The Ann L Turner & Geoffrey M Tennant Foundation concentrates its giving in Polk County, NC, prioritizing local education and community infrastructure. Major gifts fund Polk County public school programs, capital projects for community organizations (notably the YMCA), and scholarships enabling Polk County high school graduates to attend University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. The foundation favors tangible, outcomes-focused support that helps students transition from local K–12 into state universities.
Ann L Turner & Geoffrey M Tennant Foundation Inc stands out for directing a large share of its giving to Polk County students and institutions through scholarships, school program support, and capital funding. In 2025, the foundation made a $100,000 capital campaign grant to YMCA of Polk County, alongside a $54,594 award to Polk County Public Schools for programs. Those gifts sit within a broader pattern of support for local education and community infrastructure rather than broad, multi-state grantmaking. The foundation also backs college access for Polk County high school graduates, with repeated support for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. Smaller grants extend that same local focus into arts education, including multiple awards to the Children's Theater Festival in Tryon. The grant list shows a funder that concentrates resources close to home and uses a mix of large capital awards, school program support, and recurring scholarship-style gifts to help students move from Polk County schools into college.
Education is the clearest theme in the foundation’s recent grants. It gave $54,594 to Polk County Public Schools for programs in 2025 and $26,000 for the same purpose in 2024, showing repeated support for K-12 program needs. Postsecondary access is another major line of giving: the foundation awarded $32,953 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Polk County high school graduates for studies, and it also made a $26,810 grant to North Carolina State University for Polk County high school grads. Arts education appears in the grant list as well, with $5,000 awards in 2024 and 2025 to the Children's Theater Festival in Tryon to fund children's theater. The foundation also made a $1,000 grant to Cares for Kids for additional programs.
Typical grants fall in a relatively modest-to-midrange band, with a p25 of $4,000, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $26,405. The 2025 list includes both a six-figure capital campaign award and several grants at the scholarship and program level, so the foundation uses a mixed-size pattern rather than a single fixed grant tier. Repeated grantees across 2024 and 2025 suggest ongoing relationships, especially with schools, universities, and local arts programming. It does not make program-related investments and does not fund individuals directly; the structure shown here is institutional grantmaking.
$139K
$2M
$61K
$164K
Most grants fall between $4K and $26K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$4K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$26K
About 82% of grants go to recipients in NC.
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Concentrated, high-dollar local giving with a small number of awards per year; repeat grants to the same institutions and targeted investments in scholarships, school programs, and one-off capital projects.
Notable grantees: YMCA of Polk County, Polk County Public Schools, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University
The foundation’s giving is concentrated in North Carolina, which accounts for 82% of grants and is also the top state by grant count. Recent recipients in Columbus include YMCA of Polk County, Polk County Public Schools, and Cares for Kids, while Tryon appears through Children's Theater Festival. Outside North Carolina, the list includes the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 15 grants to U.S. organizations.
Its recent grants go primarily to schools, universities, and community organizations tied to Polk County. Examples in the data include Polk County Public Schools for programs, YMCA of Polk County for a capital campaign, and Children's Theater Festival for children's theater.
Yes. The grant list includes awards to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Polk County high school graduates for studies, and to North Carolina State University and the University of Tennessee for Polk County high school grads.
Typical grant size is centered around $5,000: the p25 is $4,000, the median is $5,000, and the p75 is $26,405. The recent list also includes larger awards such as $100,000 and $54,594.
Its geographic scope is local. North Carolina receives 82% of grants, and the recent recipient list is overwhelmingly centered in Columbus and Tryon, with one grant to Knoxville, Tennessee.
No. The data indicates it does not fund individuals directly, and the recent grants are all to institutions such as public schools, universities, and community organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YMCA OF POLK COUNTY | COLUMBUS, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN |
| POLK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS | COLUMBUS, NC | $54,594 | 2025 | FUNDPOLK CTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROGRAMS |
| UNIVERSITY OF NC CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $32,953 | 2025 | POLK COUNTY HS GRADUATES FOR STUDIES |
| UNIVERSITY OF NC CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $30,407 | 2025 | POLK COUNTY HS GRADUATES FOR STUDIES |
| CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL | TRYON, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | TO FUND CHILDREN'S THEATER |
| CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL | TRYON, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | TO FUND CHILDREN'S THEATER |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $4,000 | 2025 | AWARDED TO POLK COUNTY HS GRADS |
| UNIVERTY OF TENNESSEE | KNOXVILLE, TN | $4,000 | 2025 | AWARDED TO POLK CTY HS GRADS |
| CARES FOR KIDS | COLUMBUS, NC | $1,000 | 2025 | ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $26,810 | 2024 | AWARDED TO POLK COUNTY HS GRADS |
| POLK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS | COLUMBUS, NC | $26,000 | 2024 | FUNDPOLK CTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROGRAMS |
| CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL | TRYON, NC | $5,000 | 2024 | TO FUND CHILDREN'S THEATER |
| UNIVERTY OF TENNESSEE | KNOXVILLE, TN | $4,000 | 2024 | AWARDED TO POLK CTY HS GRADS |
| UNIVERSITY OF NC WILMINGTON | WILMINGTON, NC | $4,000 | 2024 | AWARDED TO POLK CTY HS GRAD |
| UNIVERSITY OF NC CHAPEL HILL | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $4,000 | 2024 | POLK COUNTY HS GRADUATES FOR STUDIES |
YMCA OF POLK COUNTY
$100,000CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
POLK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
$54,594FUNDPOLK CTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROGRAMS
UNIVERSITY OF NC CHAPEL HILL
$32,953POLK COUNTY HS GRADUATES FOR STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF NC CHAPEL HILL
$30,407POLK COUNTY HS GRADUATES FOR STUDIES
CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL
$5,000TO FUND CHILDREN'S THEATER
CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL
$5,000TO FUND CHILDREN'S THEATER
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
$4,000AWARDED TO POLK COUNTY HS GRADS
UNIVERTY OF TENNESSEE
$4,000AWARDED TO POLK CTY HS GRADS
CARES FOR KIDS
$1,000ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
$26,810AWARDED TO POLK COUNTY HS GRADS
POLK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
$26,000FUNDPOLK CTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROGRAMS
CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL
$5,000TO FUND CHILDREN'S THEATER
UNIVERTY OF TENNESSEE
$4,000AWARDED TO POLK CTY HS GRADS
UNIVERSITY OF NC WILMINGTON
$4,000AWARDED TO POLK CTY HS GRAD
UNIVERSITY OF NC CHAPEL HILL
$4,000POLK COUNTY HS GRADUATES FOR STUDIES