Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation

ORLANDO, FL EIN: 58-6026047 Website

The William I. H. and Lula E. Pitts Foundation is a private foundation established in 1941 by William Irby Hudson Pitts, a Georgia businessman and philanthropist. Based in Orlando, Florida, the foundation operates with a single employee and maintains total assets of $52,791,553 as of 2024.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$52.8M

+3.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$4.8M

-2.7% YoY

Grant Count

+14.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$300K

-14.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5.3M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation was established with specific instructions that its funds support charities within the state of Georgia that are affiliated with the Methodist Church. The foundation's giving focuses exclusively on organizations affiliated with the United Methodist Church, with particular emphasis on:

Education
Children's homes
Charitable hospitals
Care of the elderly

Grantmaking

The foundation is an active grantmaker with total giving of $4,802,872 in 2024. Recent grants include:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation restricts its grantmaking to organizations within the state of Georgia.

Grant Distribution by State

Georgia $23.5M (100%)

States

Georgia

Cities

AmericusAtlantaColumbusCuthbertLagrangeMaconSavannahSt Simons IslandThomasvilleTuckerWaleskaWaverly HallYoung Harrsi

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

As of December 31, 2024:

Total Assets: $52,791,553
Total Revenues: $7,215,449
Total Expenses: $5,235,514
Investment Income and Dividends: $2,847,364
Net Gain from Sale of Non-Inventory Assets: $4,368,085

The foundation's revenues increased 308.9% from 2023 to 2024, primarily driven by investment gains.

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$52,791,553	$50,810,073	$53,477,942
Revenue	$7,215,449	$1,764,453	$8,086,658
Expenses	$5,235,514	$5,257,102	$5,348,826
Qualifying Distributions	$4,957,616	$5,081,578	$5,058,529
Net Investment Income	$7,040,376	$2,511,080	$7,840,182
Distributable Amount	$5,256,888	$4,949,941	$5,083,874

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

69 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Andrew College ($1,042,936), Lagrange College ($1,042,936), Wesleyan College ($500,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ANDREW COLLEGE CUTHBERT, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$1,042,936
EMORY UNIVERSITY ATLANTA, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$250,000
EMORY UNIVERSITY CHANDLER SCHOOL ATLANTA, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$350,000
EPWORTH BY THE SEA ST SIMONS ISLAND, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$300,000
LAGRANGE COLLEGE LAGRANGE, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$1,042,936
MAGNOLIA MANOR AMERICUS, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$50,000
METHODIST HOME FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH MACON, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$484,000
OPEN DOOR COMMUNITY HOUSE COLUMBUS, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$50,000
REINHARDT UNIVERSITY WALESKA, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$200,000
THE UNITED METHODIST CHILDREN'S HOME TUCKER, GA	GENERAL OPERATING	$50,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation's governing board includes:

Ms. Lisa Ashby
Dr. Susanna Baxter
Ms. Meaghan Blight
Dr. Stuart Gulley
Mr. Ralph R. Morrison
Mrs. Elizabeth C. Ogie
Ms. Katie Saez
Bishop James Swanson

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
TRUIST BANK	TRUSTEE	1	$278,853
BISHOP MIKE WATSON	CHAIRMAN	1	—
ELIZABETH OGIE	BOARD MEMBER	1	—
DAN MCALEXANDER	BOARD MEMBER	1	—
JENNER WOOD	BOARD MEMBER	1	—
PHILIP MILLIANS	BOARD MEMBER	1	—
RALPH R MORRISON	BOARD MEMBER	1	—
BISHOP JAMES E SWANSON	BOARD MEMBER	1	—
JENNA KELLY	BOARD MEMBER	1	—
LINDA BUCHANAN	BOARD MEMBER	1	—

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation fund?

How do I apply for a grant from Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation?

The foundation is an active grantmaker with total giving of $4,802,872 in 2024. Recent grants include: • Andrew College: $1,042,936 (General Operating, 2024) • LaGrange College: $1,042,936 (General Operating, 2024) • Wesleyan College: $500,000 (General Operating, 2024) Typical grant awards range from $15,000 to $1,042,936. The foundation made 12 grants in 2024.

Where does Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation make grants?

The foundation restricts its grantmaking to organizations within the state of Georgia.

What size grants does Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation award?

In 2024, Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation awarded 16 grants totaling $4.8M — an average of about $300K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation reported a distributable amount of $5.3M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation's EIN?

Wih and Lula E Pitts Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-6026047. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.