Walter Payne Foundation
The Walter Payne Foundation is a private foundation based in Richmond, Virginia. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations in Virginia working in areas including food assistance, legal aid, education, housing, and community services.
Walter Payne Foundation at a glance
In short: Walter Payne Foundation gave $199K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Virginia. 4% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $199,000
- -0.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- -4.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,292
- +3.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $8,000
- Total assets
- $4,520,370
- +72.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 4% first-time grantees (1 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (100% 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 Walter Payne Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation says applications should include a detailed project description, the project’s geographic location, a general description of its intended beneficiaries, and the applicant’s financial needs for the project. Its filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Contributions are considered for charitable organizations located in Appomattox and Prince Edward counties, or for organizations benefiting people who reside, work, or attend school in those counties. Preference is given to organizations that do not receive government funding.
- Review Cycle
- Requests should be submitted by June 1.
- Deadline
- Requests should be submitted by June 1.
- Contact
Application contact: Walter Payne Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 85678, Richmond, VA 23285-5678
Phone: (804) 780-2038
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Walter Payne Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Faces Food Pantry ($15K). Together the top 10 received $113K.
Grant Size Distribution
120 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 120 grants of 120 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars in 2025 went to recipients in Virginia. The foundation’s stated eligibility is limited to charitable organizations located in Appomattox or Prince Edward counties, or organizations benefiting people who reside, work, or attend school in either county.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Walter Payne Foundation open to new grantees?
4%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 24 grantees (4%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 83% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $161K (2020) to $200K (2024). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $199K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Faces Food Pantry Farmville, VA | Support Food Prog for the Provished | $15,000 |
| Lynchburg Daily Bread Lynchburg, VA | Support Food Ministry for the Hungry | $13,000 |
| Virginia Legal Aid Society Lynchburg, VA | Fund Legal Aide for the Poor | $12,000 |
| Wolfbane Productions Appomattox, VA | Support Educational Project | $12,000 |
| Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center Appomattox, VA | Support Natural Resources Educational Program | $11,000 |
| Piedmont Habitat for Humanity Farmville, VA | Fund Housing Projects | $10,000 |
| Appomattox County Community Park Appomattox, VA | Park Facilities | $10,000 |
| Appomattox Literacy Intervention Spout Spring, VA | Educational | $10,000 |
| CASA of Central Virginia Lynchburg, VA | Charity | $10,000 |
| Virginia Children's Book Festival Keysville, VA | Education | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Walter Payne 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 | $4,520,370 | $2,296,918 | $303,181 | $199,000 | 24 | $217,950 | $2,034,086 | $227,729 |
| 2024 | $2,616,578 | $508,178 | $296,956 | $199,500 | 25 | $218,450 | $443,478 | $222,177 |
| 2023 | $2,408,693 | $358,206 | $279,350 | $195,000 | 23 | $213,950 | $300,922 | $191,421 |
| 2022 | $2,329,553 | $147,367 | $286,119 | $188,350 | 24 | $207,300 | $67,349 | $213,927 |
| 2021 | $2,468,172 | $485,773 | $262,220 | $176,400 | 24 | — | $424,397 | $213,274 |
| 2020 | $2,243,339 | $106,338 | $237,065 | $161,300 | 23 | — | $52,626 | $185,606 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Walter Payne Foundation reported a distributable amount of $228K 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
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for food programs, legal assistance, arts, housing, education, and services for children and youth.
Several grantees describe their work in these areas. Virginia Legal Aid Society says its mission is to address serious legal problems for low-income people, reduce poverty through legal assistance, and promote equal justice. Wolfbane Productions says it provides arts to an underserved population. Piedmont Habitat for Humanity says it brings people together to build homes and communities, with the vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. CASA of Central Virginia says it recruits, trains, and supports volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children involved in juvenile court proceedings. Impact Living Services describes itself as a licensed child-placing agency that provides transitional living services to support youth in foster care.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $199,000 through 24 grants. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $15,000, with a median of $8,000. Among the largest awards were $15,000 to FACES Food Pantry for a food program; $13,000 to Lynchburg Daily Bread for its food ministry; $12,000 each to Virginia Legal Aid Society and Wolfbane Productions; and $11,000 to Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center for a natural resources education program.
Other 2025 grants included $10,000 each to Piedmont Habitat for Humanity, Appomattox County Community Park, Appomattox Literacy Intervention, CASA of Central Virginia, and the Virginia Children’s Book Festival. The foundation also awarded $8,000 each to Prospect Volunteer Fire Department and Pamplin Volunteer Fire Department.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James E. Crawley as president and Michael Crawley as vice president.
Walter Payne Foundation is led by James E. Crawley, President on every filing since 2020; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James E. Crawley
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$32K (2020) → $22K (2025)
Michael Crawley
Vice President
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
$4K (2021) → $16K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $22K, to James E Crawley (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Walter Payne Foundation
How much does Walter Payne Foundation give each year?
Walter Payne Foundation gave $199K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $200K across 25 grants.
What is Walter Payne Foundation's typical grant size?
Walter Payne Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $8,000, and its average grant was $8,292, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Walter Payne Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Walter Payne Foundation give grants?
Walter Payne Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Appomattox, VA (6 grants), Farmville, VA (5 grants), Lynchburg, VA (4 grants) and Pamplin, VA (3 grants).
Does Walter Payne Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on Walter Payne Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Walter Payne Foundation's largest grantees?
Walter Payne Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Faces Food Pantry ($15,000), Lynchburg Daily Bread ($13,000) and Virginia Legal Aid Society ($12,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 20% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Walter Payne Foundation?
Walter Payne Foundation reported $4.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $218K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $228K (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 Walter Payne Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided. Its grants include support for food programs, legal assistance, arts, housing, education, and services for children and youth. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Walter Payne Foundation?
The foundation says applications should include a detailed project description, the project’s geographic location, a general description of its intended beneficiaries, and the applicant’s financial needs for the project. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Walter Payne Foundation's EIN?
Walter Payne Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 01-0626611. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Walter Payne Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/walter-payne-foundation-morg_9239fc3ccffb424ea61be1736a21af25
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_010626611_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Walter Payne Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/walter-payne-foundation-morg_9239fc3ccffb424ea61be1736a21af25},
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 Walter Payne 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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