Make a Difference Fund
Make a Difference Fund is a private foundation based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. In its 2024 filing, it reported 10 grants totaling $247,500, including support for educational, health, community, and other charitable organizations.
Make a Difference Fund at a glance
In short: Make a Difference Fund gave $248K across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $25K), mostly in North Carolina. 40% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $247,500
- -5.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $24,750
- -15.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $2,884,760
- -4.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (4 of 10, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (93% 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 Make a Difference Fund
- 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: 511 Tarrytown Center, Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Phone: (252) 443-7041
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Make a Difference Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Educational Foundation Inc - University of North Carolina ($201K). Together the top 10 received $248K.
Grant Size Distribution
47 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 40 grants of 47 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina, 6% to recipients in Washington, DC, and 1% to recipients in Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Make a Difference Fund open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 10 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $39K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 60% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−5%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 160% 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 $167K (2022) to $263K (2023). In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $248K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Educational Foundation Inc - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC | General Support | $201,000 |
| The Trinity Forum Washington, DC | General Support | $15,000 |
| Be Loud Sophie Foundation Chapel Hill, NC | General Support | $10,000 |
| City of Refuge Foundation Rocky Mount, NC | General Support | $10,000 |
| The Morehead-Cain Scholarship Foundation Chapel Hill, NC | General Support | $5,000 |
| Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Wynnewood, PA | General Support | $3,000 |
| Ecsu Foundation for Johnny Pfefferkom Elizabeth City, NC | General Support | $1,000 |
| Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame Greensboro, NC | General Support | $1,000 |
| Peacemakers of Rocky Mount Rocky Mount, NC | General Support | $1,000 |
| NC Community Foundation Raleigh, NC | General Support | $500 |
Ready to take the next step with Make a Difference Fund?
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 | $2,884,760 | $181,824 | $298,732 | $247,500 | 10 | $247,520 | $131,496 | $154,345 |
| 2023 | $3,014,831 | $155,630 | $325,371 | $263,000 | 9 | $264,660 | $100,756 | $162,249 |
| 2022 | $3,184,572 | $222,758 | $251,046 | $166,500 | 11 | $167,880 | $77,080 | $165,491 |
| 2021 | $3,213,952 | $132,476 | $352,450 | $260,000 | 7 | $260,008 | $47,700 | $192,271 |
| 2020 | $3,472,589 | $232,478 | $250,626 | $215,032 | 10 | — | $125,827 | $159,975 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Make a Difference Fund reported a distributable amount of $154K 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 show support for a range of charitable organizations. For example, City of Refuge Foundation says its mission is to create a Christ-centered community of caring that ministers to individuals’ and families’ spiritual, physical, educational, emotional, and rehabilitative needs. BE LOUD SOPHIE FOUNDATION says it co-develops programs at UNC Hospitals to improve care for adolescent and young adult cancer patients. Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation says it works to change the lives of children with cancer through research funding, awareness, family support, and public engagement. Peacemakers of Rocky Mount says it partners with neighbors in South Rocky Mount and surrounding areas to provide educational opportunities in support of self-sustainability and family flourishing.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation awarded 10 grants totaling $247,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $201,000, with a median grant of $4,000. The largest awards included $201,000 to The Educational Foundation Inc - University of North Carolina for general support, $15,000 to The Trinity Forum for general support, and $10,000 each to BE LOUD SOPHIE FOUNDATION and City of Refuge Foundation for general support.
Other 2024 grants included $5,000 to The Morehead-Cain Scholarship Foundation, $3,000 to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, $1,000 each to ECSU Foundation for Johnny Pfefferkom, Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame, and Peacemakers of Rocky Mount, and $500 to NC Community Foundation. Each was listed for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
E Wayne Gibson was listed as manager on the 2024 filing.
Make a Difference Fund's only listed officer is E. Wayne Gibson, Manager on every filing since 2020 (uncompensated).
Officers on the 2024 filing
E. Wayne Gibson
Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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 Make a Difference Fund
How much does Make a Difference Fund give each year?
Make a Difference Fund gave $248K across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $263K across 9 grants.
What is Make a Difference Fund's typical grant size?
Make a Difference Fund's median grant in 2024 was $4,000, and its average grant was $24,750, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Make a Difference Fund that year got $3K on average.
Where does Make a Difference Fund give grants?
Make a Difference Fund gives mostly in North Carolina: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chapel Hill, NC (3 grants) and Rocky Mount, NC (2 grants).
Does Make a Difference Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Make a Difference Fund's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Make a Difference Fund's largest grantees?
Make a Difference Fund's largest 2024 grantees include The Educational Foundation Inc - University of North Carolina ($201,000), The Trinity Forum ($15,000) and Be Loud Sophie Foundation ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Make a Difference Fund?
Make a Difference Fund reported $2.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $248K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $154K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Make a Difference Fund fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for a range of charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Make a Difference Fund?
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 Make a Difference Fund's EIN?
Make a Difference Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0886415. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Make a Difference Fund 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). Make a Difference Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/make-a-difference-fund-morg_52026f51cf4545248dd6165b48944c01
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_260886415_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Make a Difference Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/make-a-difference-fund-morg_52026f51cf4545248dd6165b48944c01},
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 Make a Difference Fund'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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