The James Burton Blair Family
The James Burton Blair Family is a private foundation based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In filing year 2025, it reported 11 grants totaling $121,300 to charitable organizations, including organizations in Arkansas and Minnesota.
The James Burton Blair Family at a glance
In short: The James Burton Blair Family gave $121K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Arkansas. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $121,300
- +3.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,027
- -6.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,700
- Total assets
- $1,328,281
- -2.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (1 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Arkansas (75% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The James Burton Blair Family
- 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: 1722 N College Avenue Ste 2 330, Fayetteville, AR 72703
Phone: (479) 756-2545
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The James Burton Blair Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Fayetteville Public Library Foundation ($47K). Together the top 10 received $121K.
Grant Size Distribution
43 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 39 grants of 43 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 75% of grant dollars went to recipients in Arkansas and 25% went to recipients in Minnesota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The James Burton Blair Family open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 11 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $500; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $500 first-time, $4K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 244% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $97K (2023) to $121K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $121K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville Public Library Foundation Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $47,400 |
| Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN | Unrestricted | $30,000 |
| University of Arkansas Foundation Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $20,000 |
| Kuaf Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $10,000 |
| Symphony of NW AR Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $5,000 |
| Fayetteville Public Education Foundation Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $2,700 |
| Theatresquared Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $2,500 |
| NWA Food Bank Springdale, AR | Unrestricted | $2,000 |
| Washington Regional Medical Foundation Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $1,000 |
| University of Arkansas Band Fayetteville, AR | Unrestricted | $500 |
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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 | $1,328,281 | $96,677 | $123,657 | $121,300 | 11 | $121,300 | $96,677 | $49,719 |
| 2024 | $1,355,261 | $93,576 | $120,424 | $117,750 | 10 | $117,750 | $87,576 | $48,197 |
| 2023 | $1,382,259 | $100,207 | $99,383 | $96,550 | 7 | $96,550 | $99,582 | $52,802 |
| 2022 | $1,381,585 | $100,214 | $103,892 | $101,550 | 7 | $101,550 | $96,600 | $49,270 |
| 2021 | $1,385,413 | $83,797 | $106,899 | $104,200 | 8 | $104,200 | $80,147 | $57,451 |
| 2020 | $1,408,715 | $82,738 | $114,619 | $111,400 | 10 | — | $80,488 | $47,854 |
| 2019 | $1,440,876 | $18,717 | $124,637 | $118,464 | 10 | — | $83,855 | $60,737 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The James Burton Blair Family reported a distributable amount of $50K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included a library foundation, healthcare organizations, a university foundation, arts and cultural organizations, and a food bank. The grantees describe their own work as including support for a modern public library system (Fayetteville Public Library Foundation), patient care, education and research (Mayo Clinic), support for the University of Arkansas System (University of Arkansas Foundation), healthcare improvement through philanthropy and outreach (Washington Regional Medical Foundation), and historic preservation and education (Historic Cane Hill Inc).
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 11 grants totaling $121,300. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $47,400, with a median grant of $2,700. Its largest grants included $47,400 to Fayetteville Public Library Foundation, $30,000 to Mayo Clinic, $20,000 to University of Arkansas Foundation, $10,000 to KUAF, and $5,000 to Symphony of NW AR. The filing listed each of the 11 grants as unrestricted.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Nancy Blair as president, Arden Sue Blair as secretary, and Heather Elaine Blair as vice president and treasurer.
The James Burton Blair Family is led by Nancy Blair, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Nancy Blair
President
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Arden Sue Blair
Secretary
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Heather Elaine Blair
Vice President & Treasurer
Vice President → Vice President & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: James B. Blair (2019–2024) — Vice President & Treasrer
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.
Frequently asked questions about The James Burton Blair Family
How much does The James Burton Blair Family give each year?
The James Burton Blair Family gave $121K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $118K across 10 grants.
What is The James Burton Blair Family's typical grant size?
The James Burton Blair Family's median grant in 2025 was $2,700, and its average grant was $11,027, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The James Burton Blair Family that year got $500 on average.
Where does The James Burton Blair Family give grants?
The James Burton Blair Family gives mostly in Arkansas: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Minnesota (25%). The most frequent recipient cities were Fayetteville, AR (8 grants).
Does The James Burton Blair Family give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The James Burton Blair Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The James Burton Blair Family's largest grantees?
The James Burton Blair Family's largest 2025 grantees include Fayetteville Public Library Foundation ($47,400), Mayo Clinic ($30,000) and University of Arkansas Foundation ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The James Burton Blair Family?
The James Burton Blair Family reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $121K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $50K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The James Burton Blair Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees included a library foundation, healthcare organizations, a university foundation, arts and cultural organizations, and a food bank. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The James Burton Blair Family?
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 James Burton Blair Family's EIN?
The James Burton Blair Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 71-0841498. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The James Burton Blair Family 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 4, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 2, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The James Burton Blair Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-james-burton-blair-family-morg_721fee5333304b3393ca5c8eb5ad8c34
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_710841498_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The James Burton Blair Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-james-burton-blair-family-morg_721fee5333304b3393ca5c8eb5ad8c34},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-04. 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 James Burton Blair Family'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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