David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc
The David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Asheville, North Carolina. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations including humanitarian relief organizations, food banks, a university, and housing organizations.
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc gave $414K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), top state North Carolina. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $413,500
- +37.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +17.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,675
- +17.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $23,000
- Total assets
- $4,124,025
- -6.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (5 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (25% 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 David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 54 Cedar Hill Drive, Asheville, NC 28803
Phone: (919) 602-6176
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Doctors Without Borders ($40K). Together the top 10 received $290K.
Grant Size Distribution
86 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 86 grants of 86 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Asheville, North Carolina. In 2025, recipient-state shares of grant dollars were North Carolina 25%, New York 22%, Connecticut 8%, Iowa 7%, and Maryland 7%. Grants also went to recipients in other states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 20 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $16K; repeat grants $22K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 144% 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 $254K (2023) to $414K (2025). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $414K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | General Charitable | $40,000 |
| Save the Children Fairfield, CT | General Charitable | $35,000 |
| American Red Cross Boone, IA | General Charitable | $30,000 |
| Catholic Relief Services Baltimore, MD | General Charitable | $30,000 |
| Feeding America Chicago, IL | General Operations | $30,000 |
| Usfund for UNICEF New York, NY | General Charitable | $25,000 |
| UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | General Charitable | $25,000 |
| World Vision Inc Federal Way, WA | General Charitable | $25,000 |
| Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity Asheville, NC | General Charitable | $25,000 |
| Manna Foodbank Asheville, NC | General Charitable | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc?
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 | $4,124,025 | $150,095 | $450,832 | $413,500 | 20 | $413,500 | $128,213 | $287,947 |
| 2024 | $4,427,355 | $198,860 | $349,158 | $300,525 | 17 | $300,525 | $164,633 | $266,121 |
| 2023 | $4,579,571 | $209,394 | $294,910 | $253,500 | 15 | $253,500 | $174,776 | $248,751 |
| 2022 | $4,675,054 | $301,194 | $329,457 | $292,000 | 16 | $292,000 | $267,869 | $285,591 |
| 2021 | $4,703,870 | $242,019 | $336,330 | $295,000 | 18 | — | $206,664 | $266,636 |
| 2020 | $4,800,789 | $160,998 | $307,846 | $259,000 | 16 | — | $115,644 | $246,520 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $288K 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 for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in areas such as food access, humanitarian relief, housing, education, and conservation. These are examples of the recipient organizations’ work, not stated priorities of the foundation.
For example, Feeding America describes its mission as advancing change by ensuring equitable access to nutritious food. Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity says it brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. World Wildlife Fund describes its mission as conserving nature and reducing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $413,500 through 20 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $40,000, with a median grant of $23,000. Notable grants included $40,000 to Doctors Without Borders, $35,000 to Save the Children, $30,000 each to the American Red Cross, Catholic Relief Services, and Feeding America, and $25,000 each to US Fund for UNICEF, UNC Chapel Hill, World Vision, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, and MANNA FoodBank. The listed purposes were generally charitable, with Feeding America’s grant designated for general operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David Kester as president, Theresa Kester as vice-president, Rachel Anne Kester as secretary, and Joseph Andrew Kester and Michael David Kester as directors.
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc is led by David Kester, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Kester
President
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Andrew Kester
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael David Kester
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rachel Anne Kester
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Theresa Kester
Vice President
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 David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc
How much does David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc give each year?
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc gave $414K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $301K across 17 grants.
What is David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $23,000, and its average grant was $20,675, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc that year got $16K on average.
Where does David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc give grants?
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's top state is North Carolina, with 25% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New York (22%) and Connecticut (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Asheville, NC (4 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (20 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Doctors Without Borders ($40,000), Save the Children ($35,000) and American Red Cross ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc?
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $414K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $288K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations working in areas such as food access, humanitarian relief, housing, education, and conservation. These are examples of the recipient organizations’ work, not stated priorities of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests; it 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 David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's EIN?
David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-3808376. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 6, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 1, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 21, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/david-and-terri-kester-foundation-inc-morg_d0256b3722f649ddb6a06e1b6e3f36c8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_813808376_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/david-and-terri-kester-foundation-inc-morg_d0256b3722f649ddb6a06e1b6e3f36c8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-09. 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 David and Terri Kester Foundation Inc'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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