The Leonard G Herring Family Foundation
Wilkesboro, NC · EIN 56-1881015. Reported 143 grants totalling $5,643,844 to 71 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. 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. The Leonard G Herring Family 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 $15,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $5,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $200 and the largest $900,000. 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. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nc Tech Paths | North Wilkesboro, NC | $1,600,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Wilkes Community College | Wilkesboro, NC | $770,120 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Focusing Philanthropy Inc (per Scholas) | Santa Monica, CA | $400,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Wilkes Economic Development Corporation | North Wilkesboro, NC | $274,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Partnership for Children | North Wilkesboro, NC | $230,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wilkes County Schools | Wilkesboro, NC | $150,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Old Hickory Council | Winston Salem, NC | $145,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $141,200 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Community College Foundation | Wilkesboro, NC | $130,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| First United Methodist Church | North Wilkesboro, NC | $120,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| North Carolina Zoological Society Inc | Asheboro, NC | $110,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wilkes Art Gallery | North Wilkesboro, NC | $110,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Catherine H Barber Memorial Shelter Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Town of Wilkesboro | Wilkesboro, NC | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Higher Ed Works | Raleigh, NC | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| YMCA of Northwest North Carolina | Winston Salem, NC | $80,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Educational Foundation Inc | Chapel Hill, NC | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| United Way of Wilkes County Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $75,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Playmakers Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $71,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Craig Church Ministries Inc | Purlear, NC | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wilkes County Library | North Wilkesboro, NC | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Ministry of Hope | North Wilkesboro, NC | $60,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Recovery Revolution Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Sweet Briar College | Sweet Briar, VA | $50,074 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Shriners Hospital for Children | Charlotte, NC | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Adap | North Wilkesboro, NC | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| YMCA of Greater Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Children's Hope Alliance | Barium Springs, NC | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Circles of Care Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $25,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Community Partnership for Children | North Wilkesboro, NC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Samaritan's Kitchen of Wilkes Inc | Wilkesboro, NC | $22,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Carenet Counseling of Wilkes Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Friends of East Bend Town Square | East Bend, NC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hospitality House of Northwest Nc | Boone, NC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wilkes County Hall of Fame | North Wilkesboro, NC | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Wilkes County Health Department | Wilkesboro, NC | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Dragon's Den | Homestead, PA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Old Hicktory Council | Winston Salem, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Samaritan Christian Ministry of Wilkes | Wilkesboro, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Shriners Hosptial for Children | Charlotte, NC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wilkes Youth Life Development | Moravian Falls, NC | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Dreams of Hope | Pittsburgh, PA | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Literacy | N Wilkesboro, NC | $12,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Center for Congregational Health | Winston Salem, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Ark- Echo Ministry | Elkin, NC | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District | Wilkesboro, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Winston Salem Foundation | Winston Salem, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Cancer Society | Charlotte, NC | $9,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| North Wilkesboro Rotary Club Scholarship Foundatio | North Wilkesboro, NC | $8,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Health Foundation Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Alpha Sigma Foundation | Ithaca, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Carriage House Children's Center Inc | Pittsburgh, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Child Abuse Prevention Teamour House | Wilkesboro, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank | Duquesne, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Project Lazarus By Coastlands Ministries | North Wilkesboro, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Project Lazarus Wilkes Youth Coalition | S Moravian Falls, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wilkes Prison Ministry | North Wilkesboro, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Wilkes Prision Ministry Inc | North Wilkesboro, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| March of Dimes | Marietta, GA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wilkes Heritage Museum Inc | Wilkesboro, NC | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Navy Seal Foundation Inc | Lenior, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Reach Out and Read Inc | Asheville, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Union Project | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Winchester Thurston School | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Waterlife Church Inc | Lenoir, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Whippoorwill Academy and Village | Ferguson, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Poor Yorick's Players | Monroeville, PA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pizza to the Polls | Portland, OR | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Moravian Falls Elementary School | Moravian Falls, NC | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
31 of 71 (44%) received money in more than one year over the 4 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 73%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 75 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42 | $1,192,500 | $15,000 |
| 2022 | 33 | $1,738,450 | $15,000 |
| 2023 | 28 | $1,423,070 | $15,000 |
| 2024 | 40 | $1,289,824 | $15,000 |
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
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 91% of this one's giving went to organizations in North Carolina. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
Find more foundations like The Leonard G Herring Family Foundation
We email you newly filed foundations whose giving matches your state and cause, as the IRS publishes them. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
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 the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $15,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in North 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 The Leonard G Herring Family Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: Po Box 118, Wilkesboro, NC, 28697. 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 56-1881015 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email hello@funderscope.com and we will correct it.