Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust

TUPELO, MS EIN: 64-0858879

Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust is a private, non-operating foundation established in 1995 and based in Tupelo, Mississippi. The foundation operates as a charitable trust and distributes grants to nonprofit organizations across the United States.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$7.7M

-16.5% YoY

Annual Giving

$6.9M

-13.0% YoY

Grant Count

-4.2% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$149K

-9.2% YoY

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 April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation supports organizations involved with:

Higher education
Health
Housing development
Legal aid
Human services
Community improvement
Education
Philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking

Grantmaking

The foundation made 67 grants in 2023, including:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Primary funding areas include:

Virginia
New York
North Carolina
District of Columbia

Grant Distribution by State

Virginia $13.8M (38%)

District of Columbia $11.4M (31%)

North Carolina $6.4M (18%)

Massachusetts $2.0M (6%)

New York $1.7M (5%)

Illinois $282K (1%)

New Jersey $200K (1%)

Iowa $125K (0%)

+11 more states

States

Connecticut District of Columbia Florida Iowa Illinois Indiana Kentucky Massachusetts Maryland Michigan Mississippi North Carolina New Jersey New York South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Wisconsin

Cities

AftonBooneBostonCarrboroChapel HillCharlotteCharlottesvilleChicagoCovesvilleDallasDetroitDurhamFalls ChurchFernandina BeachForestFort WayneFranklinGarnerHartfordHudson

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Most Recent Data (2023):

Total assets: $9,184,533
Total revenues: $5,445,864
Total expenses: $7,886,389
Total giving: $6,858,500

Historical Assets:

2024: $7,668,910

The foundation has no employees and operates as a trust structure.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$7,668,910	$9,184,533	$11,625,058
Revenue	$5,352,324	$5,445,864	$5,125,462
Expenses	$6,867,947	$7,886,389	$7,417,042
Qualifying Distributions	$6,861,772	$7,882,760	$7,417,042
Net Investment Income	$146,149	$242,235	$75,462
Distributable Amount	$280,969	$426,992	$544,657

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

244 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Unc Chapel Hill ($1,260,000), Virginia Athletic Foundation ($1,100,000), Share Our Strength ($1,000,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
READY KIDS CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA	GENERAL FUND	$1,000
LITERACY VOLUNTEERS CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA	GENERAL FUND	$1,000
WVTF PUBLIC RADIO ROANOKE, VA	GENERAL FUND	$2,500
ROCKFISH WILDLIFE SANTUARY SHIPMAN, VA	GENERAL FUND	$4,000
AHIP CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA	GENERAL FUND	$5,000
THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY	GENERAL FUND	$5,000
CHARLOTTESVILLE-ALBEMARLE SPCA CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA	GENERAL FUND	$5,000
CHARLOTTESVILLE POLICE DEPT FOUNDATION CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA	GENERAL FUND	$5,000
ST DAVID'S SCHOOL RALEIGH, NC	GENERAL FUND	$5,000
HOSPICE OF THE PIEDMONT CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA	GENERAL FUND	$5,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Key personnel identified in tax filings:

John R. Grisham – Trustee
Elizabeth R. Grisham – Trustee
Robert E. McDade Jr. – Financial Manager

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
JOHN R GRISHAM	TRUSTEE	1	—
ELIZABETH R GRISHAM	TRUSTEE	1	—
ROBERT E MCDADE JR	FINANCIAL MANAGER	15	—

Contact Information

Address: PO Box 4200 Tupelo, MS 38803-4200

Telephone: 601-840-3322

Tax-Exempt Status: 501(c)(3) organization; tax-exempt since May 1996 EIN: 64-0858879

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust fund?

The foundation supports organizations involved with: • Higher education • Health • Housing development • Legal aid • Human services • Community improvement • Education • Philanthropy, voluntarism, and grantmaking

How do I apply for a grant from Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust?

**Grant Amounts:** • Typical awards range from $1,000 to $4,100,000 • Median grant: $10,000 • Maximum grant observed: $1,500,000 **Recent Grant Activity:** The foundation made 67 grants in 2023, including: • Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps UNC Chapel Hill: $1,000,000 • The Authors Guild Foundation: $1,000,000 • Cav Futures Foundation: $1,000,000 Additional grantees have included the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and equine veterinary education programs.

Where does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust make grants?

Primary funding areas include: • Virginia • New York • North Carolina • District of Columbia

What size grants does Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust award?

In 2024, Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust awarded 46 grants totaling $6.9M — an average of about $149K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Oakwood Foundation Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $281K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

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.