RAO Family Foundation
RAO Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It made 21 grants totaling $36,700 in filing year 2025 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in land conservation, health, the arts, and community services.
RAO Family Foundation at a glance
In short: RAO Family Foundation gave $37K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in North Carolina. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $36,700
- -50.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -68.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,748
- +57.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $11,735
- -76.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (4 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (59% 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 RAO Family Foundation
- 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: PO Box 17269, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-7269
Phone: (919) 929-7261
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who RAO Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Triangle Land Conservancy ($6K). Together the top 10 received $31K.
Grant Size Distribution
307 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 307 grants of 307 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina (59%), New York (14%), Maryland (8%), Connecticut (8%), and Iowa (5%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is RAO Family Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 21 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $1K repeat.
- 71% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 51% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 $37K (2025) to $95K (2023). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $37K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Triangle Land Conservancy Durham, NC | General Donation | $5,500 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of Am New York, NY | General Donation | $5,000 |
| TBGF - Sculpture in TRHE Garden Chapel Hill, NC | General Donation | $5,000 |
| Aga Research Foundation Bethesda, MD | General Donation | $3,000 |
| Americares Stamford, CT | General Donation | $3,000 |
| UNC - Carolina Performing Arts Chapel Hill, NC | General Donation | $3,000 |
| Wunc-FM Chapel Hill, NC | Generla Donation | $2,000 |
| Sehgal Foundation Desmoines, IA | General Donation | $2,000 |
| The YMCA of the Triangle Area Raleigh, NC | General Donation | $1,500 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Washington, DC | General Donation | $1,000 |
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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 | $11,735 | $3 | $38,568 | $36,700 | 21 | $36,700 | $3 | $1,232 |
| 2024 | $50,300 | $80,005 | $76,069 | $73,400 | 66 | $73,400 | $5 | $2,475 |
| 2023 | $46,364 | $100,005 | $97,230 | $95,400 | 76 | $95,400 | $5 | $2,174 |
| 2022 | $43,589 | $9 | $75,758 | $74,300 | 70 | $74,300 | $9 | $3,799 |
| 2021 | $119,338 | $100,006 | $84,783 | $83,683 | 74 | $83,683 | $6 | $3,214 |
| 2020 | $104,115 | $97,968 | $72,388 | $71,288 | 78 | — | $11 | $3,338 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, RAO Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1K 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 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Triangle Land Conservancy describes its work as safeguarding clean water, protecting natural habitats, supporting local farms, and connecting people with nature. Boomerang Youth describes its mission as supporting Orange County youth with personal, academic, and community development during out-of-school time. The Forest at Duke describes its mission as providing a caring community that supports the independence and purposeful, active, healthy, and secure lives of residents of retirement age.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 21 grants totaling $36,700. Grants ranged from $100 to $5,500, with a median grant of $1,000.
The largest reported grants included $5,500 to Triangle Land Conservancy in Durham, North Carolina; $5,000 to Planned Parenthood Federation of America in New York, New York; $5,000 to TBGF - Sculpture in the Garden in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; $3,000 each to AGA Research Foundation, Americares, and UNC - Carolina Performing Arts; and $2,000 each to WUNC-FM and Sehgal Foundation. Boomerang Youth received $400, and The Forest at Duke received $300.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists M Vikram Rao and Susan J Rao as directors.
RAO Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
M. Vikram Rao
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Susan J. Rao
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 RAO Family Foundation
How much does RAO Family Foundation give each year?
RAO Family Foundation gave $37K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $73K across 66 grants.
What is RAO Family Foundation's typical grant size?
RAO Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,748, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from RAO Family Foundation that year got $1K on average.
Where does RAO Family Foundation give grants?
RAO Family Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 59% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (14%) and Maryland (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chapel Hill, NC (7 grants) and Durham, NC (4 grants).
Does RAO Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 95% of RAO Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (20 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are RAO Family Foundation's largest grantees?
RAO Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Triangle Land Conservancy ($5,500), Planned Parenthood Federation of Am ($5,000) and TBGF - Sculpture in TRHE Garden ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is RAO Family Foundation?
RAO Family Foundation reported $12K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $37K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does RAO Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Triangle Land Conservancy describes its work as safeguarding clean water, protecting natural habitats, supporting local farms, and connecting people with nature. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from RAO Family Foundation?
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 RAO Family Foundation's EIN?
RAO Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-2718455. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does RAO Family 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 26, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 20, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 16, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work RAO Family Foundation funds
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