John and Polly Sparks Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $3,258,029 (2024)
Total Assets: $70.9 million (2024)
Number of Grants: 67 awards (2024)
Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed
Geographic Focus: Southeastern United States (emphasis on Florida and Georgia)
Application Process: No unsolicited applications accepted

Contact Details

Address: P.O. Box 1532, Pennington, NJ 08534-0691

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

Established in 2012, the John and Polly Sparks Foundation is a Christian-based private independent foundation with total assets of $70.9 million as of 2024. The foundation operates primarily in the southeastern United States with emphasis on Florida and Georgia, continuing the Sparks' tradition of providing support to charitable organizations. In 2024, the foundation distributed $3.65 million in charitable grants across 67 awards. The foundation's mission centers on helping individuals help themselves during times of significant need, with particular focus on mental health, housing, crisis relief, and aging issues. Bank of America serves as trustee, with an advisory board managing the foundation's assets and grant-making decisions.

Funding Priorities

Primary Focus Areas

The foundation gives primarily for:

Mental Health: Medical research and the treatment, prevention, and cure of mental illness, with special emphasis on mental illness, chemical imbalance, and depression in infancy
Substance Abuse: Prevention and treatment of substance abuse
Housing: Housing solutions for children and adults
Crisis Relief: Relief during times of crisis
Health and Aging: Assistance with health and aging issues

Special Grant Programs

The foundation has partnered with the American Psychological Foundation (APF) to sponsor specialized research grants:

John and Polly Sparks Early Career Grant for Psychologists Investigating Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED)

Award Amount: Up to $22,000
Number of Grants: 3 annually
Focus: Early intervention and treatment for serious emotional disturbance in children
Eligibility: Early-career psychologists with no more than 10 years of postdoctoral experience
Deadline: April 24, 2026
Application Portal: GivingData

John and Polly Sparks Grant for Rural First-Responders Mental Health Interventions

Award Amount: $34,000 per grant
Number of Grants: 2 grants
Focus: Evidence-based interventions to protect the mental health of first responders in rural areas
Note: This program is no longer active (last deadline October 23, 2026)

What They Don't Fund

Not explicitly documented, but the foundation only makes contributions to preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: Bank of America (Compensation: $403,890 in 2024)

Advisory Board Members:

Richard W. Hallock
Kim Barronton Thornton
Kathy Barronton Hall
Brock Richard Peyer

The advisory board manages the foundation's assets and makes grant-making decisions. The foundation maintains a conservative investment approach, deriving revenue primarily from investment activities including dividends (29.8% of revenue) and asset sales (70.2% of revenue).

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Exception: Organizations interested in the American Psychological Foundation partnership grants (Early Career Grant for SED research) should apply through the APF's GivingData portal. These are the only publicly available grant opportunities associated with the foundation.

Grants are awarded through trustee discretion based on the advisory board's assessment of organizations aligned with the foundation's mission in their geographic focus areas (southeastern United States, particularly Florida and Georgia).

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. The foundation operates on its own internal schedule for reviewing and approving grants to preselected organizations.

Success Rates

In 2024, the foundation made 67 grant awards totaling $3.65 million in charitable disbursements. Historical data shows annual charitable disbursements have ranged from approximately $1.5 million to $4.2 million over the past decade, suggesting variable grant-making patterns based on strategic priorities and investment performance.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the invitation-only nature of the foundation's grant-making.

Application Success Factors

For APF Partnership Grants

The American Psychological Foundation provides the following evaluation criteria for the Sparks-funded research grants:

Alignment and Qualifications: Proposals are assessed based on how well they align with the specific program objectives (early intervention for serious emotional disturbance in children, or mental health interventions for rural first responders) and whether applicants meet eligibility requirements.

Quality and Impact: Reviewers evaluate the quality of the proposed research and its potential impact on the field.

Innovation: The level of innovation and contribution to advancing knowledge in the field is a key consideration.

Competence and Capacity: Applicants must demonstrate competence and capacity to execute the proposed work successfully.

Multiplier Effect: The APF prioritizes projects with replicable results and a "multiplier effect"—enabling researchers to secure additional funding for project expansion.

APF actively encourages applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds across age, race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography. Note that APF does not provide feedback on proposals to applicants.

For Direct Foundation Grants (Invitation Only)

Given the foundation's focus on helping individuals help themselves during times of significant need, organizations selected for funding likely demonstrate:

Geographic alignment: Located in or serving communities in the southeastern United States, particularly Florida and Georgia
Mission alignment: Working in mental health, substance abuse, housing, crisis relief, or aging services
Christian values: As a Christian-based foundation, alignment with faith-based approaches may be a consideration
Capacity building: Programs that help individuals achieve self-sufficiency rather than creating dependency
Innovation in infant mental health: Special emphasis on chemical imbalance and depression in infancy suggests interest in innovative early intervention approaches

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No public application process: The foundation only makes grants to preselected organizations, so traditional grant applications are not accepted
APF partnership grants are the exception: The only publicly accessible funding opportunities are the research grants administered through the American Psychological Foundation for psychologists studying serious emotional disturbance in children and rural first responder mental health
Geographic focus matters: The foundation prioritizes the southeastern United States, particularly Florida and Georgia
Mental health is central: Mental illness, particularly in infancy, is a core funding priority alongside housing, crisis relief, and aging
Substantial resources: With $70.9 million in assets and $3.65 million in annual giving, the foundation has significant capacity
Relationship-based giving: The preselected model suggests the foundation identifies organizations through trustee and advisory board networks rather than open competition
Faith-based approach: As a Christian-based foundation, organizations with compatible values may have an advantage if they come to the foundation's attention through board connections

References

Accessed: December 24, 2025