foundation at a glance
In short: Blackburn Foundation gave $470K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $39K), mostly in Virginia. 42% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $469,750
- +1.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $39,146
- -7.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $712,285
- +10.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 42% first-time grantees (5 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (93% 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 Blackburn Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation lists Richard F. Blackburn as the contact for applications. It requests a written application stating the purpose for which the contribution should be used. No application deadlines or award restrictions are listed.
- Contact
Application contact: Richard F Blackburn
Mailing address: 228 S Washington St Suite 110, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 629-9926
Website: https://blackburnbasementrepair.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Blackburn Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was St Stephen's & St Agnes Upper School ($212K). Together the top 10 received $468K.
Grant Size Distribution
51 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 42 grants of 51 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia, 5% to Texas, and 2% to Maryland. The filing also lists recipients in Massachusetts; its reported share of grant dollars there is 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Blackburn Foundation open to new grantees?
42%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 12 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $66K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 193% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 251% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $161K (2022) to $470K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $470K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Stephen's & St Agnes Upper School Alexandria, VA | General Contribution | $212,000 |
| Basilica of Saint Mary Alexandria, VA | General Contribution | $200,000 |
| Home School Now Waco, TX | General Contribution | $21,250 |
| Campagna Center Alexandria, VA | General Contribution | $20,000 |
| Nature Sacred Annapolis, MD | General Contribution | $10,000 |
| Alexandria Aces Alexandria, VA | General Contribution | $1,000 |
| John Walker Howard Scholarship Hampdensydney, VA | General Contribution | $1,000 |
| World Team Boston, MA | General Contribution | $1,000 |
| The Menokin Foundation Warsaw, VA | General Contribution | $1,000 |
| Cure Alzheimer's Fund Wellesley Hills, MA | General Contribution | $1,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Blackburn Foundation?
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 | $712,285 | $584,703 | $515,794 | $469,750 | 12 | $469,750 | $541,084 | $186,844 |
| 2024 | $643,376 | $353,283 | $551,665 | $464,250 | 11 | $464,250 | $268,369 | $180,944 |
| 2023 | $841,758 | $631,944 | $379,046 | $333,000 | 7 | $333,000 | $588,198 | $174,871 |
| 2022 | $588,860 | $202,943 | $220,062 | $160,500 | 9 | $160,500 | $145,661 | $188,542 |
| 2021 | $605,979 | $192,806 | $401,634 | $331,000 | 12 | — | $131,916 | $196,172 |
| 2020 | $814,807 | $442,337 | $300,909 | $244,250 | 10 | — | $386,181 | $178,291 |
| 2019 | $673,379 | $160,347 | $260,976 | $201,850 | 10 | — | $103,221 | $173,659 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Blackburn Foundation reported a distributable amount of $187K 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 is provided. Among its 2025 grantees, The Menokin Foundation received $1,000. The grantee describes its mission as using a historic ruin and surrounding built and natural environments to create opportunities for the public to contemplate and explore the building of America.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 12 grants totaling $469,750 in 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $212,000, with a median of $1,000. All 12 itemized grants were listed as general contributions. The largest were $212,000 to St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes Upper School and $200,000 to Basilica of Saint Mary, both in Alexandria, Virginia. Other grants included $21,250 to Home School Now in Waco, Texas; $20,000 to Campagna Center in Alexandria; and $10,000 to Nature Sacred in Annapolis, Maryland.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James W. Blackburn as president, secretary, and treasurer, and Richard F. Blackburn as vice president and trustee.
Blackburn Foundation is led by James W. Blackburn, President, Secretary & Treasurer on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James W. Blackburn
President, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard F. Blackburn
Vice President & Trustee
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Blackburn Foundation
How much does Blackburn Foundation give each year?
Blackburn Foundation gave $470K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $464K across 11 grants.
What is Blackburn Foundation's typical grant size?
Blackburn Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $39,146, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Blackburn Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does Blackburn Foundation give grants?
Blackburn Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Alexandria, VA (5 grants).
Does Blackburn Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Blackburn Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Blackburn Foundation's largest grantees?
Blackburn Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include St Stephen's & St Agnes Upper School ($212,000), Basilica of Saint Mary ($200,000) and Home School Now ($21,250), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Blackburn Foundation?
Blackburn Foundation reported $712K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $470K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $187K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Blackburn Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. Among its 2025 grantees, The Menokin Foundation received $1,000. The grantee describes its mission as using a historic ruin and surrounding built and natural environments to create opportunities for the public to contemplate and explore the building of America. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Blackburn Foundation?
The foundation lists Richard F. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Blackburn Foundation's EIN?
Blackburn Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-6036199. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 28, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 27, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Blackburn Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/blackburn-foundation-morg_5d51d5aaa24649b29ed34e08d8cfe53c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_526036199_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Blackburn Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/blackburn-foundation-morg_5d51d5aaa24649b29ed34e08d8cfe53c},
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 Blackburn 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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