The Beirne Carter Foundation
The Beirne Carter Foundation is a private foundation based in Richmond, Virginia. Established in 1986 by Beirne Blair Carter, it supports charitable organizations, with 2024 grants concentrated in Virginia.
The Beirne Carter Foundation at a glance
In short: The Beirne Carter Foundation gave $1.5M across 38 grants in 2024 (avg $39K), mostly in Virginia. 24% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,485,500
- -7.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 38
- +2.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $39,092
- -9.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $29,444,870
- +18.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (9 of 38, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (94% 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 Beirne Carter Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests under its January 2025 notice; preliminary proposals should be submitted only if requested. The website’s general process calls for a preliminary proposal followed, by invitation, by a formal application.
- Review Cycle
- The 2024 filing states there are no submission deadlines.
- Deadline
- The 2024 filing states there are no submission deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: See Bcarterfdnorg
Mailing address: 920 Libbie Ave Suite 103 PO Box, 17950, Richmond, VA 23226
Phone: (804) 285-2124
Website: https://bcarterfdn.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Beirne Carter Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Children's Museum of Richmond ($250K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
199 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 160 grants of 199 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s grantmaking was concentrated in Virginia in 2024: 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in the state. The remaining reported shares were Florida (3%), Colorado (2%), Georgia (1%), and Massachusetts (0%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Beirne Carter Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 38 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $85K; repeat grants $25K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 66% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+9%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 103% 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 $1.3M (2020) to $1.6M (2023). In 2024 it made 38 grants totaling $1.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Museum of Richmond Richmond, VA | General Purposes | $250,000 |
| Nature Conservancy of Virginia Arlington, VA | General Purposes | $250,000 |
| Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Richmond, VA | Splendor Under Glass | $150,000 |
| St James Episcopal Church Richmond, VA | General Purposes | $150,000 |
| Restoration Housing Roanoke, VA | House Restoration | $105,000 |
| Virginia Museum of History & Culture Richmond, VA | General Purposes | $100,000 |
| Friends of James River Park Richmond, VA | Carillon Woods Restoration | $55,000 |
| Beirne Carter Center for Immunology Research Charlottesville, VA | Purchase new technology, support faculty, assist with loss of funding | $50,000 |
| Good Samaritan Hospice Inc Roanoke, VA | General Purposes | $50,000 |
| National D-Day Memorial Foundation Bedford, VA | General Purposes | $50,000 |
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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 | $29,444,870 | $6,633,475 | $1,977,108 | $1,485,500 | 38 | $1,582,166 | $6,276,828 | $1,534,537 |
| 2023 | $24,774,163 | $1,743,268 | $2,147,123 | $1,600,000 | 37 | $1,686,479 | $1,339,862 | $1,560,819 |
| 2022 | $25,168,935 | $2,051,041 | $1,898,972 | $1,334,585 | 40 | $1,414,892 | $1,669,887 | $1,526,542 |
| 2021 | $25,189,504 | $3,003,577 | $1,724,754 | $1,358,833 | 43 | $1,469,061 | $2,754,332 | $1,691,326 |
| 2020 | $24,216,213 | $638,643 | $1,720,712 | $1,332,833 | 41 | — | $389,762 | $1,485,945 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Beirne Carter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.5M 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
The foundation’s website describes its founder’s areas of emphasis as health, education, local history, nature, ecology, and youth. Its 2024 grants included support for museums, a botanical garden, historic preservation, hospice care, a memorial, a church, and research.
Grantees describe their own work in varied terms. The Children’s Museum of Richmond says its mission is to inspire children’s growth through family learning and play. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden says it connects people to plants and inspires communities to explore and conserve nature. Restoration Housing says it focuses on historic preservation and projects intended to address the needs of limited-income families and strengthen communities. These are grantees’ missions, not stated missions of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 38 grants totaling $1,485,500. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $250,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest awards included $250,000 each to Children’s Museum of Richmond and Nature Conservancy of Virginia; $150,000 each to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and St James Episcopal Church; and $105,000 to Restoration Housing.
The foundation’s website describes a two-step process: organizations first submit a preliminary proposal, and those selected are invited to submit a formal application. It says selection to apply does not guarantee funding or the amount requested. A notice dated January 1, 2025, states that all grants for 2025 would be board-directed and that preliminary proposals should not be submitted unless requested. The 2024 filing states there is no specific form, no submission deadline, and no restriction on awards.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Rossie Carter Hutcheson as president, Talfourd H Kemper Esq as secretary/treasurer, and Kenneth C Laughon as vice president.
The Beirne Carter Foundation is led by Rossie Carter Hutcheson, President on every filing since 2020; all 3 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Rossie Carter Hutcheson
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$12K (2022) → $12K (2024)
Kenneth C. Laughon
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$8K (2022) → $8K (2024)
Talfourd H. Kemper Esq.
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$8K (2022) → $8K (2024)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $12K, to Rossie Carter Hutcheson (President). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Beirne Carter Foundation
How much does The Beirne Carter Foundation give each year?
The Beirne Carter Foundation gave $1.5M across 38 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.6M across 37 grants.
What is The Beirne Carter Foundation's typical grant size?
The Beirne Carter Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $39,092, across 38 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Beirne Carter Foundation that year got $85K on average.
Where does The Beirne Carter Foundation give grants?
The Beirne Carter Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Richmond, VA (14 grants), Roanoke, VA (9 grants), Vail, CO (2 grants) and Avon, CO (2 grants).
Does The Beirne Carter Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 63% of The Beirne Carter Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (24 of 38) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Beirne Carter Foundation's largest grantees?
The Beirne Carter Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Children's Museum of Richmond ($250,000), Nature Conservancy of Virginia ($250,000) and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden ($150,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Beirne Carter Foundation?
The Beirne Carter Foundation reported $29.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Beirne Carter Foundation fund?
The foundation’s website describes its founder’s areas of emphasis as health, education, local history, nature, ecology, and youth. Its 2024 grants included support for museums, a botanical garden, historic preservation, hospice care, a memorial, a church, and research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Beirne Carter Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests under its January 2025 notice; preliminary proposals should be submitted only if requested. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Beirne Carter Foundation's EIN?
The Beirne Carter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1397827. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Beirne Carter 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 Beirne Carter Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-beirne-carter-foundation-morg_be7dc2c6af5d4662a09b0f8a4318cfba
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_541397827_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Beirne Carter Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-beirne-carter-foundation-morg_be7dc2c6af5d4662a09b0f8a4318cfba},
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 The Beirne Carter 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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