The Gardner Family Foundation
The Gardner Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Fairview, North Carolina. It supports charitable organizations, with its 2024 grants going to organizations in North Carolina and four other states or jurisdictions.
The Gardner Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Gardner Family Foundation gave $100K across 18 grants in 2024 (avg $6K), mostly in North Carolina. 50% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $100,000
- +40.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 18
- +38.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $5,556
- +1.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $4,500
- Total assets
- $684,545
- -2.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (9 of 18, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (63% 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 Gardner Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 87 Clear Water Trail Rd, Fairview, NC 28730
Phone: (828) 338-0555
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Gardner Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Black Mt Home for Children ($10K). Together the top 10 received $85K.
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 79 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grants went to recipients in North Carolina (63% of grant dollars), Michigan (10%), Iowa (10%), New York (10%), and the District of Columbia (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Gardner Family Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 18 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 39% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 79% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 105% 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 $56K (2021) to $109K (2022). In 2024 it made 18 grants totaling $100K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Black Mt Home for Children Black Mountain, NC | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| Children & Family Resources Hendersonville, NC | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| Christ Community Church Montreat, NC | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| MANNA Foodbank Asheville, NC | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| PEO Mary Burnett Fund Des Moines, IA | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| Tunnel To Towers Staten Island, NY | Operational Support | $10,000 |
| Food for Fairview Fairview, NC | Operational Support | $6,000 |
| Helpmate Asheville, NC | Operational Support | $5,000 |
| Mountain Care (day care for dementia) Asheville, NC | Operational Support | $4,000 |
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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 | $684,545 | $94,215 | $113,920 | $100,000 | 18 | $102,600 | $88,315 | $97,973 |
| 2023 | $704,250 | $240,658 | $79,743 | $71,000 | 13 | $73,875 | $232,890 | $83,376 |
| 2022 | $542,687 | $347,053 | $125,991 | $109,400 | 21 | $112,250 | $333,579 | $82,341 |
| 2021 | $321,625 | $20,128 | $68,651 | $56,000 | 12 | $58,750 | $13,963 | $89,343 |
| 2020 | $370,148 | $24,315 | $99,378 | $96,500 | 15 | — | $18,103 | $72,741 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gardner Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $98K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations addressing food assistance, domestic violence, literacy, child and family services, dementia care, and other purposes. For example, Food for Fairview says its mission is to assist Fairview individuals and families experiencing financial hardship; Helpmate says it works to eliminate abuse and fear by providing safety, shelter, and support for people victimized by domestic violence; and Literacy Together says it provides free tutoring to help youth and adults meet educational goals.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation gave $100,000 through 18 grants. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median of $4,500. Its largest listed grants were $10,000 each to Black Mt Home for Children, Children & Family Resources, Christ Community Church, Hillsdale College, MANNA Foodbank, PEO Mary Burnett Fund, and Tunnel To Towers. Other listed grants included $6,000 to Food for Fairview, $5,000 to Helpmate, $4,000 to Mountain Care, and $3,000 each to Literacy Together and Root Cause Farm.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Gardner Family Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Claire Gardner
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathleen Gardner
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Donald J. Gardner (2020–2021) — President
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Gardner Family Foundation
How much does The Gardner Family Foundation give each year?
The Gardner Family Foundation gave $100K across 18 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $71K across 13 grants.
What is The Gardner Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Gardner Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $4,500, and its average grant was $5,556, across 18 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Gardner Family Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Gardner Family Foundation give grants?
The Gardner Family Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 63% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Michigan (10%) and Iowa (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Asheville, NC (4 grants), Fairview, NC (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Gardner Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Gardner Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (18 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Gardner Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Gardner Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Black Mt Home for Children ($10,000), Children & Family Resources ($10,000) and Christ Community Church ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Gardner Family Foundation?
The Gardner Family Foundation reported $685K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $103K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $98K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Gardner Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations addressing food assistance, domestic violence, literacy, child and family services, dementia care, and other purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Gardner Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Gardner Family Foundation's EIN?
The Gardner Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 65-0748998. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Gardner Family 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 Gardner Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-gardner-family-foundation-morg_bd759eea9bec408a9d53ebba26164705
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_650748998_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Gardner Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-gardner-family-foundation-morg_bd759eea9bec408a9d53ebba26164705},
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 Gardner Family 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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