The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund is a private foundation based in Greensboro, North Carolina. It provides basic-needs funding for health, education, and shelter, and states that it does not fund bricks-and-mortar projects.
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund at a glance
In short: The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund gave $319K across 34 grants in 2024 (avg $9K), mostly in North Carolina. 15% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $318,592
- -4.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 34
- -17.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $9,370
- +15.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $8,750
- Total assets
- $5,908,317
- +7.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 15% first-time grantees (5 of 33, 2024)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (68% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund
- How to Apply
-
Submit a written proposal with a copy of the IRS exemption letter. The filing describes funding for basic needs—health, education, and shelter—and says domestic grants support programs that affect North Carolina, with Guilford County programs preferred. It also states that grants to individuals are extremely rare and subject to the restrictions above.
- Review Cycle
- The filing lists August 31 of each calendar year. The August 31, 2026 deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The filing lists August 31 of each calendar year.
- Contact
Application contact: Mary Lynn Richardson Fund Piedmont
Mailing address: P O Box 20124, Greensboro, NC 27420
Phone: (336) 274-5471
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Bon Samaritain Mission Haiti ($27K). Together the top 10 received $167K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($1,450), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
189 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 189 grants of 189 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The fund’s filing states that half of available funds go to foreign 501(c)(3) organizations and half to domestic 501(c)(3) organizations. Domestic grants support organizations whose programs impact North Carolina, with a preference for Guilford County. In 2024, grant dollars by recipient state were distributed as follows: North Carolina 68%, Florida 8%, Delaware 6%, New York 6%, and Oregon 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund open to new grantees?
15%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 5 of 33 grantees (15%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $10K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 76% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−1%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 98% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $312K (2020) to $369K (2022). In 2024 it made 34 grants totaling $319K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bon Samaritain Mission Haiti St Cloud, FL | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $26,892 |
| Anne K Taylor Fund Raleigh, NC | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $25,000 |
| Justice Defenders Claymont, DE | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $20,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders USA Inc New York, NY | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $20,000 |
| Medical Teams International Portland, OR | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $16,892 |
| Salvation Army Greensboro, NC | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $14,158 |
| Hearts and Hands for Haiti Raleigh, NC | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $12,000 |
| Seed Programs Inc Asheville, NC | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $12,000 |
| Family Room Foster Care Resource Center Greensboro, NC | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $10,000 |
| Family Service of the Piedmont Inc Jamestown, NC | To assist organization in carrying out its exempt purpose. | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,908,317 | $237,743 | $371,419 | $318,592 | 34 | $339,418 | $673,856 | $345,353 |
| 2023 | $5,484,829 | $220,414 | $377,165 | $331,804 | 41 | $351,043 | $115,482 | $319,968 |
| 2022 | $5,795,894 | $170,823 | $428,482 | $369,262 | 37 | $388,714 | $54,886 | $334,551 |
| 2021 | $6,141,188 | $212,008 | $378,127 | $321,100 | 41 | $341,475 | $623,919 | $388,675 |
| 2020 | $5,768,927 | $185,702 | $361,189 | $311,600 | 36 | — | $88,897 | $337,092 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund reported a distributable amount of $345K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The fund’s filing describes its funding areas as health, education, and shelter. Its 2024 grants included organizations whose own missions cover a range of work. For example, Hearts and Hands for Haiti says it supports education and assistance for youth and families in Haiti; Greensboro Urban Ministry says it offers food, shelter, and solutions to neighbors in need; and Family Service of the Piedmont says it provides support services, advocacy, and education to help individuals and families achieve stability.
Other 2024 recipients included Justice Defenders, which says it provides legal education, training, and practice in defenseless communities, and Seed Programs Inc, which says it provides seeds, expertise, and training materials to humanitarian organizations working to alleviate hunger and poverty.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the fund made 34 grants totaling $318,592. Grants ranged from $1,450 to $26,892, with a median grant of $8,750. Among the largest awards were $26,892 to Bon Samaritain Mission Haiti, $25,000 to the Anne K Taylor Fund, $20,000 each to Justice Defenders and Doctors Without Borders USA, and $16,892 to Medical Teams International. The stated purpose for these grants was to assist the organizations in carrying out their exempt purposes.
The filing says the fund does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It instructs applicants to submit a written proposal with a copy of the organization’s IRS exemption letter. Grants to individuals are described as extremely rare and limited to general support for indigent persons or help with medical expenses for non-family persons known by a trustee.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists five trustees: Betsy Boney Mead, Britt A Preyer, Patricia S Agnew, Matthew Lem, and Anne H Wagoner.
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund's 2024 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Anne H. Wagoner
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Betsy Boney Mead
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Britt A. Preyer
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matthew Lem
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Patricia S. Agnew
Trustee
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Mary Lynn Richardson Fund
How much does The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund give each year?
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund gave $319K across 34 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $332K across 41 grants.
What is The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund's typical grant size?
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund's median grant in 2024 was $8,750, and its average grant was $9,370, across 34 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund give grants?
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund gives mostly in North Carolina: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Florida (8%) and Delaware (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Greensboro, NC (19 grants) and Raleigh, NC (4 grants).
Who are The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund's largest grantees?
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Bon Samaritain Mission Haiti ($26,892), Anne K Taylor Fund ($25,000) and Justice Defenders ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($1,450), which are not listed by name. Together they received 23% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund?
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund reported $5.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $339K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $345K (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 Mary Lynn Richardson Fund fund?
The fund’s filing describes its funding areas as health, education, and shelter. Its 2024 grants included organizations whose own missions cover a range of work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund?
Submit a written proposal with a copy of the IRS exemption letter. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund's EIN?
The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-6025946. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mary-lynn-richardson-fund-morg_be16fec46e4747b294f71c87c8dd0b82
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_066025946_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mary Lynn Richardson Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mary-lynn-richardson-fund-morg_be16fec46e4747b294f71c87c8dd0b82},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Mary Lynn Richardson Fund'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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