Helga Marston Foundation
The Helga Marston Foundation is a private foundation based in Greenville, South Carolina. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations in South Carolina and Florida, including organizations working in education, housing, health care, community programs, and the arts.
Helga Marston Foundation at a glance
In short: Helga Marston Foundation gave $586K across 40 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in South Carolina. 28% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $586,264
- -22.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 40
- -7.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $14,657
- -16.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $6,905,630
- +6.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 28% first-time grantees (11 of 39, 2025)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (70% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Helga Marston 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: 110 N Markley St Unit 301, Greenville, SC 29601
Phone: (561) 339-2529
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Helga Marston Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Benjamin School ($125K). Together the top 10 received $498K.
Grant Size Distribution
196 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 176 grants of 196 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 70% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina and 30% to recipients in Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 40 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Helga Marston Foundation open to new grantees?
28%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 39 grantees (28%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 112% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $462K (2020) to $751K (2024). In 2025 it made 40 grants totaling $586K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Benjamin School North Palm Beach, FL | STEM programs | $125,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Greenville Greenville, SC | Low income housing opportunities | $100,000 |
| Mill Village Ministeries Greenville, SC | Village Engagement programs | $50,596 |
| Unity Health on Main Green, SC | Access to health care for low income families | $50,036 |
| Greater Good Greenville Greenville, SC | RevUpGVL social enterprise program | $36,035 |
| Chabad of Greenville Greenville, SC | Childrens Summer Camp | $35,246 |
| Hispanic Alliance Greenville, SC | Dreamer programs | $30,265 |
| Conestee Foundation Greenville, SC | Childrens camp | $25,133 |
| Live Like Jake Foundation Palm Beach Gardens, FL | Swim lessons and seminars on drowning prevention | $25,000 |
| Greenville Theater Greenville, SC | Family Day at the theater | $20,897 |
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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 | $6,905,630 | $1,200,465 | $798,306 | $586,264 | 40 | $636,642 | $109,678 | $566,763 |
| 2024 | $6,503,471 | $-73,943 | $960,042 | $751,237 | 43 | $792,580 | $130,868 | $504,462 |
| 2023 | $7,537,456 | $829,423 | $812,942 | $606,114 | 30 | $666,745 | $656,662 | $482,241 |
| 2022 | $7,519,666 | $706,773 | $798,549 | $579,282 | 41 | $629,685 | $520,919 | $504,912 |
| 2021 | $7,617,705 | $309,199 | $795,993 | $582,137 | 42 | $632,552 | $123,938 | $596,175 |
| 2020 | $8,118,172 | $273,713 | $642,042 | $462,106 | 28 | — | $115,965 | $518,758 |
| 2019 | $8,501,347 | $77,775 | $675,052 | $536,491 | 20 | — | $110,460 | $490,506 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Helga Marston Foundation reported a distributable amount of $567K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of programs, including STEM education, low-income housing, access to health care, social enterprise, children’s camps, drowning prevention, theater education, and legal rights work.
Among its grantees, Unity Health on Main describes its mission as expanding access to quality health care through community partnership. The Conestee Foundation describes its work as providing inclusive opportunities for connection, discovery, and education in nature. The Warehouse Theatre says it combines community engagement and education with theater experiences.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 40 grants totaling $586,264. Grants ranged from $53 to $125,000, with a median grant of $2,000.
The largest 2025 grants included $125,000 to The Benjamin School for STEM programs; $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity Greenville for low-income housing opportunities; $50,596 to Mill Village Ministeries for village engagement programs; and $50,036 to Unity Health on Main for access to health care for low-income families. Other notable grants included $36,035 to Greater Good Greenville for its RevUpGVL social enterprise program, $30,265 to Hispanic Alliance for Dreamer programs, and $25,000 to Live Like Jake Foundation for swim lessons and drowning-prevention seminars.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Bernardine Atkins is listed as a trustee on the 2025 filing.
Helga Marston Foundation is led by Bernardine Atkins, Trustee on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bernardine Atkins
Trustee
On filings since 2019
38 hrs/week
$75K (2019) → $80K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $80K, to Bernardine Atkins (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Helga Marston Foundation
How much does Helga Marston Foundation give each year?
Helga Marston Foundation gave $586K across 40 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $751K across 43 grants.
What is Helga Marston Foundation's typical grant size?
Helga Marston Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $14,657, across 40 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Helga Marston Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Helga Marston Foundation give grants?
Helga Marston Foundation gives mostly in South Carolina: 70% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Florida (30%). The most frequent recipient cities were Greenville, SC (26 grants), Columbia, SC (3 grants) and Palm Beach Gardens, FL (2 grants).
Does Helga Marston Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 40 grants with a stated purpose on Helga Marston Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Helga Marston Foundation's largest grantees?
Helga Marston Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Benjamin School ($125,000), Habitat for Humanity Greenville ($100,000) and Mill Village Ministeries ($50,596), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Helga Marston Foundation?
Helga Marston Foundation reported $6.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $637K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $567K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Helga Marston Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants show support for a range of programs, including STEM education, low-income housing, access to health care, social enterprise, children’s camps, drowning prevention, theater education, and legal rights work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Helga Marston 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 Helga Marston Foundation's EIN?
Helga Marston Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3871417. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Helga Marston Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 29, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Helga Marston Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Helga Marston Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/helga-marston-foundation-morg_3a4e2d8e7ee64e0da3b3effa924c9d85
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473871417_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Helga Marston Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/helga-marston-foundation-morg_3a4e2d8e7ee64e0da3b3effa924c9d85},
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 Helga Marston 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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