Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family is a private foundation based in Lexington, Kentucky. In its 2025 filing, it reported 27 grants totaling $270,537 to charitable organizations.
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family at a glance
In short: Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family gave $271K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Kentucky. 77% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $270,537
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- Average grant
- $10,020
- Median grant
- $8,000
- Total assets
- $4,125,464
- New grantees (estimate)
- 77% first-time grantees (20 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Kentucky (80% 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 Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1608 Harmony Hall Ln, Lexington, KY 40502
Phone: (859) 221-1290
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was First Presbyterian Church ($62K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $213K.
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 78 grants of 79 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 80% of grant dollars went to recipients in Kentucky. The remaining shares went to California (8%), Florida (4%), Virginia (4%), and Maine (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family open to new grantees?
77%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 20 of 26 grantees (77%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $6K repeat.
- In 2025 it paid out 85% 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 (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 $45K (2020) to $271K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $271K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| First Presbyterian Church Lexington, KY | General Support | $50,880 |
| Georgetown College Georgetown, KY | General Support | $29,307 |
| The Lexington School Lexington, KY | General Support | $25,000 |
| Baptist Health Foundation Lexington, KY | General Support | $20,000 |
| Jubilee Jobs of Lexington Lexington, KY | General Support | $20,000 |
| The Bishop School La Jolla, CA | General Support | $17,000 |
| First Presbyterian Church Naples, FL | General Support | $10,750 |
| American Spiritual Ensemble Lexington, KY | General Support | $10,000 |
| God's Pantry Food Bank Lexington, KY | General Support | $10,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Lexington, KY | General Support | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,125,464 | $115,671 | $305,604 | $270,537 | 27 | $270,537 | $75,825 | $319,069 |
| 2020 | $894,542 | $93,945 | $53,844 | $44,545 | 28 | — | $86,232 | $69,109 |
| 2019 | $855,288 | $72,303 | $78,788 | $62,246 | 24 | — | $65,046 | $70,291 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family reported a distributable amount of $319K 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 describe a range of activities: Georgetown College says it provides liberal arts and sciences education under Christian influences; Jubilee Jobs of Lexington says it helps disadvantaged Central Kentucky job seekers gain employment and provides follow-up counseling; and Surgery on Sunday says it provides certain outpatient surgical, dental, and eye care services at no cost to eligible uninsured or underinsured individuals.
Other grantees describe work that includes affordable housing for low-income families (Habitat for Humanity), reducing hunger in Kentucky communities (God’s Pantry Food Bank), and supporting orphaned and at-risk children worldwide (Hopeful Hearts Foundation). These are the grantees’ stated missions, not statements of the foundation’s own priorities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 27 grants totaling $270,537. Grants ranged from $100 to $50,880, with a median grant of $8,000. Among the largest grants were $50,880 to First Presbyterian Church in Lexington, $29,307 to Georgetown College, $25,000 to The Lexington School, $20,000 each to Baptist Health Foundation and Jubilee Jobs of Lexington, and $17,000 to The Bishop School. The listed purposes for these grants were general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Elizabeth S Brown as president, Norman L Brown Jr as treasurer, Catherine Todd Brown as secretary, and C Lee Brown II as vice president.
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family is led by Elizabeth S. Brown, President on the 2025 filing; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elizabeth S. Brown
President
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
C. Lee Brown II
Vice President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Catherine Todd Brown
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Norman L. Brown Jr.
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Norman L. Brown (2019–2020) — President
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 Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family
How much does Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family give each year?
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family gave $271K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
What is Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's typical grant size?
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's median grant in 2025 was $8,000, and its average grant was $10,020, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family that year got $10K on average.
Where does Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family give grants?
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family gives mostly in Kentucky: 80% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Lexington, KY (14 grants) and Naples, FL (2 grants).
Does Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 27) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's largest grantees?
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's largest 2025 grantees include First Presbyterian Church ($61,630 across 2 grants), Georgetown College ($29,307) and The Lexington School ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family?
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $271K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $319K (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 Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family?
The foundation states that it 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 Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's EIN?
Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1500135. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 28, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2020
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/norman-and-elizabeth-brown-family-morg_4da996db5c1c4094ae84639c3e62743a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311500135_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Norman \& Elizabeth Brown Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/norman-and-elizabeth-brown-family-morg_4da996db5c1c4094ae84639c3e62743a},
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 Norman & Elizabeth Brown Family'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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