The Columbus Phipps Foundation
The Columbus Phipps Foundation is a private foundation based in Dallas, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports 63 grants totaling $1,065,367, including grants for educational purposes, scholarships, 4-H camps, and operational expenses.
The Columbus Phipps Foundation at a glance
In short: The Columbus Phipps Foundation gave $1.1M across 63 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Virginia. 25% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,065,367
- +12.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 63
- -10.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,911
- +24.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,000
- Total assets
- $18,322,899
- +2.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (16 of 63, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (68% 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 Columbus Phipps Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing says an application is available from the foundation contact. It lists application deadlines of May 15 and June 15 for renewal applications; those dates are past cycles as of October 2, 2026.
- Contact
Application contact: Mr Paul D Buchanan
Mailing address: PO Box 1145, Clintwood, VA 24228-1145
Phone: (540) 926-8152
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Columbus Phipps Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Mountain Empire Community College ($194K). Together the top 10 received $699K.
Grant Size Distribution
344 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 320 grants of 344 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Virginia recipients received 68% of grant dollars, Tennessee recipients 12%, Kentucky recipients 8%, Texas recipients 4%, and New York recipients 3%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 63 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Columbus Phipps Foundation open to new grantees?
25%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 16 of 63 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $9K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 108% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $948K (2024) to $1.3M (2022). In 2025 it made 63 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Empire Community College Big Stone Gap, VA | Educational Grants | $193,750 |
| University of Va College at Wise Wise, VA | Educational Grants | $183,500 |
| Appalachian School of Pharmacy Oakwood, VA | Educational Grants | $60,000 |
| Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN | Educational Grants | $60,000 |
| East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN | Educational Grants | $44,500 |
| Ridgeview High School Clintwood, VA | Grant to Support | $38,650 |
| Antigua College of Medicine New York, NY | Scholarships | $30,000 |
| Campbellsville University Campbellsville, KY | Educational Grants | $30,000 |
| Kentucky College of Optometry Pikeville, KY | Education Grant | $30,000 |
| Galen College of Nursing Richardson, TX | Grant for Scholarships | $29,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Columbus Phipps 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 | $18,322,899 | $1,728,618 | $1,335,427 | $1,065,367 | 63 | $1,170,019 | $1,582,592 | $1,081,890 |
| 2024 | $17,856,799 | $2,013,733 | $1,274,011 | $947,904 | 70 | $1,076,955 | $1,848,214 | $1,206,059 |
| 2023 | $17,052,409 | $1,248,304 | $1,457,188 | $1,141,620 | 75 | $1,225,790 | $1,033,439 | $1,199,038 |
| 2022 | $17,183,191 | $3,547,944 | $1,560,879 | $1,260,474 | 70 | $1,338,131 | $3,390,439 | $1,090,440 |
| 2021 | $15,177,374 | $1,778,290 | $1,272,380 | $1,029,439 | 66 | — | $1,600,888 | $1,249,007 |
| 2020 | $14,596,105 | $841,943 | $1,285,310 | $1,028,892 | 71 | — | $671,933 | $1,126,286 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Columbus Phipps Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to a range of organizations, including colleges and universities, a high school, a county cooperative extension, a chamber of commerce, and a town.
Some grantees describe their own work as providing liberal arts and professional education, supporting university research and scholarly activities, and creating pathways to higher-education opportunities. For example, Lincoln Memorial University describes itself as a values-based learning community offering liberal arts and professional studies; East Tennessee State University says its mission includes supporting university research and scholarly and artistic activities; and Western Governors University describes its mission as creating pathways to opportunity through higher education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 63 grants totaling $1,065,367. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $193,750, with a median grant of $6,000. The largest reported awards included $193,750 to Mountain Empire Community College and $183,500 to the University of Virginia College at Wise, both for educational grants. Other notable awards included $60,000 to Appalachian School of Pharmacy for educational grants, $60,000 to Lincoln Memorial University for educational grants, and $44,500 to East Tennessee State University for educational grants.
The foundation’s 2024 filing states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists an application available from the foundation contact, Mr. Paul D Buchanan, and restrictions for cultural activities involving residents of Dickenson County and scholarship awards for graduates of Dickenson County.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Paul D Buchanan as trustee/director and Dr. Jewell Askins, Michael A Strough, Jerry Artrip, and Clarence Phillips as trustees.
The Columbus Phipps Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Clarence Phillips
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jerry Artrip
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jewell Askins
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Michael A. Strough
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Paul D. Buchanan
Trustee & Director
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Columbus Phipps Foundation
How much does The Columbus Phipps Foundation give each year?
The Columbus Phipps Foundation gave $1.1M across 63 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $948K across 70 grants.
What is The Columbus Phipps Foundation's typical grant size?
The Columbus Phipps Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $16,911, across 63 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Columbus Phipps Foundation that year got $9K on average.
Where does The Columbus Phipps Foundation give grants?
The Columbus Phipps Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Tennessee (12%) and Kentucky (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Clintwood, VA (15 grants), Wise, VA (3 grants), Pikeville, KY (2 grants) and Athens, GA (2 grants).
Does The Columbus Phipps Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 13% of The Columbus Phipps Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 63) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Educational Grants" (30 grants) and "Education Grants" (3 grants).
Who are The Columbus Phipps Foundation's largest grantees?
The Columbus Phipps Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Mountain Empire Community College ($193,750), University of Va College at Wise ($183,500) and Appalachian School of Pharmacy ($60,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Columbus Phipps Foundation?
The Columbus Phipps Foundation reported $18.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Columbus Phipps Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to a range of organizations, including colleges and universities, a high school, a county cooperative extension, a chamber of commerce, and a town. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Columbus Phipps Foundation?
The 2024 filing says an application is available from the foundation contact. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Columbus Phipps Foundation's EIN?
The Columbus Phipps Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-6338751. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Columbus Phipps Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-columbus-phipps-foundation-morg_839a8daaf90a4e5eb8f5ab39ead1229a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_546338751_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Columbus Phipps Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-columbus-phipps-foundation-morg_839a8daaf90a4e5eb8f5ab39ead1229a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Columbus Phipps 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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