The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation is a private foundation based in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations working in areas including disaster relief, children’s health and welfare, military and veteran support, and trails and outdoor recreation.
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation at a glance
In short: The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation gave $848K across 31 grants in 2025 (avg $27K), top state North Carolina. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $848,000
- -18.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 31
- +14.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $27,355
- -29.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $19,208,409
- +4.2% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (46% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Garrett Family Ever Forward 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: 600 Miller Court, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
Phone: (336) 667-5110
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Samaritans Purse ($180K). Together the top 10 received $593K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 76 grants of 96 (79%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 46% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina, 14% to Tennessee, 12% to Maryland, 8% to New York, and 7% to Colorado. Its grants also included recipients in California and Louisiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation gives
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 91% 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 (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 $160K (2020) to $1.0M (2022). In 2025 it made 31 grants totaling $848K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Samaritans Purse Boone, NC | Disaster Relief | $180,000 |
| St Jude Children's Research Hospital Memphis, TN | General Support | $75,000 |
| Tenth Mountain Division Hut Aspen, CO | General Support | $63,000 |
| Fisher House Foundation Inc Rockville, MD | General Support | $50,000 |
| Mikeroweworks Foundation Santa Monica, CA | General Support | $50,000 |
| United Cajun Navy Baton Rouge, LA | Hurricane Helene Relief | $50,000 |
| Gary Sinise Foundation Nashville, TN | Parade & Community Outreach | $40,000 |
| Black Mountain Home for Children Black Mountain, NC | General Support | $35,000 |
| American Cancer Society Hagerstown, MD | General Support | $25,000 |
| Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Winston-Salem, NC | General Support | $25,000 |
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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 | $19,208,409 | $2,385,457 | $1,004,432 | $848,000 | 31 | $869,062 | $1,766,768 | $950,257 |
| 2024 | $18,442,114 | $1,653,014 | $1,171,083 | $1,041,000 | 27 | $1,060,996 | $1,168,782 | $932,189 |
| 2022 | $19,103,565 | $526,777 | $1,172,624 | $1,047,000 | 14 | $1,066,794 | $420,947 | $959,127 |
| 2021 | $19,752,666 | $1,866,868 | $1,008,591 | $817,300 | 12 | $839,959 | $1,758,671 | $1,093,130 |
| 2020 | $18,877,843 | $554,147 | $269,233 | $160,000 | 12 | — | $6,411,516 | $851,829 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation reported a distributable amount of $950K 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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with a range of charitable missions. Samaritan’s Purse describes its work as providing spiritual and physical aid to people affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says it advances cures and prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Fisher House Foundation describes its work as supporting service members, veterans, and their families, including through facilities that provide temporary housing.
Other 2025 grantees include United Cajun Navy, which says it provides disaster and other relief services to communities affected by catastrophic weather; Gary Sinise Foundation, which supports military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their families; Black Mountain Home for Children, whose stated mission is to care for children, youth, and families; American Cancer Society, which works in cancer advocacy, research, and patient support; and Elkin Valley Trails Association, which works to build and promote a network of multiuse trails.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 31 grants totaling $848,000 in 2025. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $180,000, with a median grant of $20,000. It reported 27 grants totaling $1,041,000 in 2024 and 14 grants totaling $1,047,000 in 2022.
Among its largest 2025 grants were $180,000 to Samaritan’s Purse for disaster relief; $75,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for general support; $63,000 to Tenth Mountain Division Hut for general support; $50,000 each to Fisher House Foundation and Mikeroweworks Foundation for general support; and $50,000 to United Cajun Navy for Hurricane Helene relief.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation is led by Leasa Felts Garrett, Director on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Leasa Felts Garrett
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: John Keith Garrett (2020–2022) — Director
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 Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation
How much does The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation give each year?
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation gave $848K across 31 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.0M across 27 grants.
What is The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's typical grant size?
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $27,355, across 31 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation give grants?
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's top state is North Carolina, with 46% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Tennessee (14%) and Maryland (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Raleigh, NC (6 grants), Rockville, MD (2 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Peachtree Corners, GA (2 grants).
Does The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 87% of The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (27 of 31) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's largest grantees?
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Samaritans Purse ($180,000), St Jude Children's Research Hospital ($75,000) and Tenth Mountain Division Hut ($63,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation?
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation reported $19.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $869K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $950K (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 Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with a range of charitable missions. Samaritan’s Purse describes its work as providing spiritual and physical aid to people affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. St. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Garrett Family Ever Forward 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 Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's EIN?
The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2570406. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Garrett Family Ever Forward 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-garrett-family-ever-forward-foundation-morg_b3a5d602824a4809a32c9ef1d768a3cb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_832570406_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-garrett-family-ever-forward-foundation-morg_b3a5d602824a4809a32c9ef1d768a3cb},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Garrett Family Ever Forward 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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