Halls Free School Foundation
Halls Free School Foundation is a private foundation based in Montpelier, Virginia. It awards scholarships and maintains the building and site of Hall’s Free School as a historic and community resource, making the building available to nonprofit organizations for meetings free of charge.
Halls Free School Foundation at a glance
In short: Halls Free School Foundation gave $90K across 37 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in Virginia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $90,000
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 37
- +8.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,432
- -2.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $1,188,556
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Virginia (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Halls Free School Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. To apply, contact an individual recipient to obtain an application form. Applicants must be residents of Hanover County, Virginia, or the surrounding area, including descendants of students of Hall’s Free School.
- Review Cycle
- June 15.
- Deadline
- June 15.
- Contact
Application contact: Earle O Rice
Mailing address: 17517 Shiloh Church Road, Montpelier, VA 23192
Phone: (804) 449-6225
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Halls Free School Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
155 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 155 grants of 155 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia. The stated eligibility area is Hanover County, Virginia, and the surrounding area, with an additional provision for descendants of Hall’s Free School students.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
Cities
How Halls Free School Foundation gives
- Giving grew 41% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 129% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $57K (2021) to $90K (2025). In 2025 it made 37 grants totaling $90K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 37 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $90,000 |
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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 | $1,188,556 | $174,829 | $110,375 | $90,000 | 37 | $100,250 | $166,038 | $77,827 |
| 2024 | $1,122,309 | $136,787 | $106,484 | $85,000 | 34 | $95,180 | $128,861 | $77,784 |
| 2023 | $1,084,588 | $157,271 | $80,112 | $70,000 | 28 | $77,725 | $156,809 | $69,835 |
| 2022 | $971,988 | $70,589 | $71,069 | $63,750 | 27 | $69,272 | $70,207 | $73,212 |
| 2021 | $975,881 | $78,850 | $68,305 | $57,000 | 29 | $68,117 | $78,662 | $77,053 |
| 2020 | $967,189 | $52,046 | $75,782 | $59,000 | 30 | — | $51,785 | $62,434 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Halls Free School Foundation reported a distributable amount of $78K 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
The foundation’s stated direct charitable activity is maintaining the historic school building and site and providing free meeting space to nonprofit organizations. Its 2025 grants included scholarships for students attending a range of universities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 37 grants totaling $90,000. Grants ranged from $1,250 to $2,500, with a median of $2,500. Listed scholarship recipients included an individual recipient, who received $2,500 for Virginia Tech; an individual recipient, who received $2,500 for James Madison University; and an individual recipient, who received $2,500 for the University of South Carolina.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ramon E Lowry as President/Director; Allen D Wickham, Samuel H Moody, Rosewell Page III, Lisa Cabe, and Nathan Hall as Directors; and Earle O Rice as Secretary/Treasurer/Director.
Halls Free School Foundation is led by Ramon E Lowry, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ramon E Lowry
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Earle O Rice
Secretary, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Cabe
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rosewell Page III
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Samuel H Moody
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Hall
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Allen D Wickham
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Helen Hall Harris (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Selina S Gathercole (2020–2023) — Director
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 Halls Free School Foundation
How much does Halls Free School Foundation give each year?
Halls Free School Foundation gave $90K across 37 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $85K across 34 grants.
What is Halls Free School Foundation's typical grant size?
Halls Free School Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $2,432, across 37 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Halls Free School Foundation give grants?
Halls Free School Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does Halls Free School Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 37 grants with a stated purpose on Halls Free School Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship - Virginia Tech" (5 grants), "Scholarship - James Madison University" (5 grants) and "Scholarship - Liberty University" (3 grants).
How large is Halls Free School Foundation?
Halls Free School Foundation reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $100K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $78K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Halls Free School Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated direct charitable activity is maintaining the historic school building and site and providing free meeting space to nonprofit organizations. Its 2025 grants included scholarships for students attending a range of universities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Halls Free School Foundation?
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Halls Free School Foundation's EIN?
Halls Free School Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-2887092. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 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 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 1, 2026)
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