The Batten Foundation

NORFOLK, VA EIN: 54-1451569

The Batten Foundation is a private foundation established in 1988 in Norfolk, Virginia. Founded by the late Frank Batten, a communications entrepreneur who co-founded The Weather Channel and built Landmark Communications into one of the country's largest privately held media companies, the foundation continues his legacy of educational and community support. The foundation is currently managed by Jane Parke Batten, who serves as President.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$24.7M

-23.3% YoY

Annual Giving

$11.0M

-7.5% YoY

Grant Count

-14.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$1.8M

+7.9% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Batten Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.6M 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 primary focus is giving for public library support and programs in the Norfolk/Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Beyond libraries, the foundation prioritizes:

Education
Philanthropy and voluntarism
Human services
Arts and cultural preservation

Grantmaking

The Batten Foundation operates as a private foundation making discretionary grants rather than through structured, publicly advertised grant programs.

Grant Range

$45,000 to $5,000,000

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's giving emphasizes Virginia and New York, with particular emphasis on Virginia, especially the Norfolk/Hampton Roads region.

Grant Distribution by State

Virginia $38.3M (88%)

New York $4.0M (9%)

Maryland $1.0M (2%)

Louisiana $100K (0%)

States

Louisiana Maryland New York Virginia

Cities

AnnapolisArlingtonNew OrleansNew YorkNewport NewsNorfolkVirginia BeachWilliamsburg

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets & Annual Giving:

Total assets: $24,705,419 (as of December 2024)
Annual giving: $11,848,318 (2023)
Total giving: $10,960,000 (reported in some filings)

Financial Activity (2024):

Revenue: $4,672,670
Expenses: $11,925,320
Net assets: $24,705,419

Financial Activity (2023):

Total revenues: $8,127,803
Total expenses: $13,025,422
Total assets: $32,209,335

The foundation's charitable disbursements consistently represent approximately 90% of total expenses, demonstrating a strong commitment to active grant-making.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$24,705,419	$32,209,335	$34,340,457
Revenue	$4,672,670	$8,127,803	$1,819,537
Expenses	$11,925,320	$13,025,422	$11,914,990
Qualifying Distributions	$10,960,000	$11,848,318	$10,466,667
Net Investment Income	$3,253,653	$6,349,240	$1,098,654
Distributable Amount	$1,581,880	$1,943,089	$2,405,916

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 6 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

32 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include William & Mary ($6,250,000), Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ($2,500,000), Environmental Defense Fund ($1,000,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUNDATION WILLIAMSBURG, VA	FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES.	$2,500,000
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND NEW YORK, NY	FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES.	$1,000,000
RARE ARLINGTON, VA	FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES.	$1,000,000
SENTARA FOUNDATION NORFOLK, VA	FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES.	$200,000
URBAN LEAGUE OF HAMPTON ROADS NORFOLK, VA	FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES.	$10,000
WILLIAM & MARY WILLIAMSBURG, VA	FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES.	$6,250,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Jane Parke Batten — President (widow of founder Frank Batten Sr.)

Edie Crawford — Listed as contact for books-related inquiries

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
JANE BATTEN	PRESIDENT	2	—
LOUIS RYAN	ASST. SEC.	2	—

Contact Information

Address: PO Box 3310, Norfolk, VA 23514-3310

Phone: 757-625-7670

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Batten Foundation fund?

The foundation's primary focus is giving for public library support and programs in the Norfolk/Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Beyond libraries, the foundation prioritizes: • Education • Philanthropy and voluntarism • Human services • Arts and cultural preservation

How do I apply for a grant from The Batten Foundation?

The Batten Foundation operates as a private foundation making discretionary grants rather than through structured, publicly advertised grant programs. **Grant Characteristics:** • Grant range: $45,000 to $5,000,000 • Grant sizes vary considerably based on the project and relationship with the organization • The foundation made 7 grants in 2023 **Recent Grant Activity (2023):** • The Virginia Arts Festival: $4,898,318 • Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: $2,500,000 • Rare: $1,000,000 • Additional…

Where does The Batten Foundation make grants?

The foundation's giving emphasizes Virginia and New York, with particular emphasis on Virginia, especially the Norfolk/Hampton Roads region.

What size grants does The Batten Foundation award?

In 2024, The Batten Foundation awarded 6 grants totaling $11.0M — an average of about $1.8M per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Batten Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Batten Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.6M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.