The Alex and Barbara Wilson Charitable Foundation makes modest, unrestricted grants that blend support for local community life (arts/cultural groups and civic institutions) with conservation and health causes. Their giving mixes a strong interest in regional parkland and heritage (Blue Ridge Parkway) with cancer research/charitable cancer work (The V Foundation) and a handful of niche service or advocacy organizations. Grants are typically unrestricted and practical rather than program-restricted, suggesting flexible support for grantee priorities.
Alex and Barbara Wilson Charitable Foundation Inc. stands out for a giving pattern that repeatedly centers the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and The V Foundation, while also backing a mix of local civic, cultural, and conservation organizations. Recent grants show a practical style: unrestricted charitable gifts rather than tightly designated awards, with support flowing to heritage and land stewardship, cancer-related philanthropy, and community groups tied to Raleigh and western North Carolina. The foundation’s recent grant list includes multiple gifts to Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in 2023 and 2025, alongside repeated support for The V Foundation in Cary. That combination suggests two durable interests: regional parkland and cancer-related charitable work. Around those anchors, the foundation also funds smaller nonprofits such as Wake and District Pipe Band, Raleigh Fire Museum, NC Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and Altapass Foundation, indicating attention to community identity, public memory, and local nonprofit capacity. The overall pattern is broad in subject matter but modest in size, with grants often appearing as flexible support for organizations’ general purposes rather than one-off project awards.
Conservation and park stewardship are a visible part of the foundation’s portfolio. They gave $6,787 to Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in 2025 and $5,365 to the same organization in 2025, both as unrestricted charitable gifts, after a $7,900 gift in 2023. Cancer-related philanthropy is another recurring thread. In 2025, the foundation gave $8,765 to The V Foundation and $4,567 to the same grantee, again unrestricted. A prior gift of $3,191 went to V Foundation in 2023. Local heritage and civic life also appear in the recent grants. The foundation gave $3,697 to Raleigh Fire Museum and $2,591 to NC Fallen Firefighters Foundation in 2025, and it supported Wake and District Pipe Band with $4,811 in 2023 and $1,339 in 2025. These grants show interest in organizations tied to place-based identity and public service memory.
The typical grant size is small: p25 is $2,389, median is $3,191, and p75 is $4,811. Recent awards cluster tightly around a few thousand dollars, with a few larger gifts such as $17,422 to National Philanthropic Trust in 2023 and $8,765 to The V Foundation in 2025. The same recipients appear across multiple years, including Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, The V Foundation, Wake and District Pipe Band, and Altapass Foundation, which points to recurring support rather than isolated one-time giving. The foundation appears to use unrestricted charitable gifts, and the available data shows no program-related investments and no funding to individuals.
$48K
$1.7M
$488K
$70K
Most grants fall between $2K and $5K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Modest, unrestricted gifts concentrated among a small number of recipients; a mix of repeat support (e.g., Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation) and one-off gifts, with both local community groups and national nonprofits represented. Includes use of philanthropic intermediary (NPT), indicating occasional donor-advised or pass-through giving.
Notable grantees: Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, The V Foundation (cancer research), National Philanthropic Trust, Tripawds Foundation, Wake and District Pipe Band
Giving is local, and 89% of grants go to recipients in North Carolina. Recent recipients are concentrated in Raleigh, Cary, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham, Chapel Hill, and the Blue Ridge region, with repeated gifts to Raleigh-based organizations such as Raleigh Fire Museum and Wake and District Pipe Band. Outside North Carolina, grants are less common and include recipients in Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, DC. The recipient-country distribution is entirely US-based.
The foundation funds conservation and park stewardship, cancer-related charitable work, local cultural groups, and small service or advocacy nonprofits. Recent grants include Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, The V Foundation, Wake and District Pipe Band, Raleigh Fire Museum, NC Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and Altapass Foundation.
Yes. The recent grants are described as unrestricted charitable gifts. That pattern appears across larger gifts such as $8,765 to The V Foundation, $6,787 to Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, and $3,697 to Raleigh Fire Museum.
The grant-size distribution is modest: p25 is $2,389, median is $3,191, and p75 is $4,811. Most recent awards fall in the low-thousands, with a few larger exceptions above that range.
It gives most often in North Carolina, which accounts for 89% of grants. Recent North Carolina recipients include Raleigh Fire Museum in Raleigh, The V Foundation in Cary, and Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in Winston-Salem.
Yes. Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation appears in both 2023 and 2025; The V Foundation appears in 2023 and 2025; Wake and District Pipe Band appears in 2023 and 2025; and Altapass Foundation appears in 2023 and 2025. That shows recurring rather than purely one-time support.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE V FOUNDATION | CARY, NC | $8,765 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION | WINSTONSALEM, NC | $6,787 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| MOSES CONE FOUNDATION | GREENSBORO, NC | $6,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION | WINSTONSALEM, NC | $5,365 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| TRIPAWDS FOUNDATION | LIVINGSTON, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| THE V FOUNDATION | CARY, NC | $4,567 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| PHOENIX PROJECT | FRONT ROYAL, VA | $3,697 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NC FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION | MOCKSVILLE, NC | $3,697 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| RALEIGH FIRE MUSEUM | RALEIGH, NC | $3,697 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| K9S | PONTE VEDRA, FL | $3,696 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| ALTAPASS FOUNDATION | SPRUCE PINE, NC | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| HART SQUARE FOUNDATION INC | VALE, NC | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| ALTAPASS FOUNDATION | SPRUCE PINE, NC | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| ARBORDALE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | BANNER ELK, NC | $3,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NC TROOPERS ASSOCIATION | RALEIGH, NC | $2,591 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NC FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION | MOCKSVILLE, NC | $2,591 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NC PEER SUPPORT GROUP | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $2,591 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| RALEIGH FIRE MUSEUM | RALEIGH, NC | $2,591 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| A PLACE AT THE TABLE | RALEIGH, NC | $2,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NC SYMPHONY SOCIETY | RALEIGH, NC | $1,339 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| WAKE AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND | RALEIGH, NC | $1,339 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,339 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| KIDZNOTES | DURHAM, NC | $1,339 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| KIDZNOTES | DURHAM, NC | $1,283 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,283 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| WAKE AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND | RALEIGH, NC | $1,283 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NC SYMPHONY SOCIETY | RALEIGH, NC | $1,283 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| HART SQUARE FOUNDATION INC | VALE, NC | $1,000 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FFRF | MADISON, WI | $666 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FFRF | MADISON, WI | $666 | 2025 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST | JENKINTOWN, PA | $17,422 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION | WINSTONSALEM, NC | $7,900 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| WAKE AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND | RALEIGH, NC | $4,811 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| REDS INC | GARNER, NC | $4,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| V FOUNDATION | CARY, NC | $3,191 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| ALTAPASS FOUNDATION | SPRUCE PINE, NC | $3,000 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| NC SYMPHONY SOCIETY | RALEIGH, NC | $2,389 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| KIDZNOTES | DURHAM, NC | $1,609 | 2023 | UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
| FAIR BLUFF HISTORICAL SOCIETY | FAIR BLUFF, NC | $1,200 | 2023 | UNFRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT |
THE V FOUNDATION
$8,765UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION
$6,787UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
MOSES CONE FOUNDATION
$6,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION
$5,365UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
TRIPAWDS FOUNDATION
$5,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
THE V FOUNDATION
$4,567UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
PHOENIX PROJECT
$3,697UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NC FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION
$3,697UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
RALEIGH FIRE MUSEUM
$3,697UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
K9S
$3,696UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
ALTAPASS FOUNDATION
$3,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
HART SQUARE FOUNDATION INC
$3,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
ALTAPASS FOUNDATION
$3,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
ARBORDALE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
$3,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NC TROOPERS ASSOCIATION
$2,591UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NC FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION
$2,591UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NC PEER SUPPORT GROUP
$2,591UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
RALEIGH FIRE MUSEUM
$2,591UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
A PLACE AT THE TABLE
$2,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NC SYMPHONY SOCIETY
$1,339UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
WAKE AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND
$1,339UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$1,339UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
KIDZNOTES
$1,339UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
KIDZNOTES
$1,283UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
$1,283UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
WAKE AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND
$1,283UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NC SYMPHONY SOCIETY
$1,283UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
HART SQUARE FOUNDATION INC
$1,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
FFRF
$666UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
FFRF
$666UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST
$17,422UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY FOUNDATION
$7,900UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
WAKE AND DISTRICT PIPE BAND
$4,811UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
REDS INC
$4,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
V FOUNDATION
$3,191UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
ALTAPASS FOUNDATION
$3,000UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
NC SYMPHONY SOCIETY
$2,389UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
KIDZNOTES
$1,609UNRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT
FAIR BLUFF HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$1,200UNFRESTRICTED CHARITABLE GIFT