Hickory Foundation
Hickory Foundation is a private foundation based in Lambertville, New Jersey. In 2024, it made 53 grants totaling $2,664,500 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in public policy, education, and the arts.
Hickory Foundation at a glance
In short: Hickory Foundation gave $2.7M across 53 grants in 2024 (avg $50K), top state New York. 9% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $2,664,500
- -10.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 53
- -7.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $50,274
- -3.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $19,000
- Total assets
- $42,883,556
- +1.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (5 of 53, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (33% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Hickory Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 281, Lambertville, NJ 08530
Phone: (212) 840-3456
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Hickory Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Foundation for Government Accountability ($350K). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
266 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 207 grants of 266 (78%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (33%), Florida (13%), Virginia (12%), Maine (11%), and the District of Columbia (11%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 53 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Hickory Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 53 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $113K; repeat grants $44K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 85% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−16%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 103% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2020) to $3.2M (2021). In 2024 it made 53 grants totaling $2.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation for Government Accountability Naples, FL | Charitable | $350,000 |
| The Witherspoon Institute Princeton, NJ | Charitable | $250,000 |
| The Federalist Society Washington, DC | Charitable | $225,000 |
| American Principles Project Foundation Arlington, VA | Charitable | $200,000 |
| Children's Scholarship Fund New York, NY | Charitable | $200,000 |
| St Luke's Chamber Ensemble Inc New York, NY | Charitable | $200,000 |
| The Life Flight Foundation Augusta, ME | Charitable | $200,000 |
| The Foundation for Cultural Review Inc New York, NY | Charitable | $150,000 |
| Brighter Choice Foundation Glenmont, NY | Charitable | $100,000 |
| Encounter for Culture & Education INC(ENCOUNTER Books) New York, NY | Charitable | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Hickory 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $42,883,556 | $3,707,250 | $2,906,719 | $2,664,500 | 53 | $2,666,770 | $3,479,301 | $2,591,674 |
| 2023 | $42,083,535 | $2,374,612 | $3,170,379 | $2,979,500 | 57 | $2,983,687 | $2,187,920 | $2,267,952 |
| 2022 | $42,856,432 | $1,460,673 | $2,481,759 | $2,202,000 | 49 | $2,202,000 | $1,249,988 | $2,325,040 |
| 2021 | $43,877,518 | $5,066,875 | $3,407,041 | $3,175,500 | 54 | $3,179,740 | $4,839,574 | $2,682,583 |
| 2020 | $42,217,684 | $1,303,127 | $1,499,364 | $1,177,100 | 53 | — | $1,082,282 | $2,155,003 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Hickory Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.6M for 2024 — 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 2024 grants included organizations with varied missions. The Foundation for Government Accountability says its mission is to promote public policies based on transparency, free markets, individual freedom, and limited constitutional government. The Federalist Society describes its work as promoting principles concerning freedom, separation of powers, and the role of the judiciary. The Children’s Scholarship Fund says it provides scholarships to children in need and supports expanded educational opportunities.
Other 2024 recipients include the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, which says it presents concerts and educational programs and operates a facility for classical music, and the LifeFlight Foundation, which says it secures resources for Maine’s air medical and critical-care transport needs.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 53 grants totaling $2,664,500. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $350,000, with a median of $19,000. Its largest listed grants were $350,000 to the Foundation for Government Accountability; $250,000 to the Witherspoon Institute; $225,000 to the Federalist Society; and $200,000 each to the American Principles Project Foundation, Children’s Scholarship Fund, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, and the Life Flight Foundation. The listed grants were designated for charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Virginia James is listed as president on the 2024 filing.
Hickory Foundation is led by Virginia James, President on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Virginia James
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Hickory Foundation
How much does Hickory Foundation give each year?
Hickory Foundation gave $2.7M across 53 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $3.0M across 57 grants.
What is Hickory Foundation's typical grant size?
Hickory Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $19,000, and its average grant was $50,274, across 53 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Hickory Foundation that year got $113K on average.
Where does Hickory Foundation give grants?
Hickory Foundation's top state is New York, with 33% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (13%) and Virginia (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (11 grants), Washington, DC (4 grants), Brooklin, ME (3 grants) and Lambertville, NJ (2 grants).
Does Hickory Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 53 grants with a stated purpose on Hickory Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (53 grants).
Who are Hickory Foundation's largest grantees?
Hickory Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Foundation for Government Accountability ($350,000), The Witherspoon Institute ($250,000) and The Federalist Society ($225,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Hickory Foundation?
Hickory Foundation reported $42.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.6M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Hickory Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hickory Foundation?
The foundation 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 Hickory Foundation's EIN?
Hickory Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3472805. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Hickory 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hickory Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hickory-foundation-morg_233d74aa041e47039b5fb56f8f43755f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223472805_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hickory Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hickory-foundation-morg_233d74aa041e47039b5fb56f8f43755f},
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 Hickory 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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