Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation
The Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation is a private foundation based in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Established in 1980, it operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization dedicated to charitable and educational giving.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$3.9M
+2.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$270K
-9.4% YoY
Grant Count
19
-24.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$14K
+19.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation reported a distributable amount of $302K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation primarily funds charitable and educational scholarship organizations. Its grant-making focuses on education, philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking, as well as human services, with a particular emphasis on educational scholarships.
Grantmaking
The foundation is an active grantmaker with recent grant activity in 2023. Recent grants include:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in North Carolina and Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of December 31, 2023:
- Total Assets: $3,763,388
- Total Revenues: $492,526
- Total Expenses: $355,549
- Total Liabilities: $0
- Investment Income and Dividends: $174,485
- Net Gain from Sale of Non-Inventory Assets: $318,041
The foundation has no employees and relies on investment income as its primary revenue source.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $3,852,028 | $3,763,388 | $3,625,643 |
| Revenue | $435,100 | $492,526 | $355,569 |
| Expenses | $335,641 | $355,549 | $370,201 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $313,047 | $341,162 | $356,401 |
| Net Investment Income | $420,752 | $478,139 | $341,769 |
| Distributable Amount | $301,882 | $307,389 | $320,291 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
109 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Samaritan's Purse ($100,000), Union Pines High School ($35,000), Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities ($15,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities Southern Pines, NC | Charitable | $15,000 |
| Arts Council of Moore County Southern Pines, NC | Charitable | $10,000 |
| The Nature Conservancy Durham, NC | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Prancing Horse Inc Southern Pines, NC | Educational | $5,000 |
| Boys and Girls Homes of NC Lake Waccamaw, NC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Atlantic Center for the Arts New Smyrna Beach, FL | Charitable | $1,000 |
| Friends of the WNC Nature Center Asheville, NC | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Union Pines High School Cameron, NC | Educational | $35,000 |
| North Moore High School Robbins, NC | Educational | $15,000 |
| Moore Humane Society Southern Pines, NC | Charitable | $15,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
No officer/director data available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation fund?
The foundation primarily funds charitable and educational scholarship organizations. Its grant-making focuses on education, philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking, as well as human services, with a particular emphasis on educational scholarships.
How do I apply for a grant from Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation?
The foundation is an active grantmaker with recent grant activity in 2023. Recent grants include: • Wake Forest University: $35,000 (Educational) • Samaritan's Purse: $25,000 (Charitable) • Campbell University: $25,000 (Educational Scholarship) In 2023, the foundation made 21 grants total. Typical grant awards range from $1,000 to $100,000.
Where does Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation make grants?
The foundation primarily funds organizations in North Carolina and Florida.
What size grants does Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation award?
In 2024, Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation awarded 19 grants totaling $270K — an average of about $14K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation reported a distributable amount of $302K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's EIN?
Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-1408721. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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