Frank W Sower Community Trust
The Frank W Sower Community Trust is a private foundation based in Frankfort, Kentucky. Its 2025 filing says it provides grants to specified local charities and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
Frank W Sower Community Trust at a glance
In short: Frank W Sower Community Trust gave $696K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $58K), mostly in Kentucky. 67% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $696,000
- +448.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $58,000
- +311.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $126,202
- -82.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 67% first-time grantees (8 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Kentucky (97% 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 Frank W Sower Community Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 112 Wilkinson Street PO Box 453, Frankfort, KY 40602
Phone: (502) 227-7066
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Frank W Sower Community Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Corpus Christi Classical Academy ($150K). Together the top 10 received $656K.
Grant Size Distribution
36 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 25 grants of 36 (69%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Kentucky (97%) and Pennsylvania (3%). The listed Kentucky grantees were in Shelbyville, Georgetown, and Frankfort; the Pennsylvania grantee was in Center Valley.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Frank W Sower Community Trust open to new grantees?
67%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 12 grantees (67%) 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 $44K; repeat grants $85K. How we count
Medians: $40K first-time, $76K repeat.
- 33% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 293% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 372% 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 $30K (2023) to $696K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $696K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Corpus Christi Classical Academy Shelbyville, KY | educational needs | $150,000 |
| St Francis de Sales Church Georgetown, KY | construct pavilion for church functions | $101,000 |
| Senior Activity Center Frankfort, KY | Meals on Wheels for homebound | $90,000 |
| Bluegrass Community Action Frankfort, KY | soccer field repairs for youth | $75,000 |
| St Vincent de Paul Frankfort, KY | services to indigent of area | $50,000 |
| Frankfort Access Soup Kitchen and Shelter Frankfort, KY | food and shelter for homeless | $50,000 |
| Rosm Frankfort, KY | aid to poor | $50,000 |
| Good Shepherd School Frankfort, KY | educational needs | $40,000 |
| Simon House Frankfort, KY | food and shelter to families | $30,000 |
| Franklin County Fire Dept Frankfort, KY | toys for children at Christmas | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Frank W Sower Community Trust?
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 | $126,202 | $76,509 | $700,846 | $696,000 | 12 | $696,000 | $76,509 | — |
| 2024 | $709,087 | $-10,968 | $130,844 | $127,000 | 9 | $128,922 | $12,464 | $34,642 |
| 2023 | $876,727 | $36,900 | $33,910 | $30,000 | 7 | $31,955 | $34,945 | $34,243 |
| 2022 | $876,727 | $38,220 | $185,910 | $177,000 | 4 | $183,955 | $110,947 | $46,904 |
| 2021 | $996,409 | $38,202 | $78,910 | $75,000 | 4 | $76,955 | $36,247 | $50,508 |
| 2020 | $978,695 | $93,262 | $77,595 | $68,000 | 4 | — | $92,262 | $36,951 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No separate mission statement for the Trust is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for educational needs, meals for homebound people, food and shelter, services to people in need, youth recreation, and church functions.
Simon House, a 2025 grantee, describes its mission as reducing the extent and consequences of homelessness in Franklin and surrounding counties. It says it operates low-barrier shelters for homeless men, women, and children, and provides case management and essential items to housed, extremely low-income residents.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Trust gave $696,000 through 12 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $20,000 to $150,000, with a median grant of $50,000.
The largest grants included $150,000 to Corpus Christi Classical Academy for educational needs; $101,000 to St Francis de Sales Church to construct a pavilion for church functions; $90,000 to Senior Activity Center for Meals on Wheels for homebound people; and $75,000 to Bluegrass Community Action for youth soccer field repairs. Other grants included $50,000 each to St Vincent de Paul for services to people in need, Frankfort Access Soup Kitchen and Shelter for food and shelter for homeless people, and ROSM for aid to poor people. The Trust also gave $40,000 to Good Shepherd School for educational needs, $30,000 to Simon House for food and shelter for families, $20,000 each to Franklin County Fire Dept and Frankfort Police Dept for Christmas toys for children, and $20,000 to Catholic Bar Association to support operations and a conference.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Frank W Sower Jr and John R Sower as co-trustees, and Phyllis A Sower as administrator.
Frank W Sower Community Trust's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Frank W Sower Jr.
Co-Trustee
Trustee → Co-Trustee, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$2K (2020) → $1K (2025)
John R Sower
Co-Trustee
Trustee → Co-Trustee, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$2K (2020) → $1K (2025)
Phyllis A Sower
Admr
Administrator → Admr, 2024
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$2K (2020) → $2K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: Lynn S Bufkin (2020–2023) — Trustee
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $2K, to Phyllis A Sower (Admr). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Frank W Sower Community Trust
How much does Frank W Sower Community Trust give each year?
Frank W Sower Community Trust gave $696K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $127K across 9 grants.
What is Frank W Sower Community Trust's typical grant size?
Frank W Sower Community Trust's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $58,000, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Frank W Sower Community Trust that year got $44K on average.
Where does Frank W Sower Community Trust give grants?
Frank W Sower Community Trust gives mostly in Kentucky: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Frankfort, KY (9 grants).
Does Frank W Sower Community Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Frank W Sower Community Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Frank W Sower Community Trust's largest grantees?
Frank W Sower Community Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Corpus Christi Classical Academy ($150,000), St Francis de Sales Church ($101,000) and Senior Activity Center ($90,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Frank W Sower Community Trust?
Frank W Sower Community Trust reported $126K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $77K.
What does Frank W Sower Community Trust fund?
No separate mission statement for the Trust is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for educational needs, meals for homebound people, food and shelter, services to people in need, youth recreation, and church functions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Frank W Sower Community Trust?
The Trust does not accept unsolicited requests for funds; 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 Frank W Sower Community Trust's EIN?
Frank W Sower Community Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 61-6272488. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Frank W Sower Community Trust 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 May 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 11, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 9, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Frank W Sower Community Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/frank-w-sower-community-trust-morg_4cbdefb5d7974afab09c25224fb111d8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_616272488_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Frank W Sower Community Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/frank-w-sower-community-trust-morg_4cbdefb5d7974afab09c25224fb111d8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Frank W Sower Community Trust'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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