Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation
The Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Established in 1997 by longtime Hancock Bank president Leo W. Seal, Jr., it provides funds to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations operating for charitable, religious, literary, and educational purposes.
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation gave $563K across 62 grants in 2024 (avg $9K), mostly in Mississippi. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $562,774
- +8.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 62
- +3.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $9,077
- +5.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $9,000
- Total assets
- $11,569,322
- +1.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (11 of 61, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Mississippi (73% 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 Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Submit written materials to the foundation. The filing states that giving is not restricted to preselected organizations. Awards are for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations operating exclusively for charitable, religious, literary, and educational purposes.
- Review Cycle
- No deadlines.
- Deadline
- No deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 3720, Bay St Louis, MS 39521
Phone: (228) 641-4505
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience ($50K). Together the top 10 received $234K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($2,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
325 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 321 grants of 325 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 73% of grant dollars went to recipients in Mississippi, 18% to Louisiana, 4% to Alabama, 2% to Connecticut, and 1% to South Carolina. The grants included substantial support for organizations in Bay St. Louis and elsewhere on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 62 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 11 of 61 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 70% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−1%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 91% 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 (2020–2024). 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 $518K (2023) to $681K (2022). In 2024 it made 62 grants totaling $563K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience New Orleans, LA | Promotion of Cultural and Historical Awareness | $50,000 |
| City of Bay St Louis Mississippi Bay St Louis, MS | City Needs | $48,557 |
| Feeding the Gulf Coast Theodore, AL | Food/Shelter Community Outreach | $20,000 |
| The Hancock Health Foundation Bay Saint Louis, MS | Support of Hospital Foundation | $20,000 |
| United Way of South Mississippi Gulfport, MS | Community & Disaster Relief | $20,000 |
| Bethesda Free Clinic (Bethesda Free Health Clinic of D'Iberville) Diberville, MS | Medical Services for Homeless | $15,000 |
| Hancock Youth Leadership Academy Waveland, MS | Educational Outreach | $15,000 |
| St Vincent De Paul Community Pharmacy Biloxi, MS | Support of Medical Supply Program for Homeless | $15,000 |
| The Arts Hancock County Bay St Louis, MS | Support of Organization | $15,000 |
| Loaves and Fishes Biloxi, MS | Support for Community Outreach Program | $15,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $11,569,322 | $745,883 | $613,310 | $562,774 | 62 | $565,745 | $615,921 | $619,623 |
| 2023 | $11,431,749 | $79,071 | $591,185 | $518,129 | 60 | $547,043 | $261,411 | $586,254 |
| 2022 | $11,924,663 | $-132,739 | $795,649 | $681,069 | 68 | $733,688 | $185,876 | $633,464 |
| 2021 | $12,809,551 | $1,355,713 | $764,080 | $571,050 | 64 | $581,250 | $1,090,511 | $662,706 |
| 2020 | $12,201,368 | $10,002,812 | $631,989 | $587,655 | 71 | — | $9,887,384 | $528,418 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $620K 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
The foundation’s stated purpose is to provide funds to other IRC Section 501(c)(3) organizations operating exclusively for charitable, religious, literary, and educational purposes. Its filing says submissions are reviewed for compliance with that mission.
Its 2024 grants included support for food and community outreach, medical services, educational outreach, arts, and cultural and historical awareness. Grantees describe their own work in varied terms: Feeding the Gulf Coast says it provides nutritionally balanced food to people experiencing hunger across 24 counties in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi; United Way of South Mississippi says it leads community change by investing in children and families; and Hogs for the Cause says it works to alleviate burdens associated with pediatric brain cancer.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 62 grants totaling $562,774. Awards ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median grant of $9,000. In 2023, it made 60 grants totaling $518,129; in 2022, it made 68 grants totaling $681,069.
Notable 2024 grants included $50,000 to Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience for cultural and historical awareness; $48,557 to the City of Bay St. Louis for city needs; $20,000 each to Feeding the Gulf Coast for food and shelter community outreach, Hancock Health Foundation for hospital foundation support, and United Way of South Mississippi for community and disaster relief. Other grants included $15,000 to Hancock Youth Leadership Academy for educational outreach, $15,000 to The Arts Hancock County for organizational support, and $12,000 to Coast Guard Foundation for foundation support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Leo W. Seal III as president, Wallace Lee Seal as secretary/treasurer, and Clay Wagner and John Baxter as vice presidents.
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation is led by Leo W. Seal III, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Leo W. Seal III
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clay Wagner
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Baxter
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wallace Lee Seal
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Dan Munn (2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Jane P. Seal (2020) — Vice President
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 Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation
How much does Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation give each year?
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation gave $563K across 62 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $518K across 60 grants.
What is Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $9,000, and its average grant was $9,077, across 62 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation give grants?
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation gives mostly in Mississippi: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Louisiana (18%). The most frequent recipient cities were Bay Saint Louis, MS (11 grants), Gulfport, MS (7 grants), Bay St Louis, MS (6 grants) and New Orleans, LA (5 grants).
Does Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 2% of Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 62) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Educational Outreach" (11 grants), "Christian Outreach" (4 grants) and "Education" (3 grants).
Who are Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience ($50,000), City of Bay St Louis Mississippi ($48,557) and Feeding the Gulf Coast ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($2,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 21% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation?
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation reported $11.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $566K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $620K (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 Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated purpose is to provide funds to other IRC Section 501(c)(3) organizations operating exclusively for charitable, religious, literary, and educational purposes. Its filing says submissions are reviewed for compliance with that mission. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation?
Submit written materials to the foundation. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation's EIN?
Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 72-1373522. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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
Live grants for the work Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/leo-w-seal-jr-family-foundation-morg_573fc8a05d85442b841c22cb9fb7d2a5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_721373522_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Leo W Seal Jr Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/leo-w-seal-jr-family-foundation-morg_573fc8a05d85442b841c22cb9fb7d2a5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Leo W Seal Jr Family 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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