Pleiad Foundation
The Pleiad Foundation is a private family charitable foundation based in Birmingham, Alabama. It supports organizations in Greater Birmingham and Central Alabama, as well as organizations in which Foundation members are interested or involved.
Pleiad Foundation at a glance
In short: Pleiad Foundation gave $1.1M across 36 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in Alabama. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,054,667
- -24.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 36
- +5.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $29,296
- -28.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $10,085,440
- +9.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (13 of 36, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Alabama (98% 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 Pleiad Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests; its website says any qualified organization is welcome to apply. The 2025 filing lists Jan Ehrhardt as the contact and provides no required form or materials. The website says organizations outside Birmingham and Central Alabama, or without a connection to a Foundation member, generally will not be considered.
- Contact
Application contact: Jan Ehrhardt
Mailing address: 1927 First Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: (205) 322-3302
Website: https://pleiadfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Pleiad Foundation
Who Pleiad Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Virginia Samford Theater ($200K). Together the top 10 received $775K.
Grant Size Distribution
161 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 132 grants of 161 (82%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The website describes the foundation’s focus as Greater Birmingham and Central Alabama, with possible support for organizations in which Foundation members are interested or involved. In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to Alabama recipients, 1% to New York recipients, and 1% to Georgia recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Pleiad Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 36 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $36K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 44% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 211% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 148% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $339K (2022) to $1.8M (2021). In 2025 it made 36 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Samford Theater Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $200,000 |
| UAB - Department of Neurosurgery Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $150,000 |
| Crimson Tide Foundation Tuscaloosa, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $100,000 |
| University Foundation Tuscaloosa, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $75,000 |
| Freshwater Land Trust Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $65,000 |
| Community Food Bank Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $50,000 |
| UAB - Education Fund Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $50,000 |
| Trinity Methodist Church Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $35,000 |
| UAB - Primary Care Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $25,000 |
| First Methodist Church Birmingham, AL | To Promote Charitable Cause | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Pleiad Foundation?
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 | $10,085,440 | $2,118,616 | $1,224,606 | $1,054,667 | 36 | $1,054,667 | $1,142,314 | $711,134 |
| 2024 | $9,191,430 | $1,211,336 | $1,565,297 | $1,397,667 | 34 | $1,397,667 | $893,706 | $676,739 |
| 2023 | $9,545,391 | $1,946,568 | $742,258 | $628,560 | 31 | $628,560 | $457,870 | $552,974 |
| 2022 | $8,341,081 | $807,366 | $484,504 | $339,000 | 23 | $339,000 | $584,362 | $558,408 |
| 2021 | $8,018,219 | $4,058,093 | $1,966,650 | $1,844,050 | 37 | $1,844,050 | $2,449,193 | $584,292 |
| 2020 | $7,910,177 | $1,186,082 | $1,247,454 | $1,111,750 | 45 | — | $780,978 | $494,040 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pleiad Foundation reported a distributable amount of $711K 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
The foundation’s stated aim is: “We want to help the city revitalize itself however we can.” Its website names higher education, medical research, and arts and culture among its areas of support.
The 2025 grants also illustrate support for organizations with varied missions. Freshwater Land Trust says it works to conserve and care for environmentally significant land in Central Alabama and connect the Red Rock Trail system throughout Jefferson County. Community Furniture Bank says it distributes furniture and home furnishings to people in transitional housing or otherwise needing help setting up a household. Turning Point Foundation says it provides Christian-based recovery and counseling programs for people with drug or alcohol addictions. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not additional stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
The foundation reports donating to an average of 20–30 nonprofits annually. It says any qualified organization is welcome to apply, though organizations outside Birmingham and Central Alabama, or without a connection to a Foundation member, generally will not be considered.
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 36 grants totaling $1,054,667. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $200,000, with a median grant of $15,000. Among the largest were $200,000 to Virginia Samford Theater, $150,000 to UAB – Department of Neurosurgery, $100,000 to Crimson Tide Foundation, and $75,000 to University Foundation. Other grants included $65,000 to Freshwater Land Trust and $50,000 each to Community Food Bank and UAB – Education Fund.
The foundation says it meets once a year to decide on disbursements: its website’s About section says January, while its application section says the family meets in December to decide which organizations to support. The 2025 filing lists Jan Ehrhardt as the contact for applying; form and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions are listed as N/A.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Carrie C. McMahon as president and John J. McMahon Jr., John J. McMahon III, Joel W. McMahon, David A. McMahon, Betty T. McMahon, and Ashley R. McMahon as directors.
Pleiad Foundation is led by Carrie C. McMahon, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carrie C. McMahon
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ashley R. McMahon
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Betty T. McMahon
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
David A. McMahon
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Joel W. McMahon
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John J. McMahon III
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John J. McMahon Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
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 Pleiad Foundation
How much does Pleiad Foundation give each year?
Pleiad Foundation gave $1.1M across 36 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 34 grants.
What is Pleiad Foundation's typical grant size?
Pleiad Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $29,296, across 36 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Pleiad Foundation that year got $17K on average.
Where does Pleiad Foundation give grants?
Pleiad Foundation gives mostly in Alabama: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Birmingham, AL (27 grants) and Tuscaloosa, AL (2 grants).
Does Pleiad Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 36 grants with a stated purpose on Pleiad Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Promote Charitable Cause" (36 grants).
Who are Pleiad Foundation's largest grantees?
Pleiad Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Virginia Samford Theater ($200,000), UAB - Department of Neurosurgery ($150,000) and Crimson Tide Foundation ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Pleiad Foundation?
Pleiad Foundation reported $10.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $711K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Pleiad Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated aim is: “We want to help the city revitalize itself however we can.” Its website names higher education, medical research, and arts and culture among its areas of support. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Pleiad Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests; its website says any qualified organization is welcome to apply. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Pleiad Foundation's EIN?
Pleiad Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 63-1159236. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Pleiad Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Pleiad Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Pleiad Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pleiad-foundation-morg_6f3ac7157d52491ab094b01a7ea102e5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_631159236_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Pleiad Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/pleiad-foundation-morg_6f3ac7157d52491ab094b01a7ea102e5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Pleiad 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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