Walker Foundation
Walker Foundation is a private foundation based in Ridgeland, Mississippi. In its 2025 filing, it reported 72 grants totaling $1,148,067, with recipients including Mississippi arts and educational organizations, schools, and community and religious organizations.
Walker Foundation at a glance
In short: Walker Foundation gave $1.1M across 72 grants in 2025 (avg $16K), mostly in Mississippi. 49% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,148,067
- +23.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 72
- +38.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $15,945
- -10.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $15,660,393
- -2.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 49% first-time grantees (35 of 71, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Mississippi (84% 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 Walker Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2025 filing names Belinda Styres as the contact and lists no application form or materials, deadline, or award restrictions. It states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Belinda Styres
Mailing address: 1020 Highland Colony Pkwy Ste 802, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Phone: (601) 939-3003
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Walker Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Ducks Unlimited ($100K). Together the top 10 received $444K.
Grant Size Distribution
295 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 276 grants of 295 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars were concentrated in Mississippi, which received 84%. The filing also reports shares for Colorado and Tennessee at 3% each, and Virginia and California at 2% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 72 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Walker Foundation open to new grantees?
49%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 35 of 71 grantees (49%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 42% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 116% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $724K (2021) to $1.2M (2022). In 2025 it made 72 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ducks Unlimited Ridgeland, MS | To support the mission of the organization. | $100,000 |
| Midtown Public Charter School Jackson, MS | To support the mission of the organization. | $89,402 |
| Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, MS | To support the mission of the organization. | $40,000 |
| The Foundation for Mississippi History Jackson, MS | To support the mission of the organization. | $35,000 |
| Russell C Davis Planetarium Jackson, MS | To support the mission of the organization. | $35,000 |
| The McCallie Public Charter Chattanooga, TN | To support the mission of the organization. | $30,000 |
| Hillcrest Christian School Jackson, MS | To support the mission of the organization. | $30,000 |
| ACE Mississippi Scholarships Greenwood Village, CO | To support the mission of the organization. | $30,000 |
| KSW Foundation Ridgeland, MS | To support the Foundation. | $25,000 |
| MSW Foundation Ridgeland, MS | To support the Foundation. | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Walker 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 | $15,660,393 | $1,185,664 | $1,502,877 | $1,148,067 | 72 | $1,148,067 | $786,040 | $986,607 |
| 2024 | $15,977,605 | $2,516,374 | $1,231,477 | $930,500 | 52 | $930,500 | $2,107,604 | $912,432 |
| 2023 | $14,692,708 | $770,406 | $1,363,302 | $1,061,430 | 61 | $1,061,430 | $504,603 | $842,715 |
| 2022 | $15,285,604 | $412,059 | $1,445,312 | $1,189,945 | 69 | $1,189,945 | $320,030 | $875,144 |
| 2021 | $16,318,857 | $1,324,634 | $1,038,353 | $723,800 | 41 | $723,800 | $800,654 | $956,054 |
| 2020 | $16,032,576 | $2,161,002 | $1,321,109 | $914,750 | 47 | — | $1,501,714 | $817,283 |
| 2019 | $14,843,949 | $3,945,742 | $1,180,941 | $803,500 | 44 | — | $385,605 | $779,296 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Walker Foundation reported a distributable amount of $987K for 2025 — 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, the Mississippi Museum of Art describes its mission as developing cultural and artistic enlightenment; Hillcrest Christian School says it provides a school where children can achieve academic excellence; and the Mississippi Children’s Museum says it creates experiences to inspire excellence and a lifelong joy of learning. Other recipients describe work in neighborhood improvement, community services, religious outreach, and education.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 72 grants totaling $1,148,067. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $100,000, with a median of $10,000. Its largest listed grants included $100,000 to Ducks Unlimited, $89,402 to Midtown Public Charter School, and $40,000 to the Mississippi Museum of Art. It also gave $35,000 each to the Foundation for Mississippi History and Russell C Davis Planetarium.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Belinda Styres as secretary; W E Walker III, Gloria Walker, Merry Dougherty, Katie McBrayer, and Andrew Mallison as trustees; and Kelly Headley as executive director.
Walker Foundation is led by Kelly Headley, Executive Director on every filing since 2023; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kelly Headley
Executive Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Andrew Mallison
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Gloria Walker
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Katie McBrayer
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Merry Dougherty
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
W E Walker III
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Belinda Styres
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Marcie Skelton (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.
Frequently asked questions about Walker Foundation
How much does Walker Foundation give each year?
Walker Foundation gave $1.1M across 72 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $931K across 52 grants.
What is Walker Foundation's typical grant size?
Walker Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $15,945, across 72 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Walker Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does Walker Foundation give grants?
Walker Foundation gives mostly in Mississippi: 84% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Jackson, MS (29 grants), Ridgeland, MS (8 grants), Madison, MS (5 grants) and Starkville, MS (2 grants).
Does Walker Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 72 grants with a stated purpose on Walker Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To support the mission of the organization." (69 grants) and "To support the Foundation." (3 grants).
Who are Walker Foundation's largest grantees?
Walker Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Ducks Unlimited ($100,000), Midtown Public Charter School ($89,402) and Mississippi Museum of Art ($40,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Walker Foundation?
Walker Foundation reported $15.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $987K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Walker Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Walker Foundation?
The 2025 filing names Belinda Styres as the contact and lists no application form or materials, deadline, or award restrictions. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Walker Foundation's EIN?
Walker Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7279902. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS September 6, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Walker Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Walker Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/walker-foundation-morg_2bc2e7e41e4e4e47be19644f41d53527
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237279902_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Walker Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/walker-foundation-morg_2bc2e7e41e4e4e47be19644f41d53527},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Walker 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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