Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: ~$1,041,000 (2024 fiscal year)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available (no open application process)
• Decision Time: Not applicable (no public process)
• Grant Range: $3,800 - $135,000 (typical direct grants; excludes one-time Donor Advised Fund transfers)
• Geographic Focus: National, with strong local focus on Wilkes County, NC and surrounding region

Contact Details

• Address: 600 Miller Court, N Wilkesboro, NC 28659-8183
• Mailing/Correspondence Address: 320 Broad St., Fourth Floor, Charleston, SC 29401 (noted in memorial correspondence)
• Website: None identified
• Phone: Not publicly listed
• Email: Not publicly listed
• EIN: 83-2570406

Overview

The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation is a private non-operating foundation established in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, tax-exempt since August 2019. It was founded by John Keith Garrett and his wife Leasa Felts Garrett. John Keith Garrett, who had a career spanning microbiology and 25 years at Pfizer Pharmaceutical, passed away in January 2023; his wife Leasa Felts Garrett now serves as sole director.

The foundation holds assets of approximately $18-22 million and distributes over $1 million annually in grants. It funds a diverse portfolio of national and local causes, with recurring interests in veterans' support, conservation and outdoor recreation, local Wilkes County community organizations, disaster relief, children's welfare, and therapeutic services. The foundation does not have a public website or open application process, and all grant decisions appear to be made at the director's discretion.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate named grant programs. Grants are made at the discretion of the director(s) across a range of charitable causes. Based on 990-PF filings from 2021, 2022, and 2024, the following categories and example grant amounts have been documented:

Veterans and Military Support

• Homes for Our Troops: $50,000 (New Home Program - NC)
• Huts for Vets: $10,000 - $20,000 (wilderness programming, base camp design)
• Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association: $35,000 - $212,000 (infrastructure/wildland fire preparedness)
• Tenth Mountain Division Foundation: $200,000 (Sustaining Legacy)
• Gary Sinise Foundation: $40,000
• Honor Foundation: $40,000
• Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers: $40,000
• Fisher House Foundation: $50,000

Conservation and Outdoor Recreation

• Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation: $5,000 - $25,000 (map projects, park restrooms, trail supplies, restaurant support)
• Blue Ridge Conservancy: $10,000
• New River Conservancy: $42,000
• Friends of the Mountains-To-Sea: $10,000
• Elkin Valley Trails Association: $120,000 (Bridge of Dreams)

Local Wilkes County Community

• Adult Enrichment Services of Wilkes: $7,500 - $12,000 (general support)
• Samaritan Kitchen of Wilkes: $7,500 - $10,000 (general support)
• West Wilkes High School: $3,800 - $10,000 (tennis courts, athlete support)
• Whippoorwill Academy and Village: $5,000
• Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center: $10,000 - $15,000 (Horse Trailer, Hearts and Hooves Society)

Disaster Relief and Humanitarian

• Samaritan's Purse: $20,000 - $113,000 (Ukraine operations, Hurricane Ian, Operation Christmas Child)
• American Red Cross: $50,000
• United Cajun Navy: $75,000
• Action Against Hunger USA: $20,000

Children and Youth

• St Jude Children's Research Hospital: $75,000
• Black Mountain Home for Children: $135,000
• Boys Club of Wake County NC: $15,000
• National 4-H Council: $25,000

Health and Disability

• Michael J Fox Foundation: $25,000
• Autism Society of America: $20,000
• National Council on the Aging: $20,000
• Saving Grace K9s: $15,000 (training facility)
• Anchor Ridge: $75,000
• Hearts with Hands: $75,000

Donor Advised Funds

• National Philanthropic Trust: $202,000 - $850,000 (Donor Advised Fund transfers; these represent internally managed charitable giving and are not direct grants to operating nonprofits)

Priority Areas

Based on multi-year 990-PF analysis, the foundation has demonstrated recurring commitments to:

• Veterans' housing, rehabilitation, and wilderness programming
• Blue Ridge Parkway conservation and access
• Tenth Mountain Division legacy projects
• Local Wilkes County social services and community organizations
• Disaster relief in response to hurricanes, international crises, and other emergencies
• Children's health and residential care
• Therapeutic riding and animal-assisted programs

What They Don't Fund

No explicit exclusion list is published. The foundation has no public guidelines. Based on filing data:

• No grants identified to religious institutions (though Samaritan's Purse, a faith-based organization, has received funding)
• No grants to government bodies
• No endowments to other foundations (aside from internal Donor Advised Fund use)
• No evidence of funding for arts, media, or academic research

Governance and Leadership

Director:

• Leasa Felts Garrett - Sole director following the death of John Keith Garrett in January 2023. No compensation reported.

Founder (deceased):

• John Keith Garrett (May 14, 1957 - January 11, 2023) - Co-founder and original director. Held a BS in Microbiology (Clemson University), MS in Microbiology and MBA in Finance (University of Georgia). Career included roles at the University of Georgia, Merieux Lab, and 25 years at Pfizer Pharmaceutical as a microbiologist. He was an avid hiker, tennis player and coach at West Wilkes High School, and leader of the OFHC Hiking Group - interests that appear to be reflected in the foundation's conservation and outdoor recreation grant-making.

The foundation files as a private non-operating foundation under 501(c)(3). No external trustees or advisory board members have been identified in public records.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. The Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation is a private family foundation that makes grants entirely at the discretion of its director(s). There is no published grant portal, application form, open call for proposals, or published guidelines for unsolicited applications. No website exists through which applicants could make contact.

Grant recipients identified across multiple years of 990-PF filings include both national organizations (St Jude, American Red Cross, Samaritan's Purse) and very local Wilkes County nonprofits, suggesting grants are made based on personal relationships and the director's knowledge of causes rather than through any formal application process.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable. No public application process exists.

Success Rates

Not applicable. No public application process exists.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable. Several organizations have received repeat grants across multiple years (e.g., Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association, Adult Enrichment Services of Wilkes, Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center, Saving Grace K9s, Samaritan Kitchen of Wilkes), suggesting ongoing relationships are maintained with favored grantees.

Application Success Factors

Since there is no public application process, the following observations are based on the patterns identified across three years of 990-PF grant data:

• Personal connection is paramount: All grants appear to flow from the director's personal interests and relationships. John Keith Garrett's passions for hiking, conservation, veterans' causes, and local community are clearly mirrored in the grant portfolio. Following his death in 2023, Leasa Felts Garrett has continued a similar grant mix.
• Repeat grants are common: Organizations such as the Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center, and local Wilkes County charities have received grants in multiple years, suggesting that building a relationship with this funder can lead to sustained support.
• Local Wilkes County organizations benefit: Despite making grants to major national charities, the foundation has consistently supported small local organizations including Adult Enrichment Services of Wilkes, Samaritan Kitchen of Wilkes, West Wilkes High School, and Whippoorwill Academy and Village.
• Grant amounts vary widely: Individual grants have ranged from $3,800 (West Wilkes High School tennis courts) to $212,000 (Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association wildland fire preparedness), suggesting no fixed tier structure and decisions are entirely discretionary.
• No evidence of competitive selection: The grant portfolio reflects the personal charitable interests of the Garrett family rather than a competitive grant program.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• This is a private family foundation with no public application process. Cold applications are not possible and there is no contact information published.
• The foundation has ~$18-22 million in assets and distributes approximately $1 million annually in grants, making it a meaningful funder where a relationship exists.
• Veterans' support and conservation (particularly Blue Ridge Parkway and Tenth Mountain Division related causes) have been the most consistently and generously funded areas.
• Local Wilkes County, NC organizations have consistently received support, often for operational/general support purposes - suggesting the foundation values community impact close to home.
• Disaster relief has been an area of significant reactive giving (Samaritan's Purse for Ukraine and Hurricane Ian, American Red Cross, United Cajun Navy).
• Repeat grantees are a strong feature of this foundation's giving - once a relationship is established, ongoing support appears likely. Organizations already known to the director stand the best chance of receiving future support.
• The death of founder John Keith Garrett in January 2023 may have created some evolution in giving priorities. Grant writers connected to causes aligned with Leasa Felts Garrett's interests should be attentive to any shifts in the 2023 and subsequent filings.

References

1. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation URL: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/832570406 Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: financial summaries (revenue, expenses, assets), filing years, leadership names

2. 990-PF XML Filing - Fiscal Year 2024 (filed May 2025) Object ID: 202541359349101499 Retrieved via: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/download-xml?object_id=202541359349101499 Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: 2024 grant recipients and amounts ($1,041,000 total grants; 27 recipients listed)

3. 990-PF XML Filing - Fiscal Year 2022 (filed July 2023) Object ID: 202342069349100619 Retrieved via: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/download-xml?object_id=202342069349100619 Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: 2022 grant recipients and amounts ($1,047,000 total grants; 11 recipients listed)

4. 990-PF XML Filing - Fiscal Year 2021 (filed July 2022) Object ID: 202201869349100605 Retrieved via: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/download-xml?object_id=202201869349100605 Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: 2021 grant recipients and amounts ($817,300 total grants; 9 recipients listed)

5. Cause IQ - Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation Profile URL: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/garrett-family-ever-forward-foundation,832570406/ Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: 2021 financial summary ($160,000 grants paid in 2021 per Cause IQ summary; note discrepancy with full XML data)

6. Charity Navigator - Garrett Family Ever Forward Foundation Profile URL: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/832570406 Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: Address (600 Miller Court, N Wilkesboro, NC 28659-8183), private non-operating foundation status, IRS ruling year 2019

7. Obituary for John "Keith" Garrett - Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home URL: https://www.reinssturdivant.com/obituary/JohnKeith-Garrett Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: Biographical details on John Keith Garrett, date of death (January 11, 2023), family members, foundation memorial address (320 Broad St., Fourth Floor, Charleston, SC 29401), charitable interests referenced in obituary

8. Legacy.com - John Garrett Obituary URL: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/john-garrett-obituary?id=38667571 Accessed: February 17, 2026 Source for: Corroboration of obituary details and foundation reference