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.
Key facts about Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation
In short: Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation gave $270K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $14K), mostly in North Carolina. 5% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 58-1408721
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $270,000
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- Average grant
- $14,211
- Median grant
- $10,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 19, 2024)
- Total assets
- $3,852,028
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Quick answers about Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation
How much does Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation give each year?
Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation gave $270K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $298K across 25 grants.
What is Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's typical grant size?
Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $14,211, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation give grants?
Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Southern Pines, NC (6 grants) and Durham, NC (2 grants).
Does Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (11 grants) and "Educational" (7 grants).
Who are Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's largest grantees?
Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Samaritan's Purse ($100,000), Union Pines High School ($35,000) and Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities ($15,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
Is Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 19 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 89% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−11%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 104% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation
- How to evaluate Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation as a funder
Our grant prospecting guide: read the 990-PF, check fit, and decide whether to apply.
- Draft an LOI to Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation with AI
AI grant writing that drafts from your organization’s own materials, in your voice.
- Track this opportunity in a free grant tracker
A free Google Sheets or Excel template for deadlines, award terms, and reports due.
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:
Ready to take the next step with Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily funds organizations in North Carolina and Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 19 itemized 2024 grant dollars.
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 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Samaritan's Purse Boone, NC | Charitable | $100,000 |
| Union Pines High School Cameron, NC | Educational | $35,000 |
| Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities Southern Pines, NC | Charitable | $15,000 |
| North Moore High School Robbins, NC | Educational | $15,000 |
| Moore Humane Society Southern Pines, NC | Charitable | $15,000 |
| PBS North Carolina Research Triangle Park, NC | Educational | $15,000 |
| Arts Council of Moore County Southern Pines, NC | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Friends of the WNC Nature Center Asheville, NC | Charitable | $10,000 |
| North Carolina Zoological Society Asheboro, NC | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Duke University Durham, NC | Educational | $10,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Donald & Elizabeth Cooke Foundation is led by Sandy Patterson, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2022 report compensation.
Officers on the 2022 filing
Sandy Patterson
President
On filings since 2020
6 hrs/week
$1K (2021) → $0 (2022)
Debbie Riley
Vice President
Secretary → Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $0 (2022)
Nicole P. Smiley
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
$500 (2020) → $0 (2022)
Former officers (1)
- Former: Mary McLauchlin Pope (2020) — Vice President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2022. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2021 IRS filing
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.
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
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
North Carolina Community Foundation
Raleigh, NC
Assets
$569.1M
Grants
732
Total Given
$30.6M
Duke Energy Foundation
Charlotte, NC
Assets
$1.9M
Grants
41
Total Given
$25.6M
Foundation for the Carolinas
Charlotte, NC
Assets
$3.9B
Grants
1,605
Total Given
$609.1M
The Cannon Foundation Inc
Concord, NC
Assets
$351.7M
Grants
218
Total Given
$14.6M
IBM International Foundation
Armonk, NY
Assets
$357.7M
Grants
16
Total Given
$11.7M
Ge Aerospace Foundation
Norwalk, CT
Assets
$22.5M
Grants
2,467
Total Given
$15.3M
Triangle Community Foundation Inc
Durham, NC
Assets
$335.8M
Grants
599
Total Given
$26.7M
State Employees Credit Union Foundation
Raleigh, NC
Assets
—
Grants
1,806
Total Given
$17.4M
Dogwood Health Trust
Asheville, NC
Assets
$2.0B
Grants
835
Total Given
$148.2M
The Winston-Salem Foundation
Winstonsalem, NC
Assets
$630.1M
Grants
823
Total Given
$88.8M
GiveClear Foundation
Charlotte, NC
Assets
$215.4M
Grants
816
Total Given
$28.8M
The Pfizer Foundation Inc
New York, NY
Assets
$255.3M
Grants
9,306
Total Given
$23.2M
More Funders in North Carolina
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.