The Jolley Foundation
The Jolley Foundation is a small family foundation based in Greenville that works to advance collective efforts to eliminate the root causes and effects of poverty and discrimination, with an emphasis on racial equity. The foundation takes a grassroots approach to funding, prioritizing proximity and community partnership in its grantmaking decisions.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$32.0M
+4.8% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.2M
-8.4% YoY
Grant Count
89
+4.7% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$36K
-12.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Jolley Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.9M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission centers on addressing systemic poverty and discrimination through collaborative community investment. Rather than confining funding to specific categories, the foundation allows community needs to guide its work.
Key focus areas include:
- Education and capacity building for nonprofit organizations
- Advocacy and policy change addressing systemic inequities
- Neighborhood development
- Grassroots organizing to amplify community voices
- Programs supporting children and families, particularly those addressing educational access, health equity, and financial stability
- Mental health care programs (evidenced by recent grantmaking)
The foundation emphasizes supporting organizations working at a systemic level to create sustainable solutions to historically intractable problems.
Grantmaking
The foundation supports programs, projects, and organizations through multiple funding strategies designed to advance its mission of eliminating root causes of poverty and discrimination.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation focuses on the greater Greenville community and surrounding areas.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $31,993,430 | $30,530,881 | $32,921,437 |
| Revenue | $4,932,510 | $1,531,035 | $1,858,621 |
| Expenses | $3,723,740 | $4,103,683 | $5,288,677 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $3,344,308 | $3,687,856 | $4,903,860 |
| Net Investment Income | $4,660,814 | $1,193,667 | $1,377,426 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,879,411 | $1,836,809 | $1,988,151 |
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
249 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Jolley Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include mill community ministries ($150,000), Community Foundation of Greenville ($123,000), Furman University ($100,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| A Childs Haven Inc Greenville, SC | Providing medical support/education | $10,000 |
| Abundance Capital Greenville, SC | General Operations | $30,000 |
| Alianza Hispana Hispanic Alliance Greenville, SC | General Operations | $70,000 |
| American cancer society Atlanta, GA | General Operations | $35,000 |
| American civil liberties union of New York, NY | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Augustine Literacy Project of the upstate Greenville, SC | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Best skills academy Greenville, SC | General Operations | $20,000 |
| Beyond Housing SC Greenville, SC | General Operations | $45,000 |
| Bold leadership network Greenville, SC | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Brooklyn Institute of Arts and sciences brooklyn, NY | General Operations | $10,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Meliah Bowers Jefferson — Executive Director
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
No officer/director data available.
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation provided a $1.5 million grant to support Prisma Health's mental health care programs
Jolley Foundation's $1.5M grant bolsters Prisma Health's ...The foundation awarded a $1.5 million grant to UofSC School of Medicine Greenville
Jolley Foundation's $1.5M grant bolsters Prisma Health's ...The JOLT News Organization received one of the first Press Forward grants with foundation support
The JOLT to receive one of the first Press Forward grants | The JOLT NewsThe foundation has engaged with Greater Good Greenville in seminars discussing trust-based philanthropy approaches
Frequently Asked Questions
What does The Jolley Foundation fund?
The foundation's mission centers on addressing systemic poverty and discrimination through collaborative community investment. Rather than confining funding to specific categories, the foundation allows community needs to guide its work. Key focus areas include: • **Education and capacity building** for nonprofit organizations • **Advocacy and policy change** addressing systemic inequities • **Neighborhood development** • **Grassroots organizing** to amplify community voices • **Programs suppor…
How do I apply for a grant from The Jolley Foundation?
The foundation supports programs, projects, and organizations through multiple funding strategies designed to advance its mission of eliminating root causes of poverty and discrimination. **Recent Grants:** • $1.5 million grant to Prisma Health for mental health care programs • $1.5 million grant to UofSC School of Medicine Greenville • Support for The JOLT News Organization through Press Forward grants • Mini-grants to support Randolph College interns The foundation invests a percentage of its…
Where does The Jolley Foundation make grants?
The foundation focuses on the greater Greenville community and surrounding areas.
What size grants does The Jolley Foundation award?
In 2024, The Jolley Foundation awarded 89 grants totaling $3.2M — an average of about $36K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is The Jolley Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Jolley Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.9M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is The Jolley Foundation's EIN?
The Jolley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 57-6024996. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Jolley Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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