Sall Family Foundation

CARY, NC EIN: 58-2016050 Website

The Sall Family Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1992 and incorporated in 1993. Based in Cary, North Carolina, the foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to supporting transformative change at the intersection of environment, public health, and community resilience.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$106.8M

-21.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$35.8M

+12.0% YoY

Grant Count

+25.4% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$453K

-10.7% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sall Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $7.3M 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's approach is characterized by:

Long-term commitment to locally-led solutions
Experimentation and science-based decision-making
Deep listening to local experts
Funding civil society organizations and larger non-profit agencies focused on community-driven solutions
Encouragement of partner collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and evidence-based scaling

Primary funding focus areas include environmental education, renewable energy, and community and school gardens.

Grantmaking

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with set amounts. Instead, grants are awarded by trustee discretion on an invitation-only basis.

Grant Range

** $10,000 to $7,600,000, with a median grant size of $150,000

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's funding is primarily international, spanning:

Latin America
Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Asia Pacific
Arctic

Nearly all funding supports international programs, with limited local grants in North Carolina.

Grant Distribution by State

Georgia $33.8M (38%)

New York $13.9M (16%)

District of Columbia $12.9M (15%)

Colorado $7.0M (8%)

Virginia $6.1M (7%)

Massachusetts $3.9M (4%)

California $3.5M (4%)

Missouri $2.0M (2%)

+12 more states

States

Alaska California Colorado District of Columbia Georgia Illinois Massachusetts Maryland Maine Minnesota Missouri Montana North Carolina New York Oregon Tennessee Texas Virginia Vermont Washington

Cities

AnchorageArlingtonAtlantaBerkeleyBostonBoulderBrooklineBrooklynCambridgeChapel HillChevy ChaseChicagoDurhamEl CerritoEssex JunctionHelenaHighland ParkHoustonHyattsvilleMclean

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 2023:

Total Assets: $136,126,060
Total Revenue: $55,481,412
Total Expenses: $33,266,766
Total Investments: $124.6 million
Total Liabilities: $0

As of December 2024:

Total Assets: $106,754,725
Total Revenue: $7,829,697
Total Expenses: $37,143,639
Net Income: -$29,313,942

Giving Pledge: John and Virginia Sall are Giving Pledge signatories, having pledged to give away at least half of their wealth to philanthropy.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$106,754,725	$136,126,060	$114,227,392
Revenue	$7,829,697	$55,481,412	$41,816,273
Expenses	$37,143,639	$33,266,766	$30,055,052
Qualifying Distributions	$37,863,694	$33,908,039	$29,848,698
Net Investment Income	$7,345,746	$14,035,767	$4,821,341
Distributable Amount	$7,271,513	$7,034,542	$5,614,226

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

245 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Care ($6,000,000), Environmental Defense Fund ($2,500,000), Global Greengrants Fund Inc ($716,500).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ACCOUNTABILITY COUNSEL SAN FRANCISCO, CA	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT	$50,000
AFARD	PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT	$150,000
AIGSA NPC (DBA AMP HEALTH)	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT	$50,000
ALLIANCE FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN AFRICA	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT	$50,000
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF BLUE VENTURES INC ARLINGTON, VA	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT	$350,000
ANTONIO CARLOS PIPPONZI INSTITUTE	PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT	$50,000
AQUA FARMS ORGANIZATION	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT	$25,000
ARANYA SOLUTIONS HELENA, MT	PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT	$40,000
ASSOCIATION INTERAMERICANA PAEA LA DEFENSA DEL AMBIENTE (AIDA) SAN FRANCISCO, CA	GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT	$125,000
ASSOCIATION OF THE BAR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK FUND INC NEW YORK, NY	PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT	$75,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Founders: John P. Sall and Virginia B. Sall (also known as Ginger Sall), co-founder of SAS and his wife

Key Staff:

Sara Bender: Managing Director
Marina T Campos: Managing Director
Kelci Miclaus: Board Member
Jennifer Davis: Board Member

The foundation employs 10 people and maintains a presence in Bangladesh.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
JOHN P SALL	PRES, BOARD MEM, CHAIR OF THE BOARD	5	—
VIRGINIA B SALL	TREAS, SEC, BOARD MEM, VICE CHAIR OF B	5	—
ELIZABETH A SALL	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
LESLIE C SALL	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
WILLIAM W SALL	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
SOPHIE HARTSHORN	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
ENGLISH G SALL	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
MARY TSCHIRHART	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
JASON W HAGGINS	EXEC DIR, VP, BOARD MEMBER	35	—
ANDREA DEWEES FUENTES	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
JENNIFER DAVIS	BOARD MEMBER	5	—
KELCI MICLAUS	BOARD MEMBER	5	—

Contact Information

Email: info@sallfamily.org (general inquiries only)
Website: sallfamily.org
Location: PO Box 610, Cary, NC 27512-0610
EIN: 58-2016050

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Sall Family Foundation fund?

The foundation supports transformative change at the nexus between environment, public health, and community resilience. The organization backs leaders and organizations closest to major environmental, public health, and poverty challenges, empowering them to experiment, learn, and evolve as conditions change. The foundation's approach is characterized by: • Long-term commitment to locally-led solutions • Experimentation and science-based decision-making • Deep listening to local experts • Fund…

How do I apply for a grant from Sall Family Foundation?

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with set amounts. Instead, grants are awarded by trustee discretion on an invitation-only basis. **Grant Range:** $10,000 to $7,600,000, with a median grant size of $150,000 **Recent Grant Examples (2023):** • World Wildlife Fund: $4,589,500 for programmatic support • Environmental Defense Fund: $2,000,000 for general operating support • Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: $1,825,000 for programmatic support **Annual Giving:** Approximately $…

Where does Sall Family Foundation make grants?

The foundation's funding is primarily international, spanning: • Latin America • Caribbean • Sub-Saharan Africa • South Asia • Southeast Asia • Asia Pacific • Arctic Nearly all funding supports international programs, with limited local grants in North Carolina.

What size grants does Sall Family Foundation award?

In 2024, Sall Family Foundation awarded 79 grants totaling $35.8M — an average of about $453K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Sall Family Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Sall Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $7.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.