The March Foundation
The MARCH Foundation is a private foundation based in Plano, Texas, that supports the education of African American youth through grants and scholarships. Its website describes a broader goal of supporting aspiring youth and says the foundation’s name stands for Mutual Alliance Restoring Community Hope.
The March Foundation at a glance
In short: The March Foundation gave $126K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state Georgia. 38% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $126,192
- -44.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- -30.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,009
- -21.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,076,924
- -0.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 38% first-time grantees (8 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (34% 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 March Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing says there are no specific forms and no restrictions on awards. It identifies Elze Epps, Treasurer, as the contact for applications. The filing also says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- Open, according to the 2025 filing.
- Deadline
- Open, according to the 2025 filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Elze Epps Treasurer
Mailing address: P O Box 261936, Plano, TX 75026-1936
Phone: (404) 345-9434
Website: https://www.marchfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The March Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Frontline Innovation ($14K). Together the top 10 received $91K.
Grant Size Distribution
104 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 101 grants of 104 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Texas, and its 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. The largest shares were directed to Georgia (34%), Florida (19%), Texas (11%), Mississippi (8%), and California (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The March Foundation open to new grantees?
38%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 21 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 52% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 27% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 210% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $68K (2019) to $236K (2023). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $126K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Frontline Innovation Orlando, FL | General | $13,750 |
| First Tee of Metro Atlanta Atlanta, GA | General | $10,625 |
| Florida Am University Tallahassee, FL | General | $10,250 |
| Create Your Dreams 2026 Atlanta, GA | General | $10,000 |
| Morehouse College Atlanta, GA | General | $10,000 |
| Piney Woods Scholarship Piney Woods, MS | General | $10,000 |
| Ross Perot STEM Program Texarkana, TX | General | $8,625 |
| Bill Dickey Scholarship Assoc 2025 Phoenix, AZ | General | $7,500 |
| George Mason University Philadelphia, PA | General | $5,000 |
| Johnson STEM Activity Ctr Inc Atlanta, GA | General | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The March 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 | $1,076,924 | $195,686 | $212,514 | $126,192 | 21 | $126,192 | $40,233 | $60,091 |
| 2024 | $1,079,249 | $258,444 | $316,126 | $228,157 | 30 | $228,157 | $32,614 | $58,739 |
| 2023 | $1,155,020 | $345,740 | $317,848 | $235,847 | 20 | $235,847 | $34,817 | $54,595 |
| 2022 | $1,127,116 | $259,963 | $210,575 | $173,870 | 17 | $173,870 | $43,286 | $56,516 |
| 2021 | $1,226,148 | $233,566 | $127,903 | $109,025 | 16 | $127,903 | $32,505 | $59,659 |
| 2020 | $1,133,332 | $154,756 | $121,550 | $98,917 | 11 | — | $21,695 | $44,731 |
| 2019 | $921,210 | $170,497 | $92,367 | $67,602 | 8 | — | $26,646 | $45,452 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The March Foundation reported a distributable amount of $60K 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
The foundation says its mission is to support the education of African American youth. Its website describes support for scholarships, college readiness initiatives, after-school programs, educational enrichment camps, post-graduate fellowships, and STEM exposure for elementary and middle school students.
Its 2025 grants included colleges and universities as well as other organizations. For example, Morehouse College received $10,000; the college’s alumni association describes its mission as supporting and furthering the ideals and interests of Morehouse College. Legacy Ladies Inc. received $3,000; the organization says it works to transform the lives of disenfranchised girls through academic and experiential programs.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 21 grants totaling $126,192. Individual grants ranged from $1,000 to $13,750, with a median of $5,000. Among the largest awards were $13,750 to Frontline Innovation in Orlando, Florida; $10,625 to First Tee of Metro Atlanta; $10,250 to Florida A&M University; and $10,000 each to Create Your Dreams, Morehouse College, and Piney Woods Scholarship.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Elze Epps as Treasurer; Bruce Trotter as Chairman; Don Wofford as Secretary; Mel Smith and Morman Carmichael as Past Chairmen; James Castillo as a Founding Member; and James Winestock, William Lewis, Eric Leufroy, and Douglas Smalls as board members.
The March Foundation is led by Bruce Trotter, Chairman since 2025 (on filings since 2019); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bruce Trotter
Chairman
Board Member → Vice Chairman, 2021
Vice Chairman → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Don B. Wofford
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Douglas T. Smalls
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Elze Epps
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eric Leufroy
Board Member
Treasurer → Board Member, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James E. Castillo
Founding Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Winestock
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mel Smith
Past Chairman
Vice Chair → Chairman, 2021
Chairman → Past Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
William H. Lewis
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Morman Carmichael
Past Chairman
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Mays
Assistant Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Myron Williams
Vice Chairman
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Kenneth B. Jarvis (2019–2024) — Chairman Emeritus
- Former: Elze E. Epps Treasurer (2021–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Henry Short (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Dennis Obregon (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Garrett Wilson (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Keith Jones (2019–2020) — Past Vice Chairman
- Former: Norm Carmichael (2019–2020) — Chairman
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 March Foundation
How much does The March Foundation give each year?
The March Foundation gave $126K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $228K across 30 grants.
What is The March Foundation's typical grant size?
The March Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,009, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The March Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does The March Foundation give grants?
The March Foundation's top state is Georgia, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Florida (19%) and Texas (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Atlanta, GA (7 grants).
Does The March Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The March Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (21 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The March Foundation's largest grantees?
The March Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Frontline Innovation ($13,750), First Tee of Metro Atlanta ($10,625) and Florida Am University ($10,250), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The March Foundation?
The March Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $126K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $60K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The March Foundation fund?
The foundation says its mission is to support the education of African American youth. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The March Foundation?
The 2025 filing says there are no specific forms and no restrictions on awards. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The March Foundation's EIN?
The March Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7989378. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 9, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 23, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The March Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The March Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-march-foundation-morg_3ee74e65eeed4749badd0682e47b719a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237989378_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The March Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-march-foundation-morg_3ee74e65eeed4749badd0682e47b719a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 March 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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