The John Russell Thomas Foundation
The John Russell Thomas Foundation is a private foundation, based in Eclectic, AL. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $1.0M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 7 grants totaling $175K. Net investment income was $35K.
The John Russell Thomas Foundation at a glance
In short: The John Russell Thomas Foundation gave $175K across 7 grants in 2025 (avg $25K), mostly in Alabama. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $175,000
- +204.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 7
- +40.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $25,000
- +117.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,000
- Total assets
- $1,019,655
- -12.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Alabama (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who The John Russell Thomas Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 7 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The University of Alabama ($105K). Together the top 7 received $175K.
Grant Size Distribution
40 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 39 grants of 40 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 7 itemized grants.
Cities
How The John Russell Thomas Foundation gives
- Giving grew 225% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 292% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $38K (2023) to $175K (2025). In 2025 it made 7 grants totaling $175K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL | General Support | $105,000 |
| Central Alabama Community College Childersburg, AL | General Support | $25,000 |
| Pastoral Counseling and Training Center Inc Mountain Brook, AL | General Support | $15,000 |
| Steps Ministries Birmingham, AL | General Support | $12,000 |
| Lake Martin Area United Way Alexander City, AL | General Support | $10,000 |
| Baylor School Chattanooga, TN | General Support | $5,000 |
| The Center for Executive Leadershiop Birmingham, AL | General Support | $3,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,019,655 | $49,077 | $195,401 | $175,000 | 7 | $176,750 | $35,037 | $60,599 |
| 2024 | $1,165,979 | $57,356 | $71,982 | $57,500 | 5 | $58,950 | $44,324 | $60,813 |
| 2023 | $1,221,280 | $78,424 | $56,403 | $37,800 | 6 | $37,800 | $59,821 | $57,247 |
| 2022 | $1,178,602 | $304,243 | $65,393 | $53,800 | 9 | $53,800 | $292,650 | $55,906 |
| 2021 | $1,308,123 | $19,582 | $81,554 | $74,650 | 13 | $74,650 | $17,165 | $60,805 |
| 2020 | $1,180,068 | $213,077 | $74,645 | $69,750 | 14 | — | $210,167 | $43,946 |
| 2019 | $1,115,953 | $101,045 | $162,084 | $158,800 | 14 | — | $98,493 | $53,839 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The John Russell Thomas Foundation reported a distributable amount of $61K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The John Russell Thomas Foundation is led by John J. Thomas, President & Director on every filing since 2019 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John J. Thomas
President & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 John Russell Thomas Foundation
How much does The John Russell Thomas Foundation give each year?
The John Russell Thomas Foundation gave $175K across 7 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $58K across 5 grants.
What is The John Russell Thomas Foundation's typical grant size?
The John Russell Thomas Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $12,000, and its average grant was $25,000, across 7 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The John Russell Thomas Foundation give grants?
The John Russell Thomas Foundation gives mostly in Alabama: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Birmingham, AL (2 grants).
Does The John Russell Thomas Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The John Russell Thomas Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (7 of 7) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The John Russell Thomas Foundation's largest grantees?
The John Russell Thomas Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The University of Alabama ($105,000), Central Alabama Community College ($25,000) and Pastoral Counseling and Training Center Inc ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The John Russell Thomas Foundation?
The John Russell Thomas Foundation reported $1.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $177K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $61K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What is The John Russell Thomas Foundation's EIN?
The John Russell Thomas Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 63-1214388. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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 9, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 5, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 3, 2024)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The John Russell Thomas Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The John Russell Thomas Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-john-russell-thomas-foundation-morg_af38011c93d84f30b8c0ce46e22092d2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_631214388_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The John Russell Thomas Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-john-russell-thomas-foundation-morg_af38011c93d84f30b8c0ce46e22092d2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 John Russell Thomas 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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