Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 2024, it reported 46 grants totaling $6,858,500 to charitable organizations.
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust gave $6.9M across 46 grants in 2024 (avg $149K), mostly in Virginia. 22% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $6,858,500
- -13.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 46
- -4.2% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $149,098
- -9.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $7,668,910
- -16.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (10 of 46, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (61% 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 Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 4200, Tupelo, MS 38803
Phone: (601) 840-3322
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was UNC Chapel Hill ($1.3M). Together the top 10 received $6.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
277 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 193 grants of 277 (70%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, recipients in Virginia received 61% of grant dollars, followed by North Carolina (19%), the District of Columbia (15%), New York (3%), and New Jersey (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 46 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 10 of 46 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $84K; repeat grants $167K. How we count
Medians: $18K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 59% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−16%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above 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 $6.9M (2024) to $8.2M (2021). In 2024 it made 46 grants totaling $6.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | General Fund | $1,260,000 |
| Virginia Athletic Foundation Charlottesville, VA | General Fund | $1,100,000 |
| Share Our Strength Washington, DC | General Fund | $1,000,000 |
| Legal Aid Justice Center Charlottesville, VA | General Fund | $625,000 |
| Thomas Jefferson Foundation Charlottesville, VA | General Fund | $525,000 |
| UVA Health Children's Hospital Charlottesville, VA | General Fund | $500,000 |
| University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA | General Fund | $500,000 |
| Affordable Housing Richmond, VA | General Fund | $500,000 |
| Equal Justice America Midlothian, VA | General Fund | $200,000 |
| Innocence Project New York, NY | General Fund | $100,000 |
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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 | $7,668,910 | $5,352,324 | $6,867,947 | $6,858,500 | 46 | $6,861,772 | $146,149 | $280,969 |
| 2023 | $9,184,533 | $5,445,864 | $7,886,389 | $7,882,500 | 48 | $7,882,760 | $242,235 | $426,992 |
| 2022 | $11,625,058 | $5,125,462 | $7,417,042 | $7,414,567 | 56 | $7,417,042 | $75,462 | $544,657 |
| 2021 | $13,916,638 | $13,351,239 | $8,179,335 | $8,173,673 | 52 | $8,177,923 | — | $290,691 |
| 2020 | $8,744,734 | $1,324,696 | $7,380,236 | $7,379,726 | 75 | — | $29,636 | $545,472 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $281K 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 organizations working in a range of areas. Share Our Strength describes its mission as helping communities feed children through its No Kid Hungry campaign and addressing the causes of hunger and poverty. The Legal Aid Justice Center says it partners with communities and clients to pursue justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty. Equal Justice America says it funds fellowships for law students and early-career lawyers serving low-income and disadvantaged people through legal-aid and civil-rights organizations.
Other 2024 grantees describe work that includes helping wrongly convicted people rebuild their lives after release (Centurion Ministries), investigating and exposing human-rights abuses (Human Rights Watch), providing counseling, social support, and education for women (The Women’s Initiative), and advancing literacy, creativity, and community (The Mitford Museum).
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 46 grants totaling $6,858,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $1,260,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest awards included $1,260,000 to UNC Chapel Hill, $1,100,000 to the Virginia Athletic Foundation, and $1,000,000 to Share Our Strength. Each was listed for a general fund. Other notable grants included $625,000 to the Legal Aid Justice Center, $525,000 to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and $500,000 each to UVA Health Children’s Hospital, the University of Virginia, and Affordable Housing.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists John R. Grisham and Elizabeth R. Grisham as trustees, and Robert E. McDade Jr. as financial manager.
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Elizabeth R. Grisham
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John R. Grisham
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert E. McDade Jr.
Financial Manager
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/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 Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust
How much does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust give each year?
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust gave $6.9M across 46 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $7.9M across 48 grants.
What is Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $149,098, across 46 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust that year got $84K on average.
Where does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust give grants?
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust gives mostly in Virginia: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were North Carolina (19%) and District of Columbia (15%). The most frequent recipient cities were Charlottesville, VA (21 grants), New York, NY (4 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (46 of 46) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's largest 2024 grantees include UNC Chapel Hill ($1,260,000), Virginia Athletic Foundation ($1,100,000) and Share Our Strength ($1,000,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust?
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust reported $7.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $281K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in a range of areas. Share Our Strength describes its mission as helping communities feed children through its No Kid Hungry campaign and addressing the causes of hunger and poverty. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's EIN?
Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 64-0858879. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust 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). Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/oakwood-foundation-charitable-trust-morg_084517d7b3164941bfd644d4d56631a5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_640858879_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/oakwood-foundation-charitable-trust-morg_084517d7b3164941bfd644d4d56631a5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-07. 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 Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust'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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