What does The James Family Charitable fund?

The foundation's mission is to create positive change for families in need, particularly those in economically disadvantaged communities, and to facilitate creating change in communities that need it most. Primary funding focus areas include: • Environmental conservation • Education • Arts and culture • Health • Wildlife conservation The foundation's giving is deeply tied to the family's personal involvement, with grants typically flowing to organizations where the James family serves as truste…

How do I apply for a grant from The James Family Charitable?

**Grant Activity:** • Made 98 grants in 2024 • Typical grant range: $25,000 to $7.6 million • Median grant amount: $13,000–$20,000 • Total giving in 2024: approximately $10.4–$12 million **Recent Grant Recipients (2023–2024):** • Wildlife Conservation Society: $600,000–$1 million • Metropolitan Museum of Art: $325,000 • Trey Whitfield School: $150,000 • Partnership for Education Advancement: $718,000 • Trout Unlimited: $315,000 • American University of Beirut: $305,000 • MIT Nano Director Discr…

The James Family Charitable

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA EIN: 13-7051493 Website

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

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The James Family Charitable Foundation is a private foundation established in 1994 and based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The foundation was created as the philanthropic vehicle of Hamilton E. James and Amabel B. James. The foundation focuses on creating positive change for families in need, particularly those in economically disadvantaged communities.

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$223.5M

+16.1% YoY

Annual Giving

$10.4M

-13.1% YoY

Grant Count

-13.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$155K

-0.1% YoY

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

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's mission is to create positive change for families in need, particularly those in economically disadvantaged communities, and to facilitate creating change in communities that need it most.

Primary funding focus areas include:

Environmental conservation
Education
Arts and culture
Health
Wildlife conservation

The foundation's giving is deeply tied to the family's personal involvement, with grants typically flowing to organizations where the James family serves as trustees or maintains longstanding relationships.

Grantmaking

The foundation indicates it only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited applications for funds. There is no public application process.

Grant Range

$25,000 to $7.6 million

How to Apply

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grantmaking focuses nationally across the United States, with particular emphasis on institutions where the family has personal involvement. Notable geographic areas of activity include New York, the District of Columbia, and Montana.

Grant Distribution by State

Pennsylvania $7.4M (41%)

New York $6.4M (35%)

District of Columbia $1.0M (6%)

Massachusetts $579K (3%)

Montana $467K (3%)

Connecticut $340K (2%)

Maryland $256K (1%)

Washington $220K (1%)

+23 more states

Cities

AlexandriaArlingtonAtlantaAvondaleBaltimoreBeah LakeBelmontBoca RatonBostonBronxBrooklynBrooklyn HeightsBrownsvilleCalaisCallawayCambridgeCarol StreamCharlottesvilleCheboyganChicago

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets & Giving (2024):

Total assets: $223.5 million
Total revenues: $42.2 million
Total expenses: $11.2 million
Total giving: $10.4 million

Asset Growth:

2024: $223.5 million
2023: $178.3 million
2022: $171.2 million

Revenue Composition (2024):

Grants and contributions: $24.9 million
Investment income and dividends: $7.1 million
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: $10.2 million

Staffing: The foundation operates with limited staffing, relying primarily on volunteer leadership from Hamilton E. James and Amabel B. James.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$223,543,809	$192,606,673	$178,324,321
Revenue	$42,154,998	$26,826,938	$19,077,399
Expenses	$11,217,862	$12,544,586	$11,903,134
Qualifying Distributions	$10,394,295	$11,959,092	$11,415,244
Net Investment Income	$40,432,744	$26,464,344	$18,770,303
Distributable Amount	$12,426,419	$11,659,970	$10,892,562

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

250 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Board Members:

Hamilton E. James – President & Treasurer (0.25 hours/week, no compensation)
Amabel B. James – Vice President & Secretary (0.25 hours/week, no compensation)

Hamilton E. James is the former Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of The Blackstone Group, where he worked from 2002 until his retirement in 2021. He serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (as Co-Chair since 2021), Wildlife Conservation Society, Trout Unlimited, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.