Stephens Family Foundation
The Stephens Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Piedmont, South Carolina. Its 2025 IRS filing is marked as a final return, indicating that the foundation has terminated or is winding down; its application instructions should not be treated as current.
Stephens Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Stephens Family Foundation gave $562K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $51K), mostly in South Carolina. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $561,524
- +317.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $51,048
- +317.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South 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 Stephens Family Foundation
- Contact
Application contact: Jerry Stephens
Mailing address: 245 Abenaki Way, Piedmont, SC 29673
Phone: (843) 408-8456
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Stephens Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Rocco's Heartland Rescue Inc ($324K). Together the top 10 received $559K.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 54 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 59% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina and 41% went to recipients in Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Stephens Family Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $84K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $18K repeat.
- 55% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 447% 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 (2018–2025). 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 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $14K (2021) to $562K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $562K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rocco's Heartland Rescue Inc Piedmont, SC | Charitable | $324,024 |
| Lake Oconee Academy Greensboro, GA | Charitable | $135,000 |
| Save a Pet Forsyth, GA | Charitable | $30,000 |
| Emory University Atlanta, GA | Charitable | $25,000 |
| Opportunities for Kids Inc Atlanta, GA | Charitable | $20,000 |
| Lakeside Church at Lake Oconee Greensboro, GA | Charitable | $10,000 |
| Sandra's Rescue Pups Albany, GA | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Too Broke Girls Animal Rescue Laurens, SC | Charitable | $5,000 |
| Airsong's Angels Inc Box Springs, GA | Charitable | $2,500 |
| Lucky Dog Rescue Ranch Uvalda, GA | Charitable | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Stephens Family 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 | — | $299,116 | $570,586 | $561,524 | 11 | $561,524 | $290,054 | $8,589 |
| 2024 | $271,470 | $114,211 | $141,397 | $134,500 | 11 | $134,500 | $7,314 | $23,604 |
| 2023 | $299,002 | $102,257 | $126,341 | $121,025 | 12 | $121,025 | $9,009 | $21,489 |
| 2022 | $323,086 | $19,605 | $107,982 | $102,700 | 14 | $102,700 | $14,323 | $25,475 |
| 2021 | $412,201 | $228,505 | $17,218 | $14,027 | 6 | $14,027 | $12,715 | $23,895 |
| 2020 | $201,023 | $10,152 | $16,605 | $14,250 | 12 | — | $7,936 | $16,571 |
| 2018 | $302,000 | $12,470 | $15,184 | $14,300 | 6 | — | $11,586 | $14,058 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Stephens Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9K 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in animal rescue and welfare, education, and higher education. Rocco’s Heartland Rescue says its mission is to rescue dogs and cats from Southern kill shelters, provide veterinary care, and transport them to rescues for adoption. Lake Oconee Academy says its mission is to increase student achievement by building a culture of high expectations for all students. Save A Pet says it provides a no-kill solution to animal suffering and overpopulation, and Emory University describes its mission as creating, preserving, teaching, and applying knowledge in the service of humanity.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $561,524. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $324,024, with a median of $10,000. Its largest reported grants were $324,024 to Rocco’s Heartland Rescue Inc. in Piedmont, South Carolina; $135,000 to Lake Oconee Academy in Greensboro, Georgia; $30,000 to Save A Pet in Forsyth, Georgia; $25,000 to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; and $20,000 to Opportunities for Kids Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia.
The foundation’s 2025 filing states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists a written request outlining the need for assistance, with documentation of the cost or unmet need. The filing directs readers to a statement for the deadlines and award restrictions; those details are not provided here. Because the filing is marked final, these instructions are not presented as current.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jerry L. Stephens, Linda Sheryl Burgess, Wendy S. King, and Dawn M. Kennedy as trustees.
Stephens Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dawn M. Kennedy
Trustee
On filings since 2018
No compensation reported
Jerry L. Stephens
Trustee
On filings since 2018
No compensation reported
Linda Sheryl Burgess
Trustee
On filings since 2018
No compensation reported
Wendy S. King
Trustee
On filings since 2018
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "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 Stephens Family Foundation
How much does Stephens Family Foundation give each year?
Stephens Family Foundation gave $562K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $135K across 11 grants.
What is Stephens Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Stephens Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $51,048, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Stephens Family Foundation that year got $12K on average.
Where does Stephens Family Foundation give grants?
Stephens Family Foundation gives mostly in South Carolina: 59% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Georgia (41%). The most frequent recipient cities were Greensboro, GA (2 grants) and Atlanta, GA (2 grants).
Does Stephens Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Stephens Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (11 grants).
Who are Stephens Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Stephens Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Rocco's Heartland Rescue Inc ($324,024), Lake Oconee Academy ($135,000) and Save a Pet ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 87% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
What does Stephens Family Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in animal rescue and welfare, education, and higher education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Stephens Family Foundation?
Stephens Family Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
How much is Stephens Family Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2025, Stephens Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Stephens Family Foundation's EIN?
Stephens Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-6424620. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS November 15, 2019)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Stephens Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Stephens Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Stephens Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/stephens-family-foundation-morg_6eeddd14d13f4f799f6f7252caa86576
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_586424620_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Stephens Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/stephens-family-foundation-morg_6eeddd14d13f4f799f6f7252caa86576},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Stephens Family 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.
Stephens Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?