Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a public charity based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1976, it is an intercollegiate athletics conference with 14 member institutions across 10 contiguous states. Its stated purpose is to assist member institutions in maintaining intercollegiate athletics programs.
Sun Belt Conference at a glance
In short: Sun Belt Conference gave $24.3M across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $1.7M). 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $24,307,113
- +1.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,736,222
- +1.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,717,642
- Total assets
- $19,553,565
- -15.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Sun Belt Conference
- Contact
Mailing address: 1500 Sugar Bowl Drive, New Orleans, LA 70112
Phone: (504) 299-9066
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sun Belt Conference funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was James Madison University ($2.0M). Together the top 10 received $17.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
68 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 57 grants of 68 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to recipients in a state recorded as “?”. The listed grant recipients are member universities; the conference describes its footprint as 10 contiguous states.
Is Sun Belt Conference open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 14 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. How we count
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $13.3M (2020) to $24.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $24.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| James Madison University | Distribution to Members | $1,977,767 |
| Appalachian State University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| Arkansas State University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| Coastal Carolina University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| Georgia Southern University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| Georgia State University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| Marshall University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| Texas State University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| Troy University | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
| University of Louisiana Lafayette | Distribution to Members | $1,717,642 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $19,553,565 | $57,213,623 | $55,370,412 | $24,307,113 | 14 | $308,526 |
| 2024 | $23,252,102 | $46,984,155 | $48,000,741 | $23,919,725 | 14 | $518,382 |
| 2023 | $22,151,021 | $40,038,199 | $37,794,575 | $19,340,000 | 12 | $179,390 |
| 2022 | $19,964,832 | $35,403,098 | $32,759,410 | $17,424,948 | 16 | $-63,177 |
| 2021 | $15,228,869 | $28,257,683 | $27,395,925 | $16,268,422 | 12 | $-51,081 |
| 2020 | $14,082,662 | $31,584,812 | $26,156,902 | $13,343,880 | 12 | $-175,064 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The conference states that its purpose is to assist its member institutions in maintaining intercollegiate athletics programs. Its 2020–2025 strategic plan says its mission is to support member institutions in advancing athletics programs with high standards of education and competitive sport, and to promote athletics as integral to each institution. The plan identifies academic achievement, competitive success, sportsmanship and integrity, diversity and inclusion, and student-athlete development as values.
The conference’s filing describes distributions to member universities for athletics, NCAA special assistance and academic enhancement funds for eligible student-athletes with demonstrated financial need, and funds for areas including basketball officiating, drug education and awareness, NCAA compliance and enforcement, and improving opportunities for ethnic minorities and women. The 2025 filing lists grants as “distribution to members.”
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the conference reported 14 grants totaling $24,307,113. Grant amounts ranged from $1,717,642 to $1,977,767, with a median of $1,717,642. Listed recipients include:
The conference’s 2024 announcement about Extra Yard for Teachers said the CFP Foundation would provide a $6,000 grant to each of the conference’s 14 institutions. These were grants from the CFP Foundation, not grants reported as given by the conference. The conference also reported partnering with Hercules Tires on grants to member institutions for its 2023–24 Sleep to Rise initiative.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dr. Kelly Damphousse as president, Dr. Kyle Marrero as treasurer, and Dr. E. Joseph Savoie as past-president. It also lists Dr. Todd Shields, Dr. Michael Benson, M. Brian Blake, Dr. Ron Berry, Brad Smith, Dr. Brian Hemphill, and Dr. Joseph Paul as officers.
Sun Belt Conference is led by Kelly Damphousse, President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); 6 of 20 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kelly Damphousse
President
Vice President → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Herbert L. Carter III
A. Commissioner & CFO
On filings since 2020
50 hrs/week
$190K (2020) → $199K (2025)
Keith Gill
Commissioner
On filings since 2020
50 hrs/week
$384K (2020) → $890K (2025)
Kathy Keene
Deputy Commissioner
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$252K (2024) → $262K (2025)
Samuel Knehans
Senior Associate Commissio
Senior Associate Commissioner → Senior Associate Commissio, 2025
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$118K (2024) → $123K (2025)
Travis Llewellyn
Senior Associate Commissio
Senior Associate Commissioner → Senior Associate Commissio, 2025
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$134K (2024) → $139K (2025)
Maura Smith
Associate Commissioner
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
$111K (2025)
E. Joseph Savoie
Past-President
President → Past-President, 2022
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jack Hawkins Jr.
Officer
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kyle Marrero
Treasurer
Officer → Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Benson
Officer
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ron Berry
Officer
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brad Smith
Officer
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Hemphill
Officer
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Paul
Officer
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
M. Brian Blake
Officer
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Todd Shields
Officer
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Josiah Bonner
Officer
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Heather Norris
Vice President
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Schmidt
Officer
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (16)
- Former: Sheri Everts (2020–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Jonathan Alger (2022–2024) — Officer
- Former: Katherine Keene (2020–2022) — A. Commissioner Sports Administrator
- Former: Nancy Yasharoff (2022) — A. Commissioner & Committee
- Former: Denise Trauth (2020–2021) — Officer
- Former: Mark Becker (2020–2021) — Past-President
- Former: Tony Waldrop (2020–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Teik Lim (2021) — Officer
- Former: Andrew Rogerson (2020) — Officer
- Former: David Decenzo (2020) — Officer
- Former: Jaimie L. Hebert (2020) — Officer
- Former: John Barranco (2020) — Corporate Sales & Marketin
- Former: John McElwain (2020) — Chief Branding Officer
- Former: Karl Benson (2020) — Former Commissioner
- Former: Nick Bruno (2020) — Officer
- Former: Vistap Karbhari (2020) — Officer
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $890K, to Keith Gill (Commissioner). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Sun Belt Conference
How much does Sun Belt Conference give each year?
Sun Belt Conference gave $24.3M across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $23.9M across 14 grants.
What is Sun Belt Conference's typical grant size?
Sun Belt Conference's median grant in 2025 was $1,717,642, and its average grant was $1,736,222, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Does Sun Belt Conference give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Sun Belt Conference's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Distribution to Members" (14 grants).
Who are Sun Belt Conference's largest grantees?
Sun Belt Conference's largest 2025 grantees include James Madison University ($1,977,767), Appalachian State University ($1,717,642) and Arkansas State University ($1,717,642), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sun Belt Conference?
Sun Belt Conference reported $19.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $57.2M.
What does Sun Belt Conference fund?
The conference states that its purpose is to assist its member institutions in maintaining intercollegiate athletics programs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sun Belt Conference?
Sun Belt Conference has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does Sun Belt Conference make grants?
The 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to recipients in a state recorded as “?”. The listed grant recipients are member universities; the conference describes its footprint as 10 contiguous states.
What is Sun Belt Conference's EIN?
Sun Belt Conference's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-2085078. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Sun Belt Conference's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sun Belt Conference funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sun-belt-conference-morg_f89e5937333b4bd4921c8b70054335cd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_582085078_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sun Belt Conference funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sun-belt-conference-morg_f89e5937333b4bd4921c8b70054335cd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Sun Belt Conference'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.
Sun Belt Conference down — hundreds of funders to go?