The Charles C Matthews Foundation
The Charles C Matthews Foundation is a private foundation based in Carthage, Texas. In 2025, it gave $814,300 through 27 grants, supporting organizations that include colleges, school foundations, school districts, and charitable organizations.
The Charles C Matthews Foundation at a glance
In short: The Charles C Matthews Foundation gave $814K across 27 grants in 2025 (avg $30K), mostly in Texas. 57% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $814,300
- +14.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 27
- +50.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,159
- -23.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $13,729,792
- +0.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 57% first-time grantees (13 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (94% 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 Charles C Matthews Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: P O Box 1138, Carthage, TX 75633
Phone: (903) 693-9191
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Charles C Matthews Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Panola College ($450K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $715K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($41,550), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
109 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 91 grants of 109 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 4% to recipients in Florida, and 2% to recipients in Tennessee. Carthage-area recipients included Panola College, Carthage ISD Foundation, and Panola County Cancer Coalition.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 27 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Charles C Matthews Foundation open to new grantees?
57%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 23 grantees (57%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $71K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 43% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF 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 $538K (2020) to $814K (2025). In 2025 it made 27 grants totaling $814K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Panola College Carthage, TX | Endowment | $300,000 |
| Panola College Carthage, TX | Energy Building | $150,000 |
| Carthage ISD Foundation Carthage, TX | Scholarships | $100,000 |
| Baylor University Waco, TX | Schlorships | $60,000 |
| Beckville ISD Foundation Beckville, TX | Donation | $30,000 |
| Panola Co Cancer Coalition Carthage, TX | Donation | $25,000 |
| 2 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $41,550 |
| St Jude's Children Research Center Memphis, TN | Donation | $15,000 |
| Carthage ISD Athletic Dept Carthage, TX | Donation | $11,000 |
| Shriner's Children's Hospital Tampa, FL | Donation | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $13,729,792 | $1,299,419 | $1,225,640 | $814,300 | 27 | $904,905 | $1,022,723 | $964,178 |
| 2024 | $13,666,132 | $1,323,608 | $1,125,498 | $710,994 | 18 | $798,711 | $727,913 | $902,380 |
| 2023 | $13,473,748 | $747,368 | $1,186,888 | $721,826 | 20 | $813,626 | $411,928 | $802,718 |
| 2022 | $13,918,510 | $705,313 | $1,195,684 | $789,432 | 22 | $871,728 | $379,314 | $813,679 |
| 2021 | $14,426,298 | $1,541,553 | $1,007,460 | $655,427 | 22 | $726,127 | $1,257,599 | $850,203 |
| 2020 | $13,904,945 | $1,278,838 | $919,744 | $538,267 | 16 | — | $916,573 | $691,184 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Charles C Matthews Foundation reported a distributable amount of $964K for 2025 — 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 2025 grants show support for educational institutions and organizations, including scholarship and endowment funding, as well as charitable organizations.
Baylor University, which received $60,000, describes its mission as educating men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community. An individual recipient Atlantic University, which received $21,550, says it equips students to grow in wisdom, lead with conviction, and serve God boldly.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 27 grants totaling $814,300. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $300,000, with a median of $5,000.
The largest grants included $300,000 to Panola College for an endowment and $150,000 to Panola College for its energy building; $100,000 to Carthage ISD Foundation for scholarships; and $60,000 to Baylor University for scholarships. Other grants included $30,000 to Beckville ISD Foundation, $25,000 to Panola County Cancer Coalition, $21,550 to an individual recipient Atlantic University, and $20,000 to Gary Independent School District.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Robert M Underwood, Richard Ballenger, Jimmy D Payne, David Bush, and Vermoyn D Reeder as trustees.
The Charles C Matthews Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; all 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Bush
Trustee
On filings since 2020
7.5 hrs/week
$52K (2020) → $68K (2025)
Jimmy D. Payne
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2.5 hrs/week
$52K (2020) → $65K (2025)
Richard Ballenger
Trustee
On filings since 2020
7.5 hrs/week
$52K (2020) → $68K (2025)
Robert M. Underwood
Trustee
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$52K (2020) → $68K (2025)
Vermoyn D. Reeder
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2.5 hrs/week
$52K (2020) → $65K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: John W. Conway (2020) — Trustee
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 $68K, to Robert M Underwood (Trustee). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Charles C Matthews Foundation
How much does The Charles C Matthews Foundation give each year?
The Charles C Matthews Foundation gave $814K across 27 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $711K across 18 grants.
What is The Charles C Matthews Foundation's typical grant size?
The Charles C Matthews Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $30,159, across 27 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Charles C Matthews Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Charles C Matthews Foundation give grants?
The Charles C Matthews Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Carthage, TX (12 grants), Beckville, TX (3 grants) and Deberry, TX (2 grants).
Does The Charles C Matthews Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 27 grants with a stated purpose on The Charles C Matthews Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Donation" (14 grants) and "Scholarships" (3 grants).
Who are The Charles C Matthews Foundation's largest grantees?
The Charles C Matthews Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Panola College ($450,000 across 2 grants), Carthage ISD Foundation ($100,000) and Baylor University ($60,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 individual scholarships ($41,550), which are not listed by name. Together they received 75% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Charles C Matthews Foundation?
The Charles C Matthews Foundation reported $13.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $905K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $964K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Charles C Matthews Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for educational institutions and organizations, including scholarship and endowment funding, as well as charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Charles C Matthews Foundation?
The foundation 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 Charles C Matthews Foundation's EIN?
The Charles C Matthews Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 75-2741045. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Charles C Matthews 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Charles C Matthews Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Charles C Matthews Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Charles C Matthews Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-charles-c-matthews-foundation-morg_cbcd2abb554a4b358a46e2cb70d318b2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_752741045_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Charles C Matthews Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-charles-c-matthews-foundation-morg_cbcd2abb554a4b358a46e2cb70d318b2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Charles C Matthews 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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