Brinkley Family Foundation
The Brinkley Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Towson, Maryland. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Maryland. The foundation states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
Brinkley Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Brinkley Family Foundation gave $182K across 18 grants in 2026 (avg $10K), mostly in Maryland. 33% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $181,934
- -39.8% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 18
- -10.0% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $10,107
- -33.1% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $5,043,526
- +24.1% vs 2025
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (6 of 18, 2026; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Maryland (82% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Brinkley Family 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: 1055 W Joppa Road Apt 310, Towson, MD 21204
Phone: (410) 296-7324
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Brinkley Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was Untied Way of Central Maryland ($83K). Together the top 10 received $167K.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 82 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Maryland, 8% to New York, 5% to Virginia, 4% to the District of Columbia, and 2% to North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Brinkley Family Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 6 of 18 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $19K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 67% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving grew 93% from 2023 to 2026. Method
- In 2026 it paid out 70% 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 (2021–2026). 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 2021 to 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $94K (2023) to $302K (2025). In 2026 it made 18 grants totaling $182K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Untied Way of Central Maryland Baltimore, MD | To further exempt purpose | $83,334 |
| The Family Tree Baltimore, MD | To further exempt purpose | $16,000 |
| NCIA Foundation Baltimore, MD | To further exempt purpose | $15,000 |
| Alzheimers Foundation New York, NY | To further exempt purpose | $10,000 |
| Business Volunteers of MD Baltimore, MD | To further exempt purpose | $10,000 |
| Church Good Shepherd Towson, MD | To further exempt purpose | $10,000 |
| Sigma Alpha Epsilon FDN Evanston, IL | To further exempt purpose | $7,000 |
| Coffee and Paws Rescue Baldwin, MD | To further exempt purpose | $5,500 |
| Blakehurst Residents Scholarship Towson, MD | To further exempt purpose | $5,000 |
| W&M Athletics Complex Williamsburg, VA | To further exempt purpose | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $5,043,526 | $1,211,824 | $231,443 | $181,934 | 18 | $185,404 | $1,197,131 | $266,254 |
| 2025 | $4,063,145 | $1,313,661 | $412,555 | $302,290 | 20 | $305,607 | $1,217,100 | $237,410 |
| 2024 | $3,162,039 | $187,576 | $128,987 | $117,950 | 14 | $121,250 | $183,082 | $218,716 |
| 2023 | $3,103,450 | $157,676 | $103,815 | $94,300 | 12 | $97,750 | $151,233 | $200,280 |
| 2022 | $3,049,589 | $79,544 | $110,678 | $102,950 | 18 | $106,400 | $74,170 | $215,293 |
| 2021 | $3,080,723 | $36,800 | $212,884 | $174,770 | 20 | — | $32,969 | $181,521 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Brinkley Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $266K for 2026 — 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 include support for organizations whose stated work spans family and child well-being, access to opportunity, higher education, public policy, and other causes. For example, The Family Tree says it works to prevent child abuse and strengthen families in Maryland; the NCIA Foundation says it supports people with limited access to opportunity; and the William & Mary Foundation says it advances the university through private support and strategic leadership. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 20 grants totaling $302,290. Grant amounts ranged from $30 to $100,000, with a median of $6,000. The largest awards included $100,000 to United Way of Central Maryland, $32,000 to The Family Tree, $30,000 each to Business Volunteers Maryland and the NCIA Foundation, and $23,000 to the Alzheimer’s Foundation in New York. Its 2026 filing, the latest on this page, reports 18 grants totaling $181,934.
Other reported 2025 grants included $20,000 to BRSF Blakehurst School, $15,000 to Church of Good Shepherd, $10,000 each to the Alzheimer’s Association and the College of William & Mary, $6,000 each to the Cato Institute and William & Mary Foundation, and $5,000 to the Academy for the Arts. The Heritage Foundation received $5,000, the Wounded Warrior Project received $2,000, and AARP received $30.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James Brinkley, Dana Brinkley, and Douglas Brinkley as trustees.
Brinkley Family Foundation's 2026 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2026 report compensation.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Douglas Brinkley
Trustee
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
James Brinkley
Trustee
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Dana Brinkley (2021–2025) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2026. "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 Brinkley Family Foundation
How much does Brinkley Family Foundation give each year?
Brinkley Family Foundation gave $182K across 18 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $302K across 20 grants.
What is Brinkley Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Brinkley Family Foundation's median grant in 2026 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,107, across 18 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Brinkley Family Foundation that year got $19K on average.
Where does Brinkley Family Foundation give grants?
Brinkley Family Foundation gives mostly in Maryland: 82% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Baltimore, MD (5 grants), Washington, DC (3 grants) and Towson, MD (2 grants).
Who are Brinkley Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Brinkley Family Foundation's largest 2026 grantees include Untied Way of Central Maryland ($83,334), The Family Tree ($16,000) and NCIA Foundation ($15,000), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
How large is Brinkley Family Foundation?
Brinkley Family Foundation reported $5.0M in total assets on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $185K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $266K (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 Brinkley Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose stated work spans family and child well-being, access to opportunity, higher education, public policy, and other causes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Brinkley Family 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 Brinkley Family Foundation's EIN?
Brinkley Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-6851031. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2026.
Does Brinkley Family Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 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 2026 (received by the IRS September 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Live grants for the work Brinkley Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Brinkley Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Brinkley Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 8, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/brinkley-family-foundation-morg_f2a1132d885b49ba95e234ce23b897f0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_526851031_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Brinkley Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/brinkley-family-foundation-morg_f2a1132d885b49ba95e234ce23b897f0},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-08. 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 Brinkley Family 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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