The Kooken Family Foundation
The Kooken Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It made 15 grants totaling $37,000 in 2025, supporting charitable organizations with purposes including church organ repairs, staff IT hardware, employment training, the arts, and hurricane recovery in western North Carolina.
The Kooken Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Kooken Family Foundation gave $37K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in North Carolina. 53% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $37,000
- -9.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +114.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,467
- -57.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $996,417
- +47.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (8 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (95% 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 Kooken Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s filing says a letter of request should state the need for the grant and the purposes for which the funds will be used. It says there are no restrictions or limitations on awards. The filing states that applications may be made at any time during the year.
- Review Cycle
- The filing states that applications must be submitted at least three days before a further date or event, but the stated deadline text is incomplete.
- Deadline
- The filing states that applications must be submitted at least three days before a further date or event, but the…
- Contact
Application contact: Ruth D Kooken
Mailing address: 227 W Fifth Street 1, Winstonsalem, NC 27101
Phone: (336) 407-8236
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Kooken Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Augsburg Lutheran Church ($5K). Together the top 10 received $29K.
Grant Size Distribution
55 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 55 grants of 55 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina and 5% to recipients in South Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Kooken Family Foundation open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 15 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 13% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $35K (2020) to $41K (2024). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $37K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Augsburg Lutheran Church Winston-Salem, NC | To Help Fund Church Organ Repairs | $5,000 |
| Pivot Ministry Inc Winston-Salem, NC | To Help Purchase Staff It Hardware | $4,000 |
| The Dwelling Winston-Salem, NC | To Sponsor Leadership Winston-Salem | $3,000 |
| Musical Empowerment Durham, NC | To Support General Operations | $3,000 |
| Goodwill Industries of Winston-Salem, NC | To Support Prof Center Program | $3,000 |
| Lutheran Disaster Response Salisbury, NC | For Hurricane Helene Relief West NC | $3,000 |
| Arts for Life Asheville, NC | To Support General Operations | $2,000 |
| Heart Math Tutoring Charlotte, NC | To Support General Operations | $2,000 |
| Cancer Services Winston-Salem, NC | To Support General Operations | $2,000 |
| Wusc-FM Radio Columbia, SC | For Public Radio General Operations | $2,000 |
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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 | $996,417 | $369,933 | $47,776 | $37,000 | 15 | $37,000 | $106,350 | $38,649 |
| 2024 | $675,403 | $59,098 | $53,284 | $41,000 | 7 | $41,000 | $50,083 | $33,533 |
| 2023 | $669,754 | $24,151 | $46,449 | $37,800 | 7 | $37,800 | $15,750 | $31,868 |
| 2022 | $691,973 | $37,098 | $50,252 | $38,500 | 10 | $38,500 | $25,487 | $33,151 |
| 2021 | $705,301 | $101,832 | $48,468 | $38,500 | 16 | $38,500 | $92,498 | $38,483 |
| 2020 | $652,193 | $47,539 | $45,207 | $35,400 | 13 | — | $39,074 | $33,445 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Kooken Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $39K 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 show support for organizations working in areas such as the arts, education, health, social services, public radio, and disaster relief. These examples describe grantees’ work, not a stated foundation mission: Musical Empowerment says it pairs children with college mentors to expand equitable access to music education; Heart Math Tutoring says it helps elementary students build math foundations and academic enthusiasm through volunteer tutors; Cancer Services says its mission is to enhance health, life, and survivorship for people living with cancer; and Arts For Life says it supports pediatric patients and families through arts education and engagement.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $37,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $5,000, with a median of $2,000. It reported 7 grants totaling $41,000 in 2024 and 7 totaling $37,800 in 2023.
Among the listed 2025 awards, the largest was $5,000 to Augsburg Lutheran Church for church organ repairs. Other awards included $4,000 to Pivot Ministry for staff IT hardware; $3,000 each to The Dwelling for Leadership Winston-Salem, Musical Empowerment for general operations, Goodwill Industries for its Professional Center program, and Lutheran Disaster Response for Hurricane Helene relief in western North Carolina. The foundation also awarded $2,000 each to Arts For Life, Heart Math Tutoring, Cancer Services, WUSC-FM Radio, Sawtooth School for Visual Arts, and PBS North Carolina for the purposes stated in the filing.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Keith R Kooken as president; Ruth D Kooken as secretary-treasurer; Kevin L Kooken as vice president; and Katherine K Carr, Kelly K Hane, Kara Kooken, Dreier Carr, Anna Marie Carr-Reinhard, Grace Kooken, and Speight Carr as directors.
The Kooken Family Foundation is led by Keith R. Kooken, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 21 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Keith R. Kooken
President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Dreier Carr
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Grace Kooken
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Katherine K. Carr
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kelly K. Hane
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kevin L. Kooken
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Nichole Carr
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ruth D. Kooken
Sec-Treas & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Speight Carr
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Anna Marie Carr-Reinhard
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Banks Kooken
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
David Carr
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
David Hane
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Eliza Carr
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Ellen Cochran
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Frances Cochran
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Kara Kooken
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Keitt Hane
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Maria Kooken
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Porter Hane
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Robert Reinhard
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Anna Marie Carr (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Kara K. Cochran (2020–2023) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Kooken Family Foundation
How much does The Kooken Family Foundation give each year?
The Kooken Family Foundation gave $37K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $41K across 7 grants.
What is The Kooken Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Kooken Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,467, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Kooken Family Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does The Kooken Family Foundation give grants?
The Kooken Family Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was South Carolina (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Winston-Salem, NC (7 grants) and Asheville, NC (2 grants).
Does The Kooken Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 53% of The Kooken Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Kooken Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Kooken Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Augsburg Lutheran Church ($5,000), Pivot Ministry Inc ($4,000) and The Dwelling ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Kooken Family Foundation?
The Kooken Family Foundation reported $996K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $37K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $39K (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 Kooken Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas such as the arts, education, health, social services, public radio, and disaster relief. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Kooken Family Foundation?
The foundation’s filing says a letter of request should state the need for the grant and the purposes for which the funds will be used. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Kooken Family Foundation's EIN?
The Kooken Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-1938062. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 8, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
Live grants for the work The Kooken Family Foundation funds
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Figures come from The Kooken Family 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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