Gilliam Family Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The foundation funds 501(c)(3) non-profit organisations in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, so groups outside those areas or without that status should not apply.
- If your work fits one of its six focus areas (the arts, health and wellness, environmental stewardship, economic development, community development and education), explain how it relates to them, as the foundation asks.
- Half of its 99 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less, so a request near that size fits its usual pattern; about 8 in 10 grants fall between $2,000 and $240,000, a typical band rather than a ceiling, and its largest grant was about $640,000.
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so there is no deadline: begin through the Contact form and wait for the foundation's emailed directions.
- Repeat giving is substantial, with 62% of its grant dollars to organisations going to groups it had funded before, so a first approach should not assume an existing relationship.
Overview
Gilliam Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in Charlottesville, VA.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation awards grants to 501(c)(3) non-profit organisations in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. It identifies the arts, health and wellness, environmental stewardship, economic development, community development and education as its six focus areas. It invests in initiatives supporting its home region and partners with organisations that help build and enrich local communities. Its community-development work seeks to support the success of those regions and help families and communities grow and prosper. In education, it supports initiatives in early childhood education, K-12 education and higher education, which it regards as a means to inspire change, encourage innovation and promote progress.
Themes
- The Arts
- Health and Wellness
- Environmental Stewardship
- Economic Development
- Community Development
- Education
Geographic Focus
Southwest Virginia; Eastern Kentucky.
How to apply
Applicants begin by completing the Contact form; after receiving the request, the foundation emails further directions.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 62% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 99 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Applicants should explain how their work relates to the foundation's focus areas.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 14% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 62% of grant dollars went to organisations Gilliam Family Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- <1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 38 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Focused Ultrasound Foundation · Help mankind$600,0002024 tax year
- Family Crisis Support Services · Help mankind$525,0002024 tax year
- Appalachian Sustainable Development · Help mankind$500,0002024 tax year
- Advanced Studies in Culture Foundation · Education$350,0002024 tax year
- Virginia Foundation for Community College Education · Education$249,6402024 tax year
- Elevate Early Education · Education$166,6672024 tax year
- William King Museum of Art · Support the arts$135,0002024 tax year
- Uva College At Wise · Education$75,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Richard B Gilliam Jr — Director
- Julia Gilliam Sterling — Director Of Grant Making
- James L Van Dyke — Director
- Richard B Gilliam — President & Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $2,793,855 | $2,259,253 | $47,908,411 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $1,923,884 | $1,443,640 | $49,482,979 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $3,589,869 | $3,094,181 | $50,380,907 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.
Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.
Data privacy and security by default
Your organisation's past successful grants and experience
AI analysis of what reviewers want to see
A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours
Spotted something that needs correcting? Let us know
At a glance
Applying to Gilliam Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Charlottesville, VA
- gilliamfamilyfoundation.com
Applying to Gilliam Family Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- Charlottesville, VA
- gilliamfamilyfoundation.com