The Comer Foundation
The Comer Foundation is a private foundation based in Birmingham, Alabama. Established in 1946 as the Avondale Education and Charitable Foundation, Inc., it supports programs and institutions that improve access to and meaningful outcomes from primarily educational opportunities, benefiting individuals, communities, and Alabama.
Key facts about The Comer Foundation
In short: The Comer Foundation gave $976K across 37 grants in 2025 (avg $26K), mostly in Alabama. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 63-6004424
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $976,214
- Grants made (2025)
- 37
- Average grant
- $26,384
- Median grant
- $7,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (11 of 36, 2025)
- Total assets
- $13,941,760
- Primary geography
- Alabama (93% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The foundation’s 2024 filing lists CO 1919 Investment Counsel as the contact and calls for a letter of information and request. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$13.9M
-2.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$976K
+58.8% YoY
Grant Count
37
+37.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$26K
+15.9% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Comer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Comer Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 36 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $34K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 43% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% 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 (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is to support programs and institutions that improve access to and meaningful outcomes from primarily educational opportunities. Its giving includes scholarships and support for educational institutions, as well as other charitable purposes.
In 2025, the foundation’s grants included support for universities, community colleges, arts and cultural organizations, and education and human-service nonprofits. For example, Better Basics says it works to address children’s literacy in Central Alabama; First Light says it provides emergency shelter and housing resources to people experiencing homelessness; and the Alabama Wildlife Federation says it promotes conservation of Alabama’s wildlife and natural resources. These are the grantees’ stated missions.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 37 grants totaling $976,214. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $228,000, with a median of $7,000. It made 27 grants totaling $614,810 in 2024 and 27 grants totaling $664,079 in 2023.
The largest 2025 grants included $228,000 to Auburn University, $155,000 to the University of Alabama, and $147,000 to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The stated purposes for the first two were to support the organization and provide scholarships; the UAB grant’s stated purpose was the same. Other grants included $61,840 to Scholarship America, $43,874 to Wallace State Community College, and $37,500 each to Alabama Ballet and the Birmingham Museum of Art.
How to Apply
The foundation’s 2024 filing lists CO 1919 Investment Counsel as the contact and calls for a letter of information and request. It states that giving is not restricted to preselected organizations and that there are no restrictions on awards.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Comer Foundation
Ready to take the next step with The Comer Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says its work is in Alabama, with particular focus on Jefferson, Barbour, and Talladega counties. In 2025, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in Alabama, 6% to Minnesota, and 1% to Illinois; the reported share for North Carolina was 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $615K (2024) to $976K (2025). In 2025 it made 37 grants totaling $976K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Auburn University ($228K). Together the top 10 received $801K.
Grant Size Distribution
150 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 132 grants of 150 (88%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn University Auburn, AL | To support organization and provide scholarships | $228,000 |
| University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL | To support organization and provide scholarships | $155,000 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL | To support organization and provide scholarships | $147,000 |
| Scholarship America Saint Peter, MN | To support organization and provide scholarships | $61,840 |
| Wallace State Community College Hanceville, AL | To support organization | $43,874 |
| Alabama Ballet Birmingham, AL | To support organization | $37,500 |
| Birmingham Musuem of Art Birmingham, AL | To support organization | $37,500 |
| Alabama Archives & History Montgomery, AL | To support organization | $35,000 |
| Alabama Symphony Birmingham, AL | To support organization | $29,500 |
| BB Comer Memorial Library Sylacauga, AL | To support organization | $26,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grant total | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $976,214 | 37 |
| 2024 | $614,810 | 27 |
| 2023 | $664,079 | 27 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $13,941,760 | $14,281,452 | $13,507,728 |
| Revenue | $864,678 | $1,560,793 | $903,028 |
| Expenses | $1,192,535 | $798,904 | $821,267 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,089,249 | $691,181 | $731,736 |
| Net Investment Income | $771,232 | $1,468,697 | $822,700 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,114,510 | $1,032,325 | $896,106 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 3, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mike Goodrich as treasurer, Braxton Comer as chairman, Jim Simon as trustee, Frank Crockard as secretary, and Annie Craig as trustee.
The Comer Foundation is led by Braxton Comer, Chairman since 2025 (on filings since 2019); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Braxton Comer
Chairman
Trustee → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Jim Simon
Trustee
Trustee → President, 2024
President → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Annie Craig
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Frank Crockard
Secretary
President → Trustee, 2023
Trustee → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Mike Goodrich
Treasurer
Trustee → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Hugh C Nabers Jr. (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: Gillian C Goodrich (2019) — Trustee
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.
Contact
Application contact: Co 1919 Investment Counsel
Mailing address: 2311 Highland Ave South Ste 190, Birmingham, AL 35209
Phone: (205) 414-3350
Website: https://thecomerfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about The Comer Foundation
How much does The Comer Foundation give each year?
The Comer Foundation gave $976K across 37 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $615K across 27 grants.
What is The Comer Foundation's typical grant size?
The Comer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $7,000, and its average grant was $26,384, across 37 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Comer Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Comer Foundation give grants?
The Comer Foundation gives mostly in Alabama: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Minnesota (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Birmingham, AL (23 grants).
Does The Comer Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 37 grants with a stated purpose on The Comer Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To support organization" (30 grants) and "To support organization and provide scholarships" (4 grants).
Who are The Comer Foundation's largest grantees?
The Comer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Auburn University ($228,000), University of Alabama ($155,000) and University of Alabama at Birmingham ($147,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Comer Foundation?
The Comer Foundation reported $13.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (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 Comer Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is to support programs and institutions that improve access to and meaningful outcomes from primarily educational opportunities. Its giving includes scholarships and support for educational institutions, as well as other charitable purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Comer Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing lists CO 1919 Investment Counsel as the contact and calls for a letter of information and request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Comer Foundation's EIN?
The Comer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 63-6004424. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching The Comer Foundation by hand.
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