Samara Fund Inc
Samara Fund Inc is a private foundation based in Burnsville, North Carolina. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in several states, including Florida, North Carolina, and New York.
Samara Fund Inc at a glance
In short: Samara Fund Inc gave $250K across 32 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), top state Florida. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $249,500
- +9.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 32
- -15.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,797
- +29.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,756,996
- -2.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (3 of 32, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Florida (48% 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 Samara Fund Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 789, Burnsville, NC 28714
Phone: (828) 208-0301
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Samara Fund Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Wellness in the Schools ($38K). Together the top 10 received $168K.
Grant Size Distribution
172 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 172 grants of 172 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 48% of grant dollars went to recipients in Florida, 23% to North Carolina, and 20% to New York. Smaller shares went to Texas (5%) and Massachusetts (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 32 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Samara Fund Inc open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 32 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 120% 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 $201K (2020) to $260K (2021). In 2025 it made 32 grants totaling $250K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wellness in the Schools New York, NY | General Charitable Purposes | $38,000 |
| Southern Appalachian Highlands Cons Asheville, NC | General Charitable Purposes | $30,000 |
| Two Titmice Foundation Ponte Vedra Beach, FL | General Charitable Purposes | $23,000 |
| The Miami Foundation Inc Miami, FL | General Charitable Purposes | $14,000 |
| Designs from the Heart Jacksonville, FL | General Charitable Purposes | $12,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $12,000 |
| The Harlem Jets Inc New York, NY | General Charitable Purposes | $10,000 |
| The Island School Boca Grande, FL | General Charitable Purposes | $10,000 |
| Madison County Community Learning C Hot Springs, NC | General Charitable Purposes | $9,500 |
| Exceptional Educ Outreach Miami, FL | General Charitable Purposes | $9,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Samara Fund Inc?
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 | $2,756,996 | $202,468 | $275,716 | $249,500 | 32 | $249,500 | $105,962 | $208,236 |
| 2024 | $2,830,244 | $257,830 | $253,203 | $228,000 | 38 | $228,000 | $104,032 | $177,807 |
| 2023 | $2,825,617 | $255,450 | $241,621 | $220,000 | 31 | $219,500 | $86,828 | $206,330 |
| 2022 | $2,811,788 | $371,350 | $246,660 | $224,000 | 34 | $224,000 | $54,722 | $223,399 |
| 2021 | $2,687,098 | $153,461 | $276,472 | $259,500 | 37 | $254,500 | $60,443 | $232,530 |
| 2020 | $2,810,109 | $-72,943 | $234,575 | $200,500 | 29 | — | $39,279 | $211,287 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Samara Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $208K 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 went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Wellness in the Schools says it works to inspire healthy eating, environmental awareness, and fitness among children in public schools. MountainTrue says it champions resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities across the Southern Blue Ridge. The Island School says it provides an educational program with enhanced scholastic momentum and a commitment to academic standards and community development.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 32 grants totaling $249,500. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $38,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Its largest reported awards included $38,000 to Wellness in the Schools, $30,000 to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and $23,000 to Two Titmice Foundation. Other notable grants included $14,000 to The Miami Foundation and $12,000 each to Designs from the Heart and The University of Texas at Austin. The listed grants were for general charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Diane H Kent as president, Edward J Easton as vice president, Nancy Easton as secretary, William McGann Easton as treasurer, and Elizabeth Easton as director.
Samara Fund Inc is led by Diane H. Kent, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Diane H. Kent
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Easton
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Edward J. Easton
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Nancy Easton
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
William McGann Easton
Treasurer
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 Samara Fund Inc
How much does Samara Fund Inc give each year?
Samara Fund Inc gave $250K across 32 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $228K across 38 grants.
What is Samara Fund Inc's typical grant size?
Samara Fund Inc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,797, across 32 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Samara Fund Inc that year got $7K on average.
Where does Samara Fund Inc give grants?
Samara Fund Inc's top state is Florida, with 48% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were North Carolina (23%) and New York (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were Miami, FL (6 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Asheville, NC (3 grants) and Jacksonville, FL (2 grants).
Does Samara Fund Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Samara Fund Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (32 of 32) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Samara Fund Inc's largest grantees?
Samara Fund Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Wellness in the Schools ($38,000), Southern Appalachian Highlands Cons ($30,000) and Two Titmice Foundation ($23,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Samara Fund Inc?
Samara Fund Inc reported $2.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $250K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $208K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Samara Fund Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied missions. For example, Wellness in the Schools says it works to inspire healthy eating, environmental awareness, and fitness among children in public schools. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Samara Fund Inc?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Samara Fund Inc's EIN?
Samara Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-2742189. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Samara Fund Inc 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Samara Fund Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/samara-fund-inc-morg_cf2a7b109f094e64bac77fbb4b699bb1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_202742189_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Samara Fund Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/samara-fund-inc-morg_cf2a7b109f094e64bac77fbb4b699bb1},
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 Samara Fund Inc'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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