The Stover Foundation
The Stover Foundation is a private foundation based in Annapolis, Maryland, that funds ministries of evangelism, education, and compassion. Founded by W. Robert Stover and his wife, Joan, it describes its grantmaking as a ministry centered on the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The Stover Foundation at a glance
In short: The Stover Foundation gave $1.4M across 31 grants in 2025 (avg $46K), top state Louisiana. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,420,000
- +3.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 31
- -11.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $45,806
- +16.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $25,488,604
- +0.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (8 of 31, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (35% 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 Stover Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation only considers applications from organizations it has invited to apply and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 7101 Bay Front Drive 604, Annapolis, MD 21403
Phone: (828) 308-1913
Website: https://thestoverfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Stover Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Gardere Community Christian School ($310K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
199 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 172 grants of 199 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Louisiana received 35% of grant dollars, Colorado 18%, Pennsylvania 14%, Arizona 11%, and New Jersey 4%. The largest grants went to organizations in Louisiana, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Arizona; the foundation also awarded grants to organizations in Maryland, West Virginia, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Stover Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 31 grantees (26%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $57K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 61% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 88% 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 $755K (2022) to $4.2M (2021). In 2025 it made 31 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gardere Community Christian School Baton Rouge, LA | To Further Christian Education | $310,000 |
| Young Life Colorado Springs, CO | General Evangelical Outreach | $250,000 |
| Waynesburg University Waynesburg, PA | To Further Christian Education | $200,000 |
| Alliance Defending Freedom Scottsdale, AZ | General Evangelical Outreach | $150,000 |
| The Dunham School Baton Rouge, LA | To Further Christian Education | $135,000 |
| Closer to God EPC Church Kearny, NJ | General Evangelical Outreach | $50,000 |
| The C S Lewis Institute Springfield, VA | To Further Christian Education | $41,000 |
| Annapolis Area Christian School Severn, MD | To Further Christian Education | $40,000 |
| Chestnut Mountain Ranch Morgantown, WV | To Further Christian Education | $25,000 |
| Notre Dame School New York, NY | To Further Christian Education | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Stover 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 | $25,488,604 | $1,722,057 | $1,694,880 | $1,420,000 | 31 | $1,420,000 | $1,527,709 | $1,612,657 |
| 2024 | $25,461,427 | $3,982,056 | $1,567,757 | $1,376,500 | 35 | $1,376,500 | $3,802,164 | $1,474,148 |
| 2023 | $23,047,128 | $955,558 | $1,191,023 | $983,895 | 42 | $983,895 | $606,714 | $1,390,485 |
| 2022 | $23,282,593 | $694,079 | $1,015,949 | $755,000 | 40 | $755,000 | $521,485 | $1,397,779 |
| 2021 | $23,604,463 | $4,183,431 | $4,385,574 | $4,170,400 | 51 | $4,170,400 | $3,976,781 | $1,571,151 |
| 2020 | $23,806,606 | $127,064 | $1,880,506 | $1,650,000 | 57 | — | $453,170 | $1,468,146 |
| 2019 | $25,560,048 | $1,734,496 | $1,180,425 | $961,054 | 45 | — | $1,515,125 | $1,442,496 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Stover Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.6M 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 states that it exists “to bear witness to the singular, saving Lordship of Jesus Christ” through funding ministries of evangelism, education, and compassion.
Its 2025 grants included support for Christian education and evangelical outreach. For example, Gardere Community Christian School received a grant for Christian education; the school describes its mission as providing children in its neighborhood with a firm Christian foundation in their educational and spiritual lives. Young Life received support for evangelical outreach; it describes its work as helping adolescents become exposed to Jesus Christ through activities including weekly meetings, Bible studies, camps, and short-term missions. Other grantees describe work in areas such as Christian higher education, leadership development, and support for boys in crisis.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 31 grants totaling $1,420,000. Grant amounts ranged from $4,500 to $310,000, with a median of $10,000. In 2024, it reported 35 grants totaling $1,376,500; in 2023, it reported 42 grants totaling $983,895.
The largest 2025 grants included $310,000 to Gardere Community Christian School, $250,000 to Young Life, $200,000 to Waynesburg University, $150,000 to Alliance Defending Freedom, and $135,000 to The Dunham School. The reported purposes for these grants were Christian education or general evangelical outreach.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Dr. Parker Williamson, COO/Treasurer; Dr. Gerrit Dawson, Chairman; Cara Ludwig, Secretary; and directors Gary Nickerson, Daniel Jessup, Princeton Scott Bardwell, Brooke Johnston, and Rev Carmen Fowler Laberge.
The Stover Foundation is led by Gerrit Dawson, Chairman since 2023 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 8 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Gerrit Dawson
Chairman
Director → President, 2021
President → Chairman, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Jessup
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Nickerson
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carmen Fowler Laberge
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Princeton Scott Bardwell
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brooke Johnston
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Parker Williamson
COO & Treasurer
President & CEO → CEO, 2021
CEO → COO & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
$60K (2019) → $72K (2025)
Cara Ludwig
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Daniel Czajkowski (2022) — Director
- Former: David Carlson (2019–2020) — 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $72K, to Dr Parker Williamson (COO/Treasurer).
Frequently asked questions about The Stover Foundation
How much does The Stover Foundation give each year?
The Stover Foundation gave $1.4M across 31 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.4M across 35 grants.
What is The Stover Foundation's typical grant size?
The Stover Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $45,806, across 31 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Stover Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Stover Foundation give grants?
The Stover Foundation's top state is Louisiana, with 35% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Colorado (18%) and Pennsylvania (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Baton Rouge, LA (5 grants), Scottsdale, AZ (2 grants) and Raleigh, NC (2 grants).
Does The Stover Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 61% of The Stover Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 31) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "To Further Christian Education" (12 grants).
Who are The Stover Foundation's largest grantees?
The Stover Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Gardere Community Christian School ($310,000), Young Life ($250,000) and Waynesburg University ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Stover Foundation?
The Stover Foundation reported $25.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.6M (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 Stover Foundation fund?
The foundation states that it exists “to bear witness to the singular, saving Lordship of Jesus Christ” through funding ministries of evangelism, education, and compassion. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Stover Foundation?
The foundation only considers applications from organizations it has invited to apply and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Stover Foundation's EIN?
The Stover Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 68-0392330. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Stover 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 April 21, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 11, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Stover Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Stover Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-stover-foundation-morg_d2d26a998ec14feebb785657f30a807a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_680392330_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Stover Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-stover-foundation-morg_d2d26a998ec14feebb785657f30a807a},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Stover 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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