The James Family Charitable
The James Family Charitable is a private foundation based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Its stated mission is to create positive change for families in need, particularly in economically disadvantaged communities, by providing donations to communities that need them.
The James Family Charitable at a glance
In short: The James Family Charitable gave $10.8M across 83 grants in 2024 (avg $130K), mostly in Pennsylvania. 52% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $10,755,158
- -10.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 83
- +7.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $129,580
- -16.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $13,000
- Total assets
- $223,182,946
- +15.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 52% first-time grantees (43 of 83, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Pennsylvania (69% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The James Family Charitable
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: C/O Silvercrest 230 Court Square, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: (434) 977-4420
Website: https://thejamesfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The James Family Charitable funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The James Family Charitable Trust ($7.3M). Together the top 10 received $9.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
390 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 282 grants of 390 (72%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, Pennsylvania received 71% of grant dollars, followed by New York at 16%, Montana and the District of Columbia at 3% each, and Washington at 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 83 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The James Family Charitable open to new grantees?
52%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 43 of 83 grantees (52%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $31K; repeat grants $235K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $21K repeat.
- 37% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+3%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 127% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $8.8M (2020) to $12.0M (2023). In 2024 it made 83 grants totaling $10.8M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The James Family Charitable Trust Jenkintown, PA | General | $7,325,000 |
| Wildlife Conservation Society Bronx, NY | General | $600,000 |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, NY | General | $332,500 |
| The Montana Council of Trout Unlimi Missoula, MT | General | $260,000 |
| University of Washington CVI Seattle, WA | General | $200,000 |
| Trey Whitfield School Brooklyn, NY | General | $150,000 |
| Environmental Integrity Project Washington, DC | General | $103,000 |
| Fabretto Children's Foundation Evanston, IL | General | $100,000 |
| American Museum of Natural History New York, NY | General | $96,650 |
| The Graduate Center Manhattan, NY | General | $75,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $223,182,946 | $42,154,998 | $11,578,725 | $10,755,158 | 83 | $15,755,158 | $40,432,744 | $12,362,804 |
| 2023 | $192,606,673 | $26,826,938 | $12,544,586 | $11,959,092 | 77 | $11,959,092 | $26,464,344 | $11,659,970 |
| 2022 | $178,324,321 | $19,077,399 | $11,903,134 | $11,415,244 | 65 | $11,415,244 | $18,770,303 | $10,892,562 |
| 2021 | $171,150,056 | $16,638,935 | $11,800,967 | $10,391,932 | 79 | $10,391,932 | $15,708,697 | $11,179,884 |
| 2020 | $166,312,088 | $7,241,890 | $9,600,787 | $8,798,991 | 86 | — | $7,353,559 | $10,116,756 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The James Family Charitable reported a distributable amount of $12.4M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s website describes its aim as supporting families in need and creating change in communities. Its 2024 grants included support for charitable, educational, cultural, and environmental organizations. For example, the James Family Charitable Trust says its mission is to support charitable, religious, and educational purposes in furtherance of the National Philanthropic Trust’s mission to increase philanthropy. The Wildlife Conservation Society describes its mission as saving wildlife and wild places through science, conservation, education, and public engagement. The Trey Whitfield School says it provides affordable and accessible education, while the Environmental Integrity Project describes its work as research and public education on environmental protection and natural-resource preservation.
Grantmaking
The largest listed grant was $7,325,000 to the James Family Charitable Trust in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Other notable grants included $600,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society, $325,000 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, $260,000 to the Montana Council of Trout Unlimited, $200,000 to the University of Washington CVI, and $150,000 to the Trey Whitfield School. The listed grants had a stated purpose of “general.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Hamilton E. James as President and Treasurer, and Amabel B. James as Vice President and Secretary.
The James Family Charitable is led by Hamilton E. James, President & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Hamilton E. James
President & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amabel B. James
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Family Charitable
How much does The James Family Charitable give each year?
The James Family Charitable gave $10.8M across 83 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $12.0M across 77 grants.
What is The James Family Charitable's typical grant size?
The James Family Charitable's median grant in 2024 was $13,000, and its average grant was $129,580, across 83 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The James Family Charitable that year got $31K on average.
Where does The James Family Charitable give grants?
The James Family Charitable gives mostly in Pennsylvania: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (21 grants), Washington, DC (6 grants), Brooklyn, NY (5 grants) and Cambridge, MA (3 grants).
Does The James Family Charitable give general operating support?
Yes: 99% of The James Family Charitable's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (82 of 83) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The James Family Charitable's largest grantees?
The James Family Charitable's largest 2024 grantees include The James Family Charitable Trust ($7,325,000), Wildlife Conservation Society ($600,000) and Metropolitan Museum of Art ($332,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 77% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The James Family Charitable?
The James Family Charitable reported $223.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $15.8M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $12.4M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The James Family Charitable fund?
The foundation’s website describes its aim as supporting families in need and creating change in communities. Its 2024 grants included support for charitable, educational, cultural, and environmental organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The James Family Charitable?
The foundation 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 Family Charitable's EIN?
The James Family Charitable's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7051493. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The James Family Charitable 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.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The James Family Charitable funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-james-family-charitable-morg_2b84ebc4d4bf4620ac219fa848aff408
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_137051493_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The James Family Charitable funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-james-family-charitable-morg_2b84ebc4d4bf4620ac219fa848aff408},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Family Charitable'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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