The High Country Charitable Foundation
The High Country Charitable Foundation is a public charity listed in IRS filing data with a location in Wellington, Florida. The organization says it supports community agencies serving Avery County, North Carolina, including agencies assisting people, families, and animals.
The High Country Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: The High Country Charitable Foundation reported $422K in grants paid in 2025 (a total; its filing lists no individual grants). 9% of 2022 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Grants paid (2025)
- $422,351 — reported as a total on the IRS filing, without an itemized list
- -17.9% vs 2024
- Total assets
- $4,692,815
- +8.8% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $892,642
- -2.4% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $422,397
- +357.1% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $620,648
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The High Country Charitable Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The website says 2026 grant applications are closed. It does not provide application materials or a process in the available information.
- Review Cycle
- No deadline is stated.
- Deadline
- No deadline is stated.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2767 S State Road 7, Wellington, FL 33414
Phone: (828) 898-4160
Website: https://highcountryfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The High Country Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 47 grants of 49 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated focus is Avery County, North Carolina. Its 2022 grant announcement said funded projects had to take place in Avery County. The IRS filing data lists the foundation’s location as Wellington, Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is The High Country Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2022
In 2022, 2 of 23 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $48K; repeat grants $17K. How we count
Medians: $48K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 87% of 2022 grantees were also funded in 2021. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2022). 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 $205K (2023) to $514K (2024). In 2025 it reported $422K in grants paid, as a total without an itemized list.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding Avery Families Inc Banner Elk, NC | Cash Grant | $90,000 |
| Linville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Linville, NC | Cash Grant | $36,855 |
| Avery County Humane Society Newland, NC | Cash Grant | $30,000 |
| Oasis Inc Boone, NC | Cash Grant | $30,000 |
| Avery County Habitat for Humanity Newland, NC | Cash Grant | $25,000 |
| Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk Foundationavery High Key Club Banner Elk, NC | Cash Grant | $20,000 |
| Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation Linville, NC | Cash Grant | $19,000 |
| Lees-McRae Colleg Banner Elk, NC | Cash Grant | $15,000 |
| High Country Caregivers Boone, NC | Cash Grant | $15,000 |
| Mediation & Restorative Justice Center Boone, NC | Cash Grant | $15,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Amounts below are from IRS filing data.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,692,815 | $892,642 | $620,648 | $422,351 | Total only | $422,397 |
| 2024 | $4,313,319 | $914,767 | $663,957 | $514,394 | Total only | $92,398 |
| 2023 | $3,455,351 | $843,937 | $281,593 | $205,000 | Total only | $512,465 |
| 2022 | $2,895,118 | $-378,992 | $718,586 | $451,524 | 24 | $-937,900 |
| 2021 | $4,014,357 | $3,625,762 | $491,156 | $405,395 | 25 | $17,692 |
| 2020 | $860,483 | $948,476 | $574,930 | $278,155 | 16 | $11,800 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated vision is to provide for people and animals in need in Avery County by supporting local public charities and other private foundations. Its website describes its mission as empowering people in need by supporting community agencies that provide essential services.
Examples of grantees’ stated missions illustrate the range of organizations it supports. Feeding Avery Families says it provides food at no cost to people in need in Avery County. Avery County Humane Society says it responds to animals’ needs through shelter, rabies clinics, low-cost spay/neuter access, and other services. Community Care Clinic says it provides health care to low-income people without insurance. These are the grantees’ missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s website reports that it fulfilled grant requests totaling $317,500 in 2025 for local organizations serving people and animals in Avery County. In 2022, a foundation announcement said it awarded grants to 34 local nonprofit organizations, totaling more than $580,000. The announcement said recipients had to be nonprofits located in Avery County and operating for at least two years; grant funds had to support the specified project in Avery County.
Examples of 2022 grants listed in the filing data include $90,000 to Feeding Avery Families, $30,000 to Avery County Humane Society, $15,000 to WAMY Community Action, $12,000 each to Community Care Clinic and Blue Ridge Partnership for Children, and $6,500 to The Hill Center. These amounts are individual grants, not a complete list of 2022 awards. No typical grant size is stated.
The 2025 IRS filing data lists a grant count of zero; the foundation’s website separately reports its 2025 grant-request total above.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James J. Ward as Chairman and the following directors: Barry Blake, James Ferguson, Bob Moss, Stan Kirschner, Nick Fiorella, Jim Plettner, Susan Dougherty, Greg Feldman, and Janet Sayre.
The High Country Charitable Foundation is led by James J. Ward III, Chairman on every filing since 2020; none of the 14 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James J. Ward III
Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Barry Blake
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Moss
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Ferguson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jim Plettner
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nick Fiorella
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stan Kirschner
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Greg Feldman
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Janet Sayre
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jim Swinkola
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stefan Smith
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Dougherty
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ben Loebner
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Hackney
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (12)
- Former: Marty Herndon (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Deborah Cooper (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Barbara Smith (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Bonnie Huff (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Delbert Williamson (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Florio Abbate (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Ginny Burton (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: John Brabson (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: John Cb Smith (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Katherine Church (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Phil Myers (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Terry Ward (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 High Country Charitable Foundation
How much does The High Country Charitable Foundation give each year?
The High Country Charitable Foundation reported $422K in grants paid in 2025 on its 2025 IRS Form 990, as a total without an itemized list of grants. In 2024 it reported $514K in grants paid.
How large is The High Country Charitable Foundation?
The High Country Charitable Foundation reported $4.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $893K.
What does The High Country Charitable Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated vision is to provide for people and animals in need in Avery County by supporting local public charities and other private foundations. Its website describes its mission as empowering people in need by supporting community agencies that provide essential services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The High Country Charitable Foundation?
The website says 2026 grant applications are closed. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does The High Country Charitable Foundation make grants?
The foundation’s stated focus is Avery County, North Carolina. Its 2022 grant announcement said funded projects had to take place in Avery County. The IRS filing data lists the foundation’s location as Wellington, Florida.
What is The High Country Charitable Foundation's EIN?
The High Country Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3891153. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 20, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Figures come from The High Country Charitable 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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