Thurston Foundation
Thurston Foundation is a private foundation based in Carmel, Indiana. Its 2024 grants supported organizations working in areas including education, hunger relief, homelessness, disability access, addiction recovery, health care, and human services.
Thurston Foundation at a glance
In short: Thurston Foundation gave $743K across 39 grants in 2024 (avg $19K), mostly in Indiana. 44% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $743,050
- -18.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 39
- +44.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $19,053
- -43.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $8,000
- Total assets
- $18,102,437
- +6.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 44% first-time grantees (17 of 39, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Indiana (94% 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 Thurston Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5307 Woodfield S Drive, Carmel, IN 46033
Phone: (317) 373-1688
Website: https://shanethurstonfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Thurston Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Oaks Academy ($150K). Together the top 10 received $563K.
Grant Size Distribution
158 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 143 grants of 158 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in Indiana and 3% to recipients in Ohio. The largest listed awards went to organizations in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Thurston Foundation open to new grantees?
44%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 17 of 39 grantees (44%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $31K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 49% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 102% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 85% 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 $157K (2020) to $912K (2023). In 2024 it made 39 grants totaling $743K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Oaks Academy Indianapolis, IN | Education | $150,000 |
| Gleaners Indianapolis, IN | Hunger Relief Programs | $100,000 |
| Servants at Work Indianapolis, IN | Support for Building Wheelchair Ramps | $52,500 |
| Outreach Inc Indianapolis, IN | General Support of Homeless Youth | $50,250 |
| Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN | Homeless Programs | $45,000 |
| Dove Recovery House Indianapolis, IN | Addiction Recovery | $40,000 |
| Gennesaret Free Clinics Indianapolis, IN | Medical Care | $40,000 |
| Shepherd Community Center Indianapolis, IN | General Support for Human Services | $40,000 |
| Seeds of Caring Columbus, OH | Youth Programing | $25,000 |
| Paws and Think Inc Indianapolis, IN | General support of youth, humans services and animal care | $20,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Thurston Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation’s EIN is 35-1754670.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $18,102,437 | $1,979,666 | $935,762 | $743,050 | 39 | $801,441 | $1,846,848 | $939,331 |
| 2023 | $17,057,242 | $151,026 | $1,167,155 | $912,000 | 27 | $965,749 | $343,070 | $927,213 |
| 2022 | $18,073,246 | $-166,712 | $979,809 | $811,000 | 32 | $863,835 | $161,395 | $918,689 |
| 2021 | $19,222,299 | $1,361,537 | $542,827 | $367,250 | 34 | $430,979 | $561,122 | $1,135,497 |
| 2020 | $18,402,561 | $13,605,405 | $216,988 | $157,250 | 26 | — | $288,713 | $374,295 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Thurston Foundation reported a distributable amount of $939K 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
No mission statement is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for The Oaks Academy, whose stated mission is to provide a Christ-centered classical education to children from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds; Servants at Work, which provides wheelchair ramps for people with permanent disabilities in low-income households; and Outreach Inc, which works to bring hope to homeless youth through relationships. Other 2024 recipients included organizations providing hunger relief, homeless services, addiction recovery, medical care, and youth programming.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 39 grants totaling $743,050. Grants ranged from $800 to $150,000, with a median of $8,000. Notable awards included $150,000 to The Oaks Academy for education; $100,000 to Gleaners for hunger relief programs; $52,500 to Servants at Work for wheelchair ramps; $50,250 to Outreach Inc for general support of homeless youth; and $45,000 to Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis for homeless programs.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Marcia Thurston Roberts as president and Tim Thurston and Jim Thurston as directors.
Thurston Foundation is led by Marcia Thurston Roberts, President on every filing since 2020; 2 of 3 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Marcia Thurston Roberts
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$13K (2020) → $42K (2024)
Jim Thurston
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$10K (2024)
Tim Thurston
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $42K, to Marcia Thurston Roberts (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Thurston Foundation
How much does Thurston Foundation give each year?
Thurston Foundation gave $743K across 39 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $912K across 27 grants.
What is Thurston Foundation's typical grant size?
Thurston Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $8,000, and its average grant was $19,053, across 39 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Thurston Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Thurston Foundation give grants?
Thurston Foundation gives mostly in Indiana: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Indianapolis, IN (33 grants).
Does Thurston Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 31% of Thurston Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (12 of 39) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Summer Youth Program" (10 grants), "Youth Programing" (3 grants) and "Education" (3 grants).
Who are Thurston Foundation's largest grantees?
Thurston Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The Oaks Academy ($150,000), Gleaners ($100,000) and Servants at Work ($52,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Thurston Foundation?
Thurston Foundation reported $18.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $801K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $939K (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 Thurston Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Thurston Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Thurston Foundation's EIN?
Thurston Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-1754670. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Thurston 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 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). Thurston Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/thurston-foundation-morg_f61099824d814f9187547345f0dadad9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_351754670_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Thurston Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/thurston-foundation-morg_f61099824d814f9187547345f0dadad9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Thurston 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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