The Graham Foundation

GREENVILLE, SC EIN: 57-0805774 Website

The Graham Foundation is a private family foundation based in Greenville, South Carolina, founded by Alan J. Graham and his family. Established in 1985 and tax-exempt since June 1986, the foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with a distinctive grantmaking model focused on intensive, long-term capacity-building projects with a small number of select grantees.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$48.0M

+1.7% YoY

Annual Giving

$3.1M

+31.4% YoY

Grant Count

+16.7% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$221K

+12.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Graham Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.7M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

Arts
Children's welfare
Community development
Education
Environment
Religion
Human services
Philanthropy and voluntarism

Grantmaking

The foundation makes directed grants only and does not accept unsolicited applications.

Grant Range

$13,000 to $640,000

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Primary focus on upstate South Carolina, particularly Greenville County, with some grants in North Carolina and Florida.

Grant Distribution by State

South Carolina $4.6M (47%)

North Carolina $4.4M (46%)

Florida $693K (7%)

States

Florida North Carolina South Carolina

Cities

ConesteeDurhamGreensboroGreenvilleMariettaMiamiVeniceWhitsett

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets & Revenue:

Total assets: $48,047,463 (2024)
Total revenues: $4,883,052 (2024)
Total expenses: $3,960,424 (2024)
Total liabilities: $7,120 (2023)

Annual Giving:

2024: $3,096,000
2023: $2,356,000

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$48,047,463	$47,257,757	$49,827,704
Revenue	$4,883,052	$2,110,122	$1,928,351
Expenses	$3,960,424	$3,076,797	$3,447,155
Qualifying Distributions	$3,615,182	$2,789,181	$2,876,816
Net Investment Income	$4,580,727	$1,822,506	$1,494,620
Distributable Amount	$2,729,569	$2,629,046	$2,973,422

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

55 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Peacehaven Farm Inc ($750,000), Peace Center ($700,000), Second Breath Center ($600,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
THE LONG WALK HOME Venice, FL	Operational Support	$10,000
ARTISPHERE Greenville, SC	Operational Support	$12,500
UPSTATE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS Greenville, SC	Operational Support	$36,500
CONESTEE FOUNDATION Conestee, SC	Operational Support	$71,000
METROPOLITAN ARTS COUNCIL Greenville, SC	Operational Support	$500,000
SECOND BREATH CENTER Greensboro, NC	Operational Support	$600,000
PEACEHAVEN FARM INC Whitsett, NC	Operational Support	$750,000
MIAMI TECHNICAL INSTITUTE FOUNDATION Miami, FL	Operational Support	$170,000
PEACE CENTER Greenville, SC	Operational Support	$700,000
PIEDMONT FIBERSHED-CROATAN INSTITUTE Durham, NC	Operational Support	$200,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Susan R. Lambert – Trustee Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Laura Caligan-Gilliam – Chief Strategy Officer
Stephen Lambert – Trustee
William A. Bridges – Trustee

The foundation operates with 6 employees.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

No officer/director data available.

Recent Activity

Recent developments and announcements

2023

The foundation made 12 grants in 2023 and continued active grantmaking in 2024, with significant grants to organizations including Peacehaven Farm, Peace Center, and Second Breath Center for operational support.

2025 grants to individuals - Announcements - e-flux

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Graham Foundation fund?

The Graham Foundation works to invest in initiatives that inspire, nurture, and empower people to pursue growth and improvement in their own lives and within their families, neighborhoods, and communities. The foundation's funding priorities span: • Arts • Children's welfare • Community development • Education • Environment • Religion • Human services • Philanthropy and voluntarism

How do I apply for a grant from The Graham Foundation?

**Grant Characteristics:** • Directed grants only; does not accept unsolicited applications • Grant range: $13,000 to $640,000 • Typical awards: $687 to $1,000,000 • Focus on capital/endowment campaigns and operational support grants **Recent Grant Activity:** • 2024: Total giving of $3,096,000 across multiple grants, including $750,000 to Peacehaven Farm, $700,000 to Peace Center, and $600,000 to Second Breath Center • 2023: Distributed $2,356,000 across 12 grants • Median grant amount: $85,000

Where does The Graham Foundation make grants?

Primary focus on upstate South Carolina, particularly Greenville County, with some grants in North Carolina and Florida.

What size grants does The Graham Foundation award?

In 2024, The Graham Foundation awarded 14 grants totaling $3.1M — an average of about $221K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Graham Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Graham Foundation reported a distributable amount of $2.7M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.