Tickle Family Foundation
The Tickle Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Birmingham, Alabama. In its 2024 filing, it reported giving $151,056 through 13 grants to charitable organizations; listed grant purposes included education, religious activities, community development, and youth development.
Tickle Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Tickle Family Foundation gave $151K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), top state North Carolina. 23% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $151,056
- -63.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- +30.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $11,620
- -71.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $7,569,233
- +4.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 23% first-time grantees (3 of 13, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (45% 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 Tickle Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5246 Greystone Way, Birmingham, AL 35242
Phone: (205) 623-7488
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Tickle Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Summit Charter School Foundation ($30K). Together the top 10 received $148K.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 49 grants of 54 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina (45%), Alabama (40%), Missouri (7%), Virginia (7%), and New York (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Tickle Family Foundation open to new grantees?
23%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 13 grantees (23%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 62% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−9%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 39% 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 $151K (2024) to $411K (2023). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $151K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Summit Charter School Foundation Cashiers, NC | Education | $30,000 |
| Church of the Good Shepherd Cashiers, NC | Religious | $27,500 |
| Asbury United Methodist Church Birmingham, AL | Religious | $25,000 |
| United States Israel Education Association Birmingham, AL | Education | $25,000 |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes Kansas City, MO | Religious | $10,000 |
| Special Operations Fund Arlington, VA | Community Development | $10,000 |
| Big Oak Ranch Inc Gadsden, AL | Religious | $5,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau Cashiers, NC | Youth Development | $5,000 |
| UAB Athletics Foundation Birmingham, AL | Education | $5,000 |
| Samaritan's Purse Boone, NC | Community Development | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Tickle Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $7,569,233 | $628,055 | $274,435 | $151,056 | 13 | $151,056 | $494,854 | $386,185 |
| 2023 | $7,216,594 | $287,212 | $522,095 | $411,062 | 10 | $411,062 | $192,749 | $365,416 |
| 2022 | $7,451,546 | $194,334 | $334,034 | $177,524 | 8 | $177,524 | $160,148 | $372,127 |
| 2021 | $7,591,200 | $4,225,739 | $254,384 | $166,772 | 13 | $166,772 | $2,834,447 | $296,139 |
| 2020 | $3,502,157 | $684,814 | $395,577 | $344,692 | 10 | — | $133,929 | $248,569 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tickle Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $386K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own stated missions encompass education, religious work, community aid, and youth services. For example, the Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau says it works to help young people reach their potential, while Big Oak Ranch says it provides a Christian home for abused, neglected, and abandoned children. Samaritan’s Purse describes its work as providing spiritual and physical aid to people affected by crises and hardship.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $151,056. Grant amounts ranged from $56 to $30,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable grants included $30,000 to Summit Charter School Foundation for education, $27,500 to Church of the Good Shepherd for religious purposes, and $25,000 each to Asbury United Methodist Church for religious purposes and United States Israel Education Association for education. Other grants included $10,000 to Special Operations Fund for community development and $5,000 each to Fellowship of Christian Athletes for religious purposes, Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau for youth development, and Samaritan’s Purse for community development.
Special Operations Fund says it provides educational grants and support to families of special mission unit warriors and Medal of Honor recipients. Fellowship of Christian Athletes describes its mission as leading coaches and athletes into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and his church. Oak Mountain Mission Ministries says it provides food and household items to people in need.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Barbara M. Tickle as president; T. Charles Tickle, Jeremy D. Tickle, and M. Jason Tickle as vice presidents, with Jeremy D. Tickle also serving as secretary; and Ameri’ca Lynn Tickle and Andrea Elizabeth Tickle as board members.
Tickle Family Foundation is led by Barbara M. Tickle, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Barbara M. Tickle
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ameri'ca Lynn Tickle
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrea Elizabeth Tickle
Board Member
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeremy D. Tickle
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
M. Jason Tickle
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
T. Charles Tickle
Vice President
On filings since 2020
2 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 Tickle Family Foundation
How much does Tickle Family Foundation give each year?
Tickle Family Foundation gave $151K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $411K across 10 grants.
What is Tickle Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Tickle Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $11,620, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Tickle Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Tickle Family Foundation give grants?
Tickle Family Foundation's top state is North Carolina, with 45% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Alabama (40%) and Missouri (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Birmingham, AL (4 grants) and Cashiers, NC (3 grants).
Does Tickle Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Tickle Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Religious" (5 grants) and "Education" (3 grants).
Who are Tickle Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Tickle Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Summit Charter School Foundation ($30,000), Church of the Good Shepherd ($27,500) and Asbury United Methodist Church ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Tickle Family Foundation?
Tickle Family Foundation reported $7.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $151K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $386K (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 Tickle Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations whose own stated missions encompass education, religious work, community aid, and youth services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Tickle Family Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Tickle Family Foundation's EIN?
Tickle Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8075658. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Tickle Family 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Tickle Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Tickle Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/tickle-family-foundation-morg_49425ad957754458bd9b9724df194c04
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208075658_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Tickle Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/tickle-family-foundation-morg_49425ad957754458bd9b9724df194c04},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Tickle Family 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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