Kiawah Cares Foundation
Kiawah Cares Foundation is a public charity based in Johns Island, South Carolina. It supports neighbors on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands through community partnerships, including educational programs and humanitarian aid.
Kiawah Cares Foundation at a glance
In short: Kiawah Cares Foundation gave $339K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $28K), mostly in South Carolina. 42% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $339,020
- +17.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,252
- +7.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $9,000
- Total assets
- $408,840
- +0.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 42% first-time grantees (5 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Kiawah Cares Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s website says applications may be submitted quarterly in January, April, July, and October. New partners must provide an IRS Determination Letter or Affirmation and a completed W-9. Requests may seek financial assistance for programs benefiting Johns or Wadmalaw Island residents, support for individuals in rare critical emergencies when submitted by a nonprofit organization, event or volunteer-opportunity promotion, or help developing a program partnership.
- Contact
Mailing address: 23 Beachwalker Drive, Johns Island, SC 29455
Phone: (843) 768-9194
Website: https://kiawahcares.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Kiawah Cares Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Angel Oak Elementary School ($232K). Together the top 10 received $329K.
Grant Size Distribution
51 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 46 grants of 51 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated focus is on neighbors and residents of Johns and Wadmalaw Islands, South Carolina. Its website says a program requesting funding must impact residents of one or both islands. For an individual emergency request, the individual must reside on Johns or Wadmalaw Island and be referred by a nonprofit organization.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Kiawah Cares Foundation open to new grantees?
42%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 12 grantees (42%) 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 $7K; repeat grants $43K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 58% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+10%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $111K (2020) to $339K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $339K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Angel Oak Elementary School Johns Island, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $232,295 |
| Mt Zion Elementary School Johns Island, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $20,000 |
| Palmetto Project North Charleston, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $16,500 |
| St Johns High School Johns Island, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $14,725 |
| Circle Of Life Program Summerville, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $10,000 |
| Reading Partners South Carolina North Charleston, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $10,000 |
| Heal with Hearts Johns Island, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $8,000 |
| Sea Island Habitat for Humanity Johns Island, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $7,500 |
| Charleston AreaTherapeutic Riding Inc Johns Island, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $5,000 |
| Lowcountry Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Wadmalaw Island, SC | Program Sponsorship and Support | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Kiawah Cares Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $408,840 | $375,748 | $369,256 | $339,020 | 12 | $7,882 |
| 2024 | $405,310 | $308,148 | $327,237 | $288,503 | 11 | — |
| 2023 | $419,338 | $307,056 | $328,359 | $274,127 | 9 | — |
| 2022 | $442,521 | $331,483 | $402,797 | $307,640 | 11 | — |
| 2021 | $513,775 | $271,551 | $224,141 | $166,044 | 8 | — |
| 2020 | $496,182 | $380,315 | $216,576 | $111,100 | 7 | — |
| 2019 | $327,084 | $517,523 | $300,652 | $226,725 | 10 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s 2024 filing states its mission is to improve the quality of life of Sea Island neighbors on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands through community partnerships. Its website identifies education, health and wellness, hunger, housing, and exposure to arts and recreation as areas of work. The 2024 filing also describes work addressing employment, transportation, and the needs of seniors and veterans, with a primary focus on education and student support services.
The filing says the foundation partners with charitable organizations, churches, schools, and businesses, contributing time, knowledge, and financial support, and serving as a volunteer, mentor, advisor, or sponsor. Its website also describes support for programs that benefit residents of Johns and/or Wadmalaw Islands. In an example of a past recipient, Palmetto Project Inc. received $28,700 in 2022; the organization describes its own mission as seeking creative solutions to problems faced by South Carolina residents, with focus areas including accessible healthcare, community relations and development, youth, families and schools, and civic participation.
Grantmaking
The IRS filing data lists zero grants for each of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Separately, Palmetto Project Inc. received $28,700 in 2022. No typical grant size is stated.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Shannon White as “Predent,” Ian Freeman as Vice President, and Elizabeth Burwell as Treasurer.
Kiawah Cares Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elizabeth Burwell
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ian Freeman
Vice President
Secretary → Vice President, 2022
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shannon White
Predent
Chairman → President, 2022
President → Predent, 2023
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Ruth Flynn (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Jimmy Bailey Jr. (2019–2020) — Chairman
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.
Frequently asked questions about Kiawah Cares Foundation
How much does Kiawah Cares Foundation give each year?
Kiawah Cares Foundation gave $339K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $289K across 11 grants.
What is Kiawah Cares Foundation's typical grant size?
Kiawah Cares Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $9,000, and its average grant was $28,252, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Kiawah Cares Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Kiawah Cares Foundation give grants?
Kiawah Cares Foundation gives mostly in South Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Johns Island, SC (7 grants) and North Charleston, SC (2 grants).
Does Kiawah Cares Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Kiawah Cares Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Sponsorship and Support" (12 grants).
Who are Kiawah Cares Foundation's largest grantees?
Kiawah Cares Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Angel Oak Elementary School ($232,295), Mt Zion Elementary School ($20,000) and Palmetto Project ($16,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Kiawah Cares Foundation?
Kiawah Cares Foundation reported $409K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $376K.
What does Kiawah Cares Foundation fund?
The foundation’s 2024 filing states its mission is to improve the quality of life of Sea Island neighbors on Johns and Wadmalaw Islands through community partnerships. Its website identifies education, health and wellness, hunger, housing, and exposure to arts and recreation as areas of work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Kiawah Cares Foundation?
The foundation’s website says applications may be submitted quarterly in January, April, July, and October. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Kiawah Cares Foundation's EIN?
Kiawah Cares Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-5144577. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 3, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS November 14, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Kiawah Cares Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Kiawah Cares Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/kiawah-cares-foundation-morg_b07cf0a5a7b04922b59cd8e2e1849fac
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_465144577_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Kiawah Cares Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/kiawah-cares-foundation-morg_b07cf0a5a7b04922b59cd8e2e1849fac},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Kiawah Cares 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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