The Belk Foundation
The Belk Foundation is a private foundation based in Charlotte, an individual recipient It supports public education, with a focus on K–3 achievement and excellent teachers and leaders, in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and through select state-level initiatives in an individual recipient
The Belk Foundation at a glance
In short: The Belk Foundation gave $2.1M across 40 grants in 2025 (avg $53K), mostly in North Carolina. 35% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,105,024
- +8.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 40
- +21.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $52,626
- -10.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $42,854,030
- -0.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 35% first-time grantees (13 of 37, 2025)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (95% 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 The Belk Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Its website describes an eligibility quiz followed by a letter of inquiry for organizations that meet basic requirements; the inquiry requests contact and tax identification information, a brief description of alignment with the foundation’s mission, and the geographic area served. A full application is by invitation only and asks for specific results and evidence for tracking success. The website describes two grant cycles per year, with spring invitations issued in February and fall invitations in August; applications are due in March and September, respectively, and decisions are communicated in May and November/December.
- Contact
Mailing address: 6832 Carnegie Blvd Ste 100, Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 544-5444
Website: https://belkfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Belk Foundation
Who The Belk Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Foundation for the Carolinas ($150K). Together the top 10 received $1.0M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($25,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
198 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 88 grants of 198 (44%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website identifies Charlotte-Mecklenburg as its local focus and says it also considers select an individual recipient state-level initiatives with evidence of or strong potential for large-scale impact. In filing year 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in an individual recipient; 2% went to recipients in the District of Columbia and 2% to Virginia. The filing lists Georgia at 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 40 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Belk Foundation open to new grantees?
35%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 37 grantees (35%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $56K; repeat grants $57K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 54% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−14%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.7M (2020) to $2.5M (2022). In 2025 it made 40 grants totaling $2.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation for the Carolinas Charlotte, NC | General operating support for read charlotte, a community initiative to improve early literacy in charlotte-mecklenburg. | $150,000 |
| CMS Foundation (NBCT & TLP) Charlotte, NC | Program support to increase the number of national board certified teachers and revamp the teacher leader pathway professional development curriculum. | $125,000 |
| Foundation of the University of North Carolina Charlotte (Tutoring) Charlotte, NC | Program support for teacher candidates to have a high quality clinical experience by tutoring k-5 grade cms students in foundational reading. | $122,439 |
| East Carolina University Foundation Inc Greenville, NC | Program support for a 4-year study exploring the impact of burnout and how it can be mitigated for preservice and early career teachers. | $120,462 |
| Heart Math Tutoring Inc Charlotte, NC | General operating support to help elementary school students build critical foundational math skills and academic confidence. | $100,000 |
| Teach for America Inc Charlotte, NC | Program support for recruiting, training, and developing impact-driven teachers and leaders. Teach for America supports first- and second-year teachers who teach some of the most vulnerable students in highest need classrooms. | $100,000 |
| International House of Metrolina Inc Charlotte, NC | Program support for multi-language learners to receive literacy tutoring after school and during the summer months. | $80,000 |
| YMCA of Greater Charlotte Charlotte, NC | Program support for y readers year-round programming to accelerate literacy growth for kindergarten through third grade students in cms. | $75,000 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC | Program support to provide educational programming and integrated clinical experiences for teacher candidates to create the first ever inclusive education minor in North Carolina. | $72,018 |
| National Black Child Development Institute-Carolinas Charlotte, NC | Program support for the family empowerment program to build the capacity of parents and caregivers. | $68,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Belk 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 | $42,854,030 | $2,714,612 | $2,787,552 | $2,105,024 | 40 | $2,515,313 | $3,809,644 | $2,494,394 |
| 2024 | $42,914,986 | $-2,631,563 | $2,535,845 | $1,936,493 | 33 | $2,310,499 | $525,479 | $2,521,079 |
| 2023 | $48,083,192 | $1,516,079 | $2,886,918 | $2,212,750 | 43 | $2,563,546 | $1,979,335 | $2,339,176 |
| 2022 | $49,450,570 | $5,020,592 | $3,096,290 | $2,451,199 | 44 | $2,806,452 | $6,908,895 | $2,521,735 |
| 2021 | $47,526,098 | $1,947,131 | $2,595,864 | $2,097,157 | 38 | — | $2,201,422 | $2,702,155 |
| 2020 | $48,174,784 | $-1,835,324 | $2,441,093 | $1,693,380 | 34 | — | $777,633 | $2,361,592 |
| 2019 | $52,451,201 | $-252,969 | $2,647,535 | $2,026,885 | 36 | — | $2,146,418 | $2,314,829 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Belk Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.5M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to invest in schools and organizations working to ensure that all students graduate from high school and continue on an intentional path toward college, career, and life. Its two focus areas are K–3 achievement and quality teaching and leadership. It seeks programs with measurable results for students and concentrates resources on students who need them most.
The foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofits, public school systems, and institutes of higher education. Its 2025 grants illustrate this range. For example, Foundation for the Carolinas received support for Read Charlotte, a community initiative to improve early literacy; Heart Math Tutoring received support for elementary students’ foundational math skills; and East Carolina University Foundation received support for a study of teacher burnout. Those organizations describe their respective missions as strengthening the region through community initiatives, building students’ math foundations through tutoring, and raising and distributing private resources for East Carolina University and its programs.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 40 grants totaling $2,105,024. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $150,000, with a median of $50,000. Notable grants included $150,000 to Foundation for the Carolinas for general operating support for Read Charlotte; $125,000 to CMS Foundation for support to increase the number of an individual recipient and revamp a teacher-leader professional development pathway; and $122,439 to the Foundation of the University of an individual recipient at Charlotte for teacher candidates to tutor CMS students in foundational reading.
The foundation also awarded $120,462 to East Carolina University Foundation for a study of burnout among preservice and early-career teachers, and $100,000 each to Heart Math Tutoring and Teach For America. Heart Math Tutoring’s grant supported foundational math skills and academic confidence among elementary students; Teach For America’s grant supported recruiting, training, and developing teachers and leaders.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jevelyn D Bonner-Reed as executive director; John R Belk as chair of the board; Thomas M Belk Jr as vice chair; and James Williams as treasurer and secretary. It also lists Robert Belk, Mary Claudia Belk Pilon, Carmen Concepcion, Anna Elliott, Mary Mack, and Katherine B Morris as board members.
The Belk Foundation is led by Jevelyn D. Bonner-Reed, Executive Director on every filing since 2023; 1 of 12 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jevelyn D. Bonner-Reed
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$137K (2023) → $173K (2025)
John R. Belk
Chair & Board of Directors
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Williams
Treasurer, Secretary & Board of Director
Secretary & Board of Directors → Treasurer, Secretary & Board of Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katherine B. Morris
Member & Board of Directors
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Claudia Belk Pilon
Member & Board of Directors
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas M. Belk Jr.
Vice Chair & Board of Directors
Vice Chair & Treasurer → Vice Chair & Board of Directors, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anna Elliott
Member & Board of Directors
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brandy Nelson
Member & Board of Directors
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Belk
Member & Board of Directors
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carmen Concepcion
Member & Board of Directors
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Mack
Member & Board of Directors
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Tanner
Member & Board of Directors
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Alison Welcher (2019–2024) — Member & Board of Directors
- Former: Ann Clark (2019–2024) — Member & Board of Directors · Filing note: As of 618
- Former: Anthony Fox (2019–2023) — Secretary & Board of Directors
- Former: Johanna Edens Anderson (2019–2023) — Executive Director
- Former: Jim Williams (2020–2023) — Member & Board of Directors
- Former: Katherine Belk (2022–2023) — Member & Board of Directors
- Former: Rebecca Morris (2019–2021) — Member & Board of Directors · Filing note: As of 618
- Former: Kate Morris Stanley (2019) — Member & Board of Directors
- Former: Louise Martin (2019) — Secretary & Board of Directors
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $173K, to Jevelyn D Bonner-Reed (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about The Belk Foundation
How much does The Belk Foundation give each year?
The Belk Foundation gave $2.1M across 40 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.9M across 33 grants.
What is The Belk Foundation's typical grant size?
The Belk Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $52,626, across 40 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Belk Foundation that year got $56K on average.
Where does The Belk Foundation give grants?
The Belk Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Charlotte, NC (21 grants), Raleigh, NC (7 grants), Cary, NC (3 grants) and Boone, NC (2 grants).
Does The Belk Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 28% of The Belk Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 40) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Belk Foundation's largest grantees?
The Belk Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Foundation for the Carolinas ($150,000), CMS Foundation (NBCT & TLP) ($125,000) and Foundation of the University of North Carolina Charlotte (Tutoring) ($122,439), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($25,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Belk Foundation?
The Belk Foundation reported $42.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Belk Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to invest in schools and organizations working to ensure that all students graduate from high school and continue on an intentional path toward college, career, and life. Its two focus areas are K–3 achievement and quality teaching and leadership. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Belk Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Belk Foundation's EIN?
The Belk Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-0237197. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Belk 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 9, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Belk Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Belk Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-belk-foundation-morg_61e94ef846b940579fa87796f2ec1709
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_270237197_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Belk Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-belk-foundation-morg_61e94ef846b940579fa87796f2ec1709},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Belk 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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