Freeman Foundation
Freeman Foundation is a private foundation based in Washington, DC. Its 2025 filing states that it makes contributions to other charitable organizations and reports no direct charitable activity.
Freeman Foundation at a glance
In short: Freeman Foundation gave $702K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), top state South Carolina. 23% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $702,000
- -2.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- +4.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $29,250
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $22,500
- Total assets
- $21,078,991
- +10.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (5 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (40% 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 Freeman Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1717 K St Nw Ste 600, Washington, DC 20006-5343
Phone: (202) 393-7600
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Freeman Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Alliance for Full Acceptance ($130K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $543K.
Grant Size Distribution
122 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 108 grants of 122 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, South Carolina received 40% of grant dollars, North Carolina 28%, Pennsylvania 12%, Georgia 8%, and California 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Freeman Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 22 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $38K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 42% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 54% 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 (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 $494K (2022) to $720K (2024). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $702K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign for Southern Equality Asheville, NC | Southern Equality Fund and the Trans Youth Emergency Project | $100,000 |
| Alliance for Full Acceptance North Charleston, SC | Small Grants & Creating Change Scholarship Program | $90,000 |
| We Are Family North Charleston, SC | General support | $60,000 |
| Proteus Fund Philadelphia, PA | Sex Worker Giving Circle of the Third Wave Fund | $50,000 |
| Alliance for Full Acceptance North Charleston, SC | LBGT Health Equity Summit | $40,000 |
| ACLU of South Carolina Columbia, SC | Trans Justice South Carolina Project | $40,000 |
| Youth OUTright Asheville, NC | General support | $35,000 |
| Equality North Carolina Foundation Durham, NC | General support | $32,500 |
| National LGBTQ Task Force Washington, DC | Sexual Liberation Track of Creating Change | $30,000 |
| Planned Parenthood of the Southeast Atlanta, GA | Sex Down South Conference | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Freeman Foundation?
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 | $21,078,991 | $2,810,916 | $820,683 | $702,000 | 24 | $781,641 | $772,259 | $1,458,507 |
| 2024 | $19,098,405 | $4,081,647 | $837,892 | $719,500 | 23 | $803,979 | $600,041 | $1,200,855 |
| 2023 | $15,810,681 | $3,265,726 | $657,753 | $573,500 | 26 | $636,294 | $492,520 | $906,371 |
| 2022 | $13,198,644 | $2,339,691 | $566,173 | $494,000 | 28 | $542,127 | $343,049 | $799,276 |
| 2021 | $12,170,207 | $1,946,840 | $579,123 | $501,500 | 21 | $557,213 | $429,464 | $811,251 |
| 2020 | $11,694,269 | $1,981,773 | $625,993 | $530,000 | 27 | — | $391,627 | $605,843 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Freeman Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.5M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included support for LGBTQ-focused organizations. For example, Campaign for Southern Equality describes its work as pursuing “full LGBTQ equality — both legal and lived — across the South,” while We Are Family says it provides life-affirming and life-saving programs for LGBTQ+ young people, with a focus on those who are BIPOC and/or low-income. The Woodhull Freedom Foundation describes its work as affirming sexual freedom as a human right through research, advocacy, and public education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $702,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, with a median of $22,500. In 2024, it reported 23 grants totaling $719,500; in 2023, it reported 26 grants totaling $573,500.
Among the largest 2025 grants were $100,000 to Campaign for Southern Equality for the Southern Equality Fund and the Trans Youth Emergency Project; $90,000 to Alliance for Full Acceptance for its Small Grants & Creating Change Scholarship Program; $60,000 to We Are Family for general support; and $50,000 to Proteus Fund for the Sex Worker Giving Circle of the Third Wave Fund. Other awards included $40,000 to ACLU of South Carolina for the Trans Justice South Carolina Project, $35,000 to Youth OUTright for general support, and $32,500 to Equality North Carolina Foundation for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Weston F Milliken, Rea Carey, Rye Young, and Ryan Li Dahlstrom as trustees.
Freeman Foundation's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rea Carey
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ryan Li Dahlstrom
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rye Young
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Weston F Milliken
Trustee
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 Freeman Foundation
How much does Freeman Foundation give each year?
Freeman Foundation gave $702K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $720K across 23 grants.
What is Freeman Foundation's typical grant size?
Freeman Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $22,500, and its average grant was $29,250, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Freeman Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Freeman Foundation give grants?
Freeman Foundation's top state is South Carolina, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were North Carolina (28%) and Pennsylvania (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were North Charleston, SC (3 grants), Columbia, SC (3 grants), Atlanta, GA (3 grants) and Asheville, NC (2 grants).
Does Freeman Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Freeman Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 24) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Freeman Foundation's largest grantees?
Freeman Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Alliance for Full Acceptance ($130,000 across 2 grants), Campaign for Southern Equality ($100,000) and We Are Family ($60,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Freeman Foundation?
Freeman Foundation reported $21.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $782K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (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 Freeman Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included support for LGBTQ-focused organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Freeman Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Freeman Foundation's EIN?
Freeman Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1667228. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Freeman Foundation 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Freeman Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Freeman Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/freeman-foundation-morg_6a65c6a4bd7a44f48defdcb6453761a9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521667228_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Freeman Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/freeman-foundation-morg_6a65c6a4bd7a44f48defdcb6453761a9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Freeman 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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