McLeod Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Clayton, NC EIN: 20-8042018

McLeod Foundation is a private foundation based in Clayton, North Carolina. Its 2025 filing reports 13 grants totaling $260,000 to charitable organizations in North Carolina and Virginia.

McLeod Foundation at a glance

In short: McLeod Foundation gave $260K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), mostly in North Carolina. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$260,000
-11.6% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
13
+0.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$20,000
-11.6% vs 2024
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$2,350,836
+47.1% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
8% first-time grantees (1 of 13, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
North Carolina (69% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to McLeod 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 1313, Clayton, NC 27528
Phone: (919) 669-7542

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who McLeod Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Blue Ridge School: $80KBlue Ridge School$80KFuquay Varina UMC: $50KFuquay Varina UMC$50KFirst Baptist Church Clayton: $35KFirst Baptist Church Clayton$35KCampbell University: $30KCampbell University$30KUNC Health Foundation: $20KUNC Health Foundation$20KYMCA of the Triangle Area Inc: $19KYMCA of the Triangle Area Inc$19KAppalachian Trail Conservancy: $10KAppalachian Trail Conservancy$10KClayton Area Ministries: $5KClayton Area Ministries$5KJohnston Health Foundation: $4KJohnston Health Foundation$4KIchoose Pregnancy Support Services: $3KIchoose Pregnancy SupportServices$3K

The largest 2025 recipient was Blue Ridge School ($80K). Together the top 10 received $255K.

Grant Size Distribution

74 grants across all recorded years

67<$50K6$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 67 grants of 74 (91%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The 2025 filing shows that 69% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina and 31% to recipients in Virginia.

Grant Distribution by State

3states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

Cities

RaleighClaytonFuquay-VarinaSmithfieldAshevilleSt GeorgeWinston-SalemBuies CreekShallotteHarbor SpringsWake ForestChapel HillLeland

Is McLeod Foundation open to new grantees?

8%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 13 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $20K. How we count

Medians: $20K first-time, $8K repeat.

  • 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 29% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 81% 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 (2020–2025). 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

$0$100K$200K$300K17 grants2020 17 grants2021 15 grants2022 16 grants2023 13 grants2024 13 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $136K (2020) to $294K (2024). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $260K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Blue Ridge School St George, VATo Support the Charitable Purpose$80,000
Fuquay Varina UMC Fuquay-Varina, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$50,000
First Baptist Church Clayton Clayton, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$35,000
Campbell University Buies Creek, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$30,000
UNC Health Foundation Chapel Hill, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$20,000
YMCA of the Triangle Area Inc Raleigh, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$18,500
Appalachian Trail Conservancy Asheville, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$10,000
Clayton Area Ministries Clayton, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$5,000
Johnston Health Foundation Smithfield, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$4,000
Ichoose Pregnancy Support Services Clayton, NCTo Support the Charitable Purpose$2,500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$2,350,836$2,631,031$288,298$260,00013$265,155$82,155$327,968
2024$1,597,814$-1,092,890$318,694$294,00013$298,879$49,652$304,199
2023$1,206,805$38,318$261,420$240,00016$244,215$39,126$251,639
2022$1,429,907$123,142$203,420$202,00015$202,000$72,594$240,002
2021$1,510,185$42,982$161,024$157,00017$157,000$42,982$201,779
2020$1,628,227$40,851$148,788$136,00017—$31,808$156,843

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, McLeod Foundation reported a distributable amount of $328K 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 2025 grantees include a university, health-related organizations, churches, a YMCA, a food pantry, and organizations serving other charitable purposes. These examples describe the recipients, not stated focus areas of the foundation. Campbell University describes its mission as preparing students for purposeful lives and meaningful service; UNC Health Foundation says it inspires philanthropic support for healthcare and medical education; Clayton Area Ministries says it assists people in need with food, utilities, medicines, and other needs; and Harbor says it provides help, hope, and safety to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $260,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $80,000, with a median of $10,000. The filing lists the purpose of the grants as “to support the charitable purpose.”

Among the largest reported awards were $80,000 to Blue Ridge School, $50,000 to Fuquay Varina UMC, $35,000 to First Baptist Church Clayton, $30,000 to Campbell University, and $20,000 to UNC Health Foundation. Other listed recipients included YMCA of the Triangle Area ($18,500), Appalachian Trail Conservancy ($10,000), Clayton Area Ministries ($5,000), Johnston Health Foundation ($4,000), IChoose Pregnancy Support Services ($2,500), Harbor Inc ($2,500), and Wake Forest University ($2,000).

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Bernard F McLeod III as president and W Stewart McLeod as “V/P - TREASU.”

McLeod Foundation is led by Bernard F. McLeod III, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Bernard F. McLeod III

    President

    Vice President → President, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • W. Stewart McLeod

    V & P - Treasurer

    Treasurer → V & P - Treasurer, 2024

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Bernard F. McLeod Jr. (2020–2023) — President

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 McLeod Foundation

How much does McLeod Foundation give each year?

McLeod Foundation gave $260K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $294K across 13 grants.

What is McLeod Foundation's typical grant size?

McLeod Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $20,000, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from McLeod Foundation that year got $20K on average.

Where does McLeod Foundation give grants?

McLeod Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Virginia (31%). The most frequent recipient cities were Clayton, NC (3 grants), Raleigh, NC (2 grants) and Smithfield, NC (2 grants).

Who are McLeod Foundation's largest grantees?

McLeod Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Blue Ridge School ($80,000), Fuquay Varina UMC ($50,000) and First Baptist Church Clayton ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is McLeod Foundation?

McLeod Foundation reported $2.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $265K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $328K (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 McLeod Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include a university, health-related organizations, churches, a YMCA, a food pantry, and organizations serving other charitable purposes. These examples describe the recipients, not stated focus areas of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from McLeod 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 McLeod Foundation's EIN?

McLeod Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8042018. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does McLeod 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

(6)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 2, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 7, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 2, 2025)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). McLeod Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mcleod-foundation-morg_1dd6f75ce5014e759d865339befffdee

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208042018_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{McLeod Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/mcleod-foundation-morg_1dd6f75ce5014e759d865339befffdee},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 McLeod 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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