The Goodnight Educational Foundation
The Goodnight Educational Foundation is a private foundation based in Cary, North Carolina. Its 2025 filing lists grants to North Carolina charitable organizations, including museums, educational organizations, and public media.
Key facts about The Goodnight Educational Foundation
In short: The Goodnight Educational Foundation gave $9.2M across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $367K), mostly in North Carolina. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 56-6533546
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $9,180,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- Average grant
- $367,200
- Median grant
- $50,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (8 of 25, 2025)
- Total assets
- $186,368,737
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- 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. 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
$186.4M
+28.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$9.2M
+8.1% YoY
Grant Count
25
-26.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$367K
+47.1% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Goodnight Educational Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9.7M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Goodnight Educational Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 25 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $295K; repeat grants $401K. How we count
Medians: $50K first-time, $50K repeat.
- 64% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, myFutureNC describes its mission as closing gaps in educational access and promoting an education-through-workforce continuum in North Carolina. Cary Academy describes itself as a coeducational day school serving students in grades six through twelve. Student U says it empowers and equips first-generation college students in Durham Public Schools, along with their families and educators, to become leaders who transform their city.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 25 grants totaling $9,180,000. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $2,000,000, with a median of $50,000. The largest listed grants included $2,000,000 to NC Museum of History Foundation, $1,090,000 to Cary Academy, $1,050,000 to Friends of NC Museum of Natural Sciences, and $1,000,000 each to myFutureNC, NC Community College Foundation, NC Museum of Art Foundation, and PBS North Carolina. Each was listed with the purpose “charitable.”
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars listed for filing year 2025 went to recipients in North Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 25 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
170 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| NC MUSEUM OF HISTORY FOUNDATION Raleigh, NC | CHARITABLE | $2,000,000 |
| CARY ACADEMY Cary, NC | CHARITABLE | $1,090,000 |
| FRIENDS OF NC MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES Raleigh, NC | CHARITABLE | $1,050,000 |
| MYFUTURENC INC Raleigh, NC | CHARITABLE | $1,000,000 |
| NC COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION Raleigh, NC | CHARITABLE | $1,000,000 |
| NC MUSEUM OF ART FOUNDATION Raleigh, NC | CHARITABLE | $1,000,000 |
| PBS NORTH CAROLINA RTP, NC | CHARITABLE | $1,000,000 |
| NCSU FOUNDATION INC Raleigh, NC | CHARITABLE | $400,000 |
| THE YMCA OF THE TRIANGLE AREA Raleigh, NC | CHARITABLE | $100,000 |
| NC BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EDUCATION Greensboro, NC | CHARITABLE | $60,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $186,368,737 | $60,071,157 | $9,376,432 | $9,180,000 | 25 |
| 2024 | $144,976,793 | $9,960,729 | $8,585,450 | $8,490,000 | 34 |
| 2023 | $143,818,333 | $5,826,421 | $8,778,972 | $8,651,200 | 37 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $186,368,737 | $144,976,793 | $143,818,333 |
| Revenue | $60,071,157 | $9,960,729 | $5,826,421 |
| Expenses | $9,376,432 | $8,585,450 | $8,778,972 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $9,181,500 | $8,490,000 | $8,651,200 |
| Net Investment Income | $10,202,743 | $9,865,279 | $6,209,914 |
| Distributable Amount | $9,670,572 | $9,181,065 | $8,490,634 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 14, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists the following directors: James H Goodnight, Ann Baggett Goodnight, Leah A Goodnight, Susan G Ellis, James A Goodnight, and Donald R Parker.
The Goodnight Educational Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ann Baggett Goodnight
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Donald R. Parker
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James A. Goodnight
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leah A. Goodnight
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan G. Ellis
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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
Mailing address: 100 Sas Campus Drive - Bldg A A8368, Cary, NC 27513
Phone: (919) 677-8000
Frequently asked questions about The Goodnight Educational Foundation
How much does The Goodnight Educational Foundation give each year?
The Goodnight Educational Foundation gave $9.2M across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $8.5M across 34 grants.
What is The Goodnight Educational Foundation's typical grant size?
The Goodnight Educational Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $367,200, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Goodnight Educational Foundation that year got $295K on average.
Where does The Goodnight Educational Foundation give grants?
The Goodnight Educational Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Raleigh, NC (16 grants), Cary, NC (2 grants) and Durham, NC (2 grants).
Does The Goodnight Educational Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 25 grants with a stated purpose on The Goodnight Educational Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (24 grants).
Who are The Goodnight Educational Foundation's largest grantees?
The Goodnight Educational Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include NC Museum of History Foundation ($2,000,000), Cary Academy ($1,090,000) and Friends of NC Museum of Natural Sciences ($1,050,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Goodnight Educational Foundation?
The Goodnight Educational Foundation reported $186.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $9.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $9.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Goodnight Educational Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, myFutureNC describes its mission as closing gaps in educational access and promoting an education-through-workforce continuum in North Carolina. Cary Academy describes itself as a coeducational day school serving students in grades six through twelve. Student U says it empowers and equips first-generation college students in Durham Public Schools, along with their…
How do I apply for a grant from The Goodnight Educational 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 Goodnight Educational Foundation's EIN?
The Goodnight Educational Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-6533546. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Goodnight Educational Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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