The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Atlanta, GA EIN: 58-2105781

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Atlanta, Georgia. Its 2025 filing reports 11 grants totaling $123,000, including support for scholarships, mental health, a museum, public broadcasting, humane societies, and performing arts organizations.

Key facts about The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc

In short: The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc gave $123K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Georgia. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
58-2105781
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$123,000
Grants made (2025)
11
Average grant
$11,182
Median grant
$250
New grantees (estimate)
0% first-time grantees (0 of 10, 2025; small sample)
Total assets
$368,536
Primary geography
Georgia (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$369K

-3.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$123K

-30.4% YoY

Grant Count

11

-15.4% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$11K

-17.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $31K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

0%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 0 of 10 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. How we count

  • 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 424% 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.

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 grants included scholarship support to Berry College, mental health support to Skyland Trail George West Foundtn, and grants to organizations in areas including museums, public broadcasting, humane societies, and performing arts.

Berry College describes itself as a private liberal arts college that combines academic study with meaningful work experience, spiritual and moral growth, and service to others. Oglethorpe University describes its mission as teaching excellence in an inclusive learning environment and preparing students for professional success and responsible contribution to global society.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $123,000. Grant amounts ranged from $150 to $87,500, with a median grant of $250. Its largest grants were $87,500 and $20,100 to Berry College for internship and education scholarships, respectively, and $10,000 to Skyland Trail George West Foundtn for mental health. Other 2025 grants included $2,500 to Fernbank Museum of Natural History and $1,500 to Georgia Public Broadcasting.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Georgia, 1% to recipients in North Carolina, and less than 1% to recipients in Florida. Listed recipients included organizations in Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida.

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

AtlantaHighlandsMount BerryCashiersDecaturPalm CoastHagerstownJacksonvilleRoswell

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K12 grants2019 14 grants2020 14 grants2021 9 grants2022 13 grants2023 13 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $24K (2019) to $177K (2024). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $123K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Berry College: $108K across 2 grantsBerry College$108K · 2 grantsSkyland Trail George West Foundtn: $10KSkyland Trail George WestFoundtn$10KFernbank Museum of Natural History: $3KFernbank Museum of NaturalHistory$3KGeorgia Public Broadcasting: $2KGeorgia Public Broadcasting$2KOglethorpe University: $250Oglethorpe University$250DeKalb Humane Society: $250DeKalb Humane Society$250Flagler County Humance Society: $250Flagler County Humance Society$250Cashiers-Highland Humane Society: $250Cashiers-Highland HumaneSociety$250Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts: $250Martin-Lipscomb PerformingArts$250Mountain Theatre Company: $150Mountain Theatre Company$150

The largest 2025 recipient was Berry College ($108K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $123K.

Grant Size Distribution

60 grants across all recorded years

57<$50K1$50–100K2$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 60 (95%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Berry College Mount Berry, GAInternship Scholarship$87,500
Berry College Mount Berry, GAEducation Scholarship$20,100
Skyland Trail George West Foundtn Atlanta, GAMental Health$10,000
Fernbank Museum of Natural History Atlanta, GAMuseum$2,500
Georgia Public Broadcasting Atlanta, GAPublic Broadcast$1,500
Oglethorpe University Atlanta, GAEducation$250
DeKalb Humane Society Decatur, GAHumane Society$250
Flagler County Humance Society Palm Coast, FLHumane Society$250
Cashiers-Highland Humane Society Cashiers, NCHumane Society$250
Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Highlands, NCPerforming Arts$250

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants Grant count
2025 $368,536 $130,386 $144,011 $123,000 11
2024 $382,161 $24,329 $194,647 $176,750 13
2023 $552,479 $105,145 $52,061 $34,650 13
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$100K$200K$300K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$368,536$382,161$552,479
Revenue$130,386$24,329$105,145
Expenses$144,011$194,647$52,061
Qualifying Distributions$133,352$192,013$45,556
Net Investment Income$119,729$21,695$98,640
Distributable Amount$31,486$32,731$34,756

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 5, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 25, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 25, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 8, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 8, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 11, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 2, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists John B Zellars Jr as CFO and Randall Tibbals as Secretary.

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • John B Zellars Jr.

    CFO

    On filings since 2019

    5 hrs/week

    $5K (2019) → $0 (2025)

  • Randall Tibbals

    Secretary

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    $1K (2019) → $0 (2025)

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

John B Zellars Jr — CFO: $7KJohn B Zellars JrCFO$7KRandall Tibbals — Secretary: $7KRandall TibbalsSecretary$7K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $7K, to John B Zellars Jr (CFO). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Contact

Mailing address: 1139 Houston Mill Road Ne, Atlanta, GA 30329-3829
Phone: (404) 325-1147

Frequently asked questions about The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc

How much does The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc give each year?

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc gave $123K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $177K across 13 grants.

What is The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $250, and its average grant was $11,182, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc give grants?

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc gives mostly in Georgia: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Atlanta, GA (4 grants), Mount Berry, GA (2 grants) and Highlands, NC (2 grants).

Does The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Humane Society" (3 grants).

Who are The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Berry College ($107,600 across 2 grants), Skyland Trail George West Foundtn ($10,000) and Fernbank Museum of Natural History ($2,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 98% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc?

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc reported $369K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $133K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $31K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included scholarship support to Berry College, mental health support to Skyland Trail George West Foundtn, and grants to organizations in areas including museums, public broadcasting, humane societies, and performing arts. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc?

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 John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's EIN?

The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-2105781. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The John Zellars Jr Foundation Inc 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.

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