The Goodnight Educational Foundation is a private foundation established in 1998 and based in Cary, North Carolina. Located at 100 SAS Campus Drive, Building A, the foundation operates as a non-operating private foundation focused on philanthropic giving in education, arts and culture, and human services.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$145.0M
+0.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$8.5M
-1.9% YoY
Grant Count
34
-8.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$250K
+6.8% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Goodnight Educational reported a distributable amount of $9.2M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's giving priorities include:
- Arts and Culture
- Education (elementary, secondary, and higher education)
- Human Services
The foundation gives primarily for higher education and the arts.
Grantmaking
The foundation typically selects grantees rather than accepting unsolicited proposals. It makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
Grant Range
approximately $255,000
Average Grant
approximately $255,000
How to Apply
**
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation primarily supports projects within North Carolina, with documented giving in:
- Cary
- Chapel Hill
- Coats
- Cullowhee
- Durham
- Raleigh
- Research Triangle Park
- Siler City
Limited grants have also been distributed to organizations in Colorado.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total Assets: $144,976,793
- Total Revenue: $9,960,729
- Total Expenses: $8,585,450
- Net Income: $1.3M
Assets & Revenue (2023):
- Total Assets: $143,818,333
- Total Revenue: $5,826,421
- Total Expenses: $8,778,972
Revenue Composition (2023):
- Investment income and dividends: $6,337,686
- Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: -$511,265
Asset Growth: Total assets have grown from $40.9M in 2011 to $143.8M in 2023.
Tax Status:
- EIN: 56-6533546
- 501(c)(3) organization
- Tax-exempt since June 2000
- Required to file IRS Form 990-PF
- Contributions are tax-deductible
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $144,976,793 | $143,818,333 | $146,662,935 |
| Revenue | $9,960,729 | $5,826,421 | $6,481,834 |
| Expenses | $8,585,450 | $8,778,972 | $9,109,728 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $8,490,000 | $8,651,200 | $9,070,000 |
| Net Investment Income | $9,865,279 | $6,209,914 | $6,442,106 |
| Distributable Amount | $9,181,065 | $8,490,634 | $8,651,732 |
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 2024
Grant Size Distribution
174 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Nc Museum of Art ($5,000,000), Myfuturenc ($1,000,000), Nc Museum of History Foundation ($1,000,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| BOYS CLUB OF WAKE COUNTY INC RALEIGH, NC | UNRESTRICTED FUNDS | $25,000 |
| CARY ACADEMY CARY, NC | SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT | $565,000 |
| DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION FOR NCCAT CULLOWHEE, NC | UNRESTRICTED FUNDS | $35,000 |
| EDUCATION NC RALEIGH, NC | UNRESTRICTED FUNDS | $25,000 |
| FRIENDS OF NC STATE MUSEUM OF NS RALEIGH, NC | EDUCATORS OF EXCELLENCE FUND | $50,000 |
| LATINX EDUCATION CENTER SILER CITY, NC | SEMILLAS SUMMER CAMP AT CARY ACADEMY | $30,000 |
| LATINX EDUCATION CENTER SILER CITY, NC | 2ND SOMOS CAROLINA PROGRAM COORDINAT | $20,000 |
| MEREDITH COLLEGE RALEIGH, NC | MINORITY TEACHING SCHOLARSHIP | $25,000 |
| MYFUTURENC RALEIGH, NC | UNRESTRICTED FUNDS | $1,000,000 |
| NC BUSINESS LEADERS FOR EDUCATION CARY, NC | UNRESTRICTED FUNDS | $45,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The board of directors includes:
- James H. Goodnight
- Ann Baggett Goodnight
- Leah A. Goodnight
- Susan G. Ellis
- James A. Goodnight
- Donald R. Parker
All board members serve without compensation.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAMES H GOODNIGHT | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| ANN BAGGETT GOODNIGHT | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| LEAH A GOODNIGHT | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| SUSAN G ELLIS | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| JAMES A GOODNIGHT | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| DONALD R PARKER | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has supported several notable educational initiatives:
**Goodnight Scholarships Program** at NC State University, offering support to first-year and transfer students
The Goodnight Scholarships program offers first-year and transfer ...**Goodnight Doctoral Fellowship** launched to support graduate students
Goodnight Doctoral Fellowship Launches a New Phase of Graduate Student Support**Goodnight Distinguished Professorship in Early Literacy** established at NC State University's College of Education
Support for the **Science of Reading Initiative** through the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU)
grant Archives | North Carolina Wesleyan UniversityGrants to North Carolina Wesleyan University
grant Archives | North Carolina Wesleyan UniversitySubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Goodnight Educational fund?
The foundation's giving priorities include: • **Arts and Culture** • **Education** (elementary, secondary, and higher education) • **Human Services** The foundation gives primarily for higher education and the arts.
How do I apply for a grant from The Goodnight Educational?
**Grant Activity:** • The foundation made 29 grants in 2023 • Total giving reported at $8.49M–$8.8M annually • Individual grants have ranged from $5,000 to $3.9 million • Average grant size: approximately $255,000 • Median grant: $25,000 • The foundation has made 103 grants totaling $26.3M across available records **Recent Grants (2023):** • Cary Academy: $1,265,000 (Building Fund) • myFutureNC: $1,000,000 (Unrestricted Funds) • Friends of the NC State Museum of Natural Sciences: $450,000 (Rock…
Where does The Goodnight Educational make grants?
The foundation primarily supports projects within North Carolina, with documented giving in: • Cary • Chapel Hill • Coats • Cullowhee • Durham • Raleigh • Research Triangle Park • Siler City Limited grants have also been distributed to organizations in Colorado.
What size grants does The Goodnight Educational award?
In 2024, The Goodnight Educational awarded 34 grants totaling $8.5M — an average of about $250K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Goodnight Educational required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Goodnight Educational reported a distributable amount of $9.2M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Goodnight Educational's EIN?
The Goodnight Educational's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-6533546. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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