John M Rivers JR Foundation
Charleston, SC · EIN 57-0907666. Reported 188 grants totalling $810,882 to 94 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. John M Rivers JR Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $1,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $5,000; the smallest was $100 and the largest $62,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Hall School Ashley Hall School | Charleston, SC | $169,000 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Gibbes Museum of Art Gibbes Museum of Art | Charleston, SC | $56,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Church of the Good Shepherd Church of the Good Shepherd | Cashiers, NC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| College of Chas Mens Basketball College of Chas Mens Basketball | Charleston, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA | Charleston, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Trident United Way Trident United Way | North Charleston, SC | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Camden Military Academy Camden Military Academy | Camden, SC | $32,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| College of Chas Women's Basketball College of Chas Women's Basketball | Charleston, SC | $31,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| College of Charleston of the Arts College of Charleston Cougar Club | Charleston, SC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Preservation Society of Charleston Preservation Society of Charleston | Charleston, SC | $17,500 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Charleston Parks Conservancy Charleston Parks Conservancy | Charleston, SC | $17,132 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fd Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fd | Boston, MA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Charleston Promise Neighborhood Charleston Promise Neighborhood | Charleston, SC | $10,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Charleston Stage Charleston Stage | Charleston, SC | $10,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Chattooga Club Employee Scholarship Chattooga Club Employee Scholarship | Cashiers, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| College of Chas School Avery Instit College of Chas School of the Arts | Charleston, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| College of Chas Tennis Facility College of Chas Tennis Facility | Charleston, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Charleston Parks Conservancy | Charleston, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Emanuel Nine Memorial Emanuel Nine Memorial | Charleston, SC | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Vision to Learn Vision to Learn | Los Angeles, CA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Historic Charleston Foundation Historic Charleston Foundation | Charleston, SC | $9,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sc Historical Society Sc Historical Society | Charleston, SC | $8,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| College of Chas School of the Arts College of Chas School of the Arts | Charleston, SC | $7,500 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| Charleston Library Society Charleston Library Society | Charleston, SC | $7,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Yeamans Hall Foundation Yeamans Hall Foundation | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Drayton Hall Foundation Drayton Hall Foundation | Charleston, SC | $5,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Middleton Place Foundation Middleton Place Foundation | Charleston, SC | $5,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Byn Mellon Charitable Gift Fund - | Boston, MA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Camden Military Academy | Camden, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Charleston Library Society | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Charleston Museum | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Charleston Symphony Orchestra | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Church of the Good Shepherd | Cashiers, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Confederate Home and College | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| First Tee of Greater Charleston | Mount Pleasant, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Historic Charleston Foundation | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Preservation Society of Charleston | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Second Presbyterian Church Second Presbyterian Church | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Unc Arts & Sciences Unc Arts & Sciences | Chapel Hill, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Unc Business School Unc Business School | Chapel Hill, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Unc Chapel Hill University Librarie Unc Chapel Hill University Libraries | Chapel Hill, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Univ North Carolina at Chapel Hill Univ North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vision to Learn Vision to Learn | Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Vision to Lear - Charleston | Los Angeles, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau | Cashiers, NC | $4,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Charleston Symphony Orchestra Charleston Symphony Orchestra | Charleston, SC | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Coastal Conservation League Coastal Conservation League | Charleston, SC | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Colour of Music Colour of Music | Charleston, SC | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Halos Halos | North Charleston, SC | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sc Aquarium Sc Aquarium | Charleston, SC | $3,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Drayton Hall Foundation | Charleston, SC | $2,750 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Choate Rosemary Hall Choate Rosemary Hall | Wallingford, CT | $2,700 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Charleston Gaillard Center - Student Access Fund | Charleston, SC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Charleston Stage | Charleston, SC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| First Tee of Greater Charleston First Tee of Greater Charleston | Mount Pleasant, SC | $2,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Middleton Place Foundation | Charleston, SC | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Ashley Hall School | Charleston, SC | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau | Cashiers, NC | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Charleston Waterkeeper Charleston Waterkeeper | Charleston, SC | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Lowcountry Community Chaplaincy Lowcountry Community Chaplaincy | Charleston, SC | $2,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lowcountry Open Land Trust Lowcountry Open Land Trust | Charleston, SC | $2,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Philips Church St Philips Church | Charleston, SC | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| College of Chas Cougar Classic College of Chas Cougar Classic | Charleston, SC | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cougar Club Classic Cougar Club Classic | Charleston, SC | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sc Historical Society | Charleston, SC | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Unc Arts & Sciences | Chapel Hill, NC | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Charleston Waterkeeper | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| College of Charleston School of the Arts | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Colour of Music | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Drawing Near to God Ministry Drawing Near to God Ministry | Mount Pleasant, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Eaglebrook School Eaglebrook School | Deerfield, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Eaglebrook School | Deerfield, MA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Folds of Honor Palmetto Chapter Folds of Honor Palmetto Chapter | Greet, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Green Heart Charleston Green Heart Charleston | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad | Cashiers, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Hearts With Hands Hearts With Hands | Swannanoa, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lowcountry Land Trust | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Pfc Ralph Johnsonusmc Moh Scholar Pfc Ralph Johnsonusmc Moh Scholarship Fd | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rivers Performance Hall Rivers Performance Hall | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sc Aquarium | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Sc Battleground Preservation Trust | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| St John's Episcopal Church | Johns Island, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| St Phillip's Church | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Star Gospel Mission | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Charleston Forum the Charleston Forum | Charleston, SC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Unc Chapel Hill University Library Unc Chapel Hill University Library | Chapel Hill, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Shelburne Museum Shelburne Museum | Shelburne, VT | $700 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Folds of Honor Folds of Honor | Simpsonville, SC | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lowcountry Community Chaplaincy | Charleston, SC | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Charleston Parks Foundation Charleston Parks Foundation | Charleston, SC | $300 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Highland Scashiers Land Trust Highlands Cashiers Land Trust | Highlands, NC | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Shelburne Museum | Shelburne, VT | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Life Resources Life Resources | Mount Pleasant, SC | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Association for the Blind Association for the Blind | Charleston, SC | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
35 of 94 (37%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 75%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Ashley Hall School Ashley Hall School
SCHOLARSHIPS:GREEK/LATIN/ATHLETICS - Gibbes Museum of Art Gibbes Museum of Art
IN HONOR OF JONATHAN GREEN - College of Charleston of the Arts College of Charleston Cougar Club
VALERIE MORRIS SCHOLARSHIP - Camden Military Academy Camden Military Academy
CAMDEN ATHLETICS-UNIFORMS/SOCCER EQ - College of Chas Mens Basketball College of Chas Mens Basketball
COACH'S DISCRETION/HONOR JOHN KRESSE - Trident United Way Trident United Way
ANNUAL COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 50 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41 | $210,750 | $1,500 |
| 2022 | 38 | $132,300 | $1,000 |
| 2023 | 34 | $170,482 | $1,000 |
| 2024 | 42 | $203,350 | $2,500 |
| 2025 | 33 | $94,000 | $2,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
85% of its giving went to organizations in South Carolina. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $1,500. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in South Carolina.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from John M Rivers JR Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 40 Calhoun Street Ste 500, Charleston, SC, 29403. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 57-0907666 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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