The Anonymous Foundation
The Anonymous Foundation is a private foundation based in Birmingham, Alabama. It reported 14 grants totaling $434,209 in 2024, supporting charitable organizations including ministries, leadership development, youth mentoring, and veterans services.
The Anonymous Foundation at a glance
In short: The Anonymous Foundation gave $434K across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $31K), top state Alabama. 0% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $434,209
- +35.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- +7.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $31,015
- +25.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $35,000
- Total assets
- $4,684,078
- -4.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Alabama (40% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Anonymous 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: 3192 Bradford Place, Birmingham, AL 35242
Phone: (205) 999-1985
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Anonymous Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Josiah Venture ($94K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $433K.
Grant Size Distribution
67 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 62 grants of 67 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, grant dollars went to recipients in Alabama (40%), Illinois (22%), Colorado (11%), Pennsylvania (11%), and North Carolina (8%). The grant list also includes a recipient in Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Anonymous Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 0 of 12 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. How we count
- 92% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 29% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 107% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $247K (2020) to $434K (2024). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $434K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Josiah Venture Wheaton, IL | Missionary Support | $90,000 |
| Hope International Lancaster, PA | Unrestricted grant | $46,000 |
| Restoration Academy Fairfield, AL | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
| Samaritan's Purse Boone, NC | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
| Emit USA Inc Colorado Springs, CO | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
| The Foundry Ministries Bessemer, AL | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
| STEPS Ministries Birmingham, AL | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
| The Well House Springville, AL | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
| Wounded Warrior Project Jacksonville, FL | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
| Aspire Movement Birmingham, AL | Unrestricted grant | $35,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,684,078 | $415,241 | $471,210 | $434,209 | 14 | $434,209 | $378,240 | $405,748 |
| 2023 | $4,922,229 | $226,239 | $359,999 | $321,392 | 13 | $321,392 | $226,265 | $334,794 |
| 2022 | $4,869,200 | $608,543 | $297,707 | $256,332 | 13 | $258,032 | $576,404 | $321,016 |
| 2021 | $4,615,893 | $440,854 | $390,430 | $336,332 | 13 | $339,332 | $407,658 | $345,917 |
| 2020 | $4,507,940 | $1,742,635 | $299,527 | $247,332 | 14 | — | $1,716,076 | $260,423 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Anonymous Foundation reported a distributable amount of $406K for 2024 — 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 2024 grantees describe a range of missions: Josiah Venture says it equips young leaders in Central and Eastern Europe through local churches; The Foundry Ministries describes Christ-centered recovery services; and Aspire Movement describes mentoring and support for at-risk urban youth. Other 2024 grantees include Samaritan’s Purse, which describes providing spiritual and physical aid to people in need, and Wounded Warrior Project, which focuses on the well-being of post-9/11 veterans, service members, and their families.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation gave 14 grants totaling $434,209. Grant amounts ranged from $420 to $90,000, with a median grant of $35,000. Among the largest reported grants were $90,000 to Josiah Venture for missionary support; $46,000 to Hope International; and $35,000 each to Restoration Academy, Samaritan’s Purse, Emit USA Inc, The Foundry Ministries, STEPS Ministries, The Well House, Wounded Warrior Project, and Aspire Movement. The latter grants were listed as unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists A Jefferson McDonald Jr as director and president, Kerry McDonald as director and treasurer, and Jennifer M Jonas as director and secretary.
The Anonymous Foundation is led by A Jefferson McDonald Jr., Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
A Jefferson McDonald Jr.
Director & President
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer M Jonas
Director & Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kerry McDonald
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 The Anonymous Foundation
How much does The Anonymous Foundation give each year?
The Anonymous Foundation gave $434K across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $321K across 13 grants.
What is The Anonymous Foundation's typical grant size?
The Anonymous Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $35,000, and its average grant was $31,015, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Anonymous Foundation give grants?
The Anonymous Foundation's top state is Alabama, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (22%) and Colorado (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Colorado Springs, CO (3 grants), Wheaton, IL (2 grants) and Birmingham, AL (2 grants).
Does The Anonymous Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 71% of The Anonymous Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Anonymous Foundation's largest grantees?
The Anonymous Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Josiah Venture ($93,600 across 2 grants), Emit USA Inc ($48,200 across 2 grants) and Hope International ($46,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Anonymous Foundation?
The Anonymous Foundation reported $4.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $434K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $406K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Anonymous Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Anonymous 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 The Anonymous Foundation's EIN?
The Anonymous Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-5224490. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Anonymous 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Anonymous Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-anonymous-foundation-morg_c4dce8a1c8c44a439e5da7cc3096d69f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_205224490_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Anonymous Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-anonymous-foundation-morg_c4dce8a1c8c44a439e5da7cc3096d69f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 The Anonymous 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.
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