The Ronne & Donald Hess Foundation

BIRMINGHAM, AL EIN: 63-0916545

The Ronne & Donald Hess Foundation is a private foundation established in 1985 and based in Birmingham, Alabama. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and focuses on charitable giving primarily within the United States.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$929K

-16.3% YoY

Annual Giving

$364K

-9.8% YoY

Grant Count

46

-9.8% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$8K

-0.0% YoY

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's grantmaking priorities include:

  • Education
  • Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking
  • Human Services

The foundation also supports scholarship programs, including the Ronne & Donald Hess Scholarship in Computer Science for incoming freshmen at Birmingham-Southern College, which is renewable annually.

Grantmaking

The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and operates on an invite-only basis.

Grant Range

$3,000

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation's grantmaking extends to:

  • Alabama
  • New Hampshire
  • District of Columbia

Grant Distribution by State

20states
+12 more states

Cities

AgawamAtlantaBaytownBellaireBirminghamBostonBrooklineFairleeFt LauderdaleGadsdenHagerstownHanoverHomewoodJacksonLebanonManchesterMiamiMontgomeryMountain BrookNeedham

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of 2024:

  • Total assets: $929,000
  • Total liabilities: $0
  • Annual revenue: $88,100
  • Annual expenses: $371,000
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$207K$415K$622K$830K2020202120232024
Metric202420232021
Total Assets$929,227$1,109,685$1,851,255
Revenue$88,104$77,070$361,057
Expenses$370,539$412,420$721,407
Qualifying Distributions$365,374$405,579$710,492
Net Investment Income$20,366$17,741$300,642
Distributable Amount$55,204$66,302$115,691

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$177K$355K$532K$709K56 grants202094 grants202151 grants202346 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

BREAKTHROUGH T1D$125KINDIAN SPRINGS SCHOOL$75KAMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE …$20KCHABAD OF DARTMOUTH$18KBIRMINGHAM JEWISH FEDERA…$16KWOMEN'S FOUNDATION OF AL…$13KUNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM$13KUAB HEERSINK SCHOOL OF M…$10KDARTMOUTH HITCHCOCK HEALTH$10KGRANITE UNITED WAY$8K

Grant Size Distribution

196 grants across all recorded years

188<$50K4$50–100K4$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

No grants recorded for .

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
RONNE HESSPRESIDENT/ DIRECTOR1
DONALD HESSVICE PRESIDENT/ SECRETARY1
EMILY HESS LEVINEVICE PRESIDENT/ TREASURER1
DAVID R NELSON JRVICE PRESIDENT

Contact Information

Address: 505 20th Street North, Suite 1150 Birmingham, AL 35203-4620

Telephone: 205-328-3120

Related Funders

Similar funders by location and focus area

Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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