The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation is a private foundation based in Irvington, Virginia. Its 2025 filing reports 16 grants totaling $494,000 to charitable organizations, with recipients in Virginia and Ohio.
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation at a glance
In short: The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation gave $494K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), mostly in Virginia. 75% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $494,000
- +101.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- +45.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,875
- +38.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $24,100
- Total assets
- $11,863,109
- +4.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 75% first-time grantees (12 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (88% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 10912 Westek Drive, Richmond, VA 23233
Phone: (804) 514-4958
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Children's Home Society of VA ($80K). Together the top 10 received $408K.
Grant Size Distribution
42 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 38 grants of 42 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia (88%) and Ohio (12%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation open to new grantees?
75%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 16 grantees (75%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $35K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $32K first-time, $18K repeat.
- 13% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 658% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 88% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $34K (2019) to $494K (2025). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $494K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Home Society of VA Richmond, VA | General Support | $80,000 |
| BSMH Foundation Cincinnati, OH | General Support | $60,000 |
| Read RVA Richmond, VA | General Support | $45,000 |
| Full Circle Grief Center Richmond, VA | General Support | $45,000 |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond Richmond, VA | General Support | $45,000 |
| RAL Art League Kilmarnock, VA | General Support | $38,000 |
| Tri-Hope Ministries Chesterfield, VA | General Support | $25,700 |
| Sons of the American Revolution Richard Lee Chapter Irvington, VA | General Support | $25,500 |
| St Francis Manchester Richmond, VA | General Support | $22,700 |
| Cover One Foundation Ridge, VA | General Support | $20,800 |
Ready to take the next step with The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation?
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 | $11,863,109 | $986,520 | $715,575 | $494,000 | 16 | $534,156 | $548,557 | $604,928 |
| 2024 | $11,400,969 | $4,637,264 | $387,301 | $245,000 | 11 | $246,900 | $3,584,386 | $520,667 |
| 2023 | $10,129,109 | $9,193,558 | $94,086 | $61,200 | 6 | $63,154 | $72,654 | $219,153 |
| 2022 | $1,029,637 | $375,864 | $84,795 | $65,200 | 4 | $65,475 | $298,732 | $61,535 |
| 2021 | $738,568 | $126,648 | $64,053 | $48,800 | 5 | $49,642 | $112,237 | $65,350 |
| 2020 | $675,973 | $63,535 | $58,722 | $39,200 | 4 | — | $7,024 | $58,802 |
| 2019 | $671,270 | $81,203 | $46,095 | $33,880 | 8 | — | $9,535 | $45,379 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation reported a distributable amount of $605K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
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 support for organizations whose own stated work includes grief counseling and education, nature-based learning, and addiction-recovery education and resources. For example, Full Circle Grief Center says it provides counseling, support groups, and education to families grieving the death of a loved one; Virginia Living Museum says it connects people to nature through educational programs and exhibits; and 2 End the Stigma says it educates about addiction recovery and connects individuals and families with resources and community programming.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 16 grants totaling $494,000. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $80,000, with a median of $24,100. Notable grants included $80,000 to Children’s Home Society of VA, $60,000 to BSMH Foundation, $45,000 each to Read RVA, Full Circle Grief Center, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Richmond, and $38,000 to RAL Art League. The listed grants were for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kathy Rhodes as president, Amy A Summerset as secretary, Laura Metz as director, and Betty Enright as treasurer.
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation is led by Kathy Z. Rhodes, President since 2025 (on filings since 2019); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kathy Z. Rhodes
President
Director & President → President, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura Metz
Director
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amy A. Summersett
Secretary
Director & S → Director & Secretary, 2021
Director & Secretary → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Betty Enright
Treasurer
Director & Treasurer → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Joseph M. Ruffin Jr. (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Nelly W. C. McCarty (2019) — Director
- Former: Robert T. C. Cone (2019) — Director
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 Joseph M Ruffin Foundation
How much does The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation give each year?
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation gave $494K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $245K across 11 grants.
What is The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation's typical grant size?
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $24,100, and its average grant was $30,875, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation that year got $35K on average.
Where does The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation give grants?
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Ohio (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Richmond, VA (6 grants).
Does The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (16 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation's largest grantees?
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Children's Home Society of VA ($80,000), BSMH Foundation ($60,000) and Read RVA ($45,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation?
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation reported $11.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $534K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $605K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations whose own stated work includes grief counseling and education, nature-based learning, and addiction-recovery education and resources. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation?
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 Joseph M Ruffin Foundation's EIN?
The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-3656750. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation 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.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 31, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 31, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 19, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 20, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-joseph-m-ruffin-foundation-morg_7fe8d84d84674c3eb8e94cfbbfa83316
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_463656750_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Joseph M Ruffin Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-joseph-m-ruffin-foundation-morg_7fe8d84d84674c3eb8e94cfbbfa83316},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Joseph M Ruffin 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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