The Bill and Sharon Allen Family Foundation focuses on place-based investments in youth enrichment across Charlotte—particularly arts education, hands-on STEM learning, community fitness/education through the YMCA, and vocational training. Grants are sizable and targeted, often made repeatedly to the same local organizations to support program delivery and operational needs. The foundation shows a special interest in using sports and arts as vehicles for serving underserved youth.
Bill and Sharon Allen Family Foundation’s recent grantmaking shows a clear pattern of repeat support for Charlotte-area organizations that serve youth through active lifestyles, arts, and education. The largest grant in the recent record is $330,000 to YMCA of Greater Charlotte for health, fitness, and education programs, followed by $270,000 grants to Arts Plus in both 2024 and 2025 for arts education. That combination points to a funder that backs ongoing program delivery rather than one-time projects. The foundation also supports youth baseball access, hands-on museum outreach, and school-engagement work, with several awards returning year after year to the same organizations. Its funding reaches beyond a single program type: operational support appears alongside program support, and the grants range from smaller $25,000 awards to six-figure commitments. Recent recipients also include organizations serving children with learning disabilities and autism, as well as groups focused on intellectual and developmental disabilities. Across the record, the foundation centers local nonprofits that help underserved youth participate in sports, arts, learning, and community-based enrichment.
In youth development and healthy-lifestyle work, the foundation gave $100,000 in 2025 to Knothole Foundation to promote baseball in underserved communities, and it also supported Charlotte Knights Charities with $30,000 in 2025 for health, fitness, and education programs. Arts education is another recurring theme: Arts Plus received $270,000 in 2025 for arts education organization work, building on a similar $270,000 grant in 2024. The foundation also funds educational enrichment and school engagement. Right Moves for Youth Inc. received $40,000 in 2023 and $30,000 in 2024 and 2025 to improve attendance, behavior, and engagement in education. For museum-based learning, Discovery Place received $150,000 in 2023 for hands-on museum educational outreach.
Grant sizes cluster around the foundation’s stated typical range: p25 at $15,000, median at $20,000, and p75 at $30,000. Recent awards also include larger commitments, such as six-figure grants for core local partners, alongside smaller operational-support grants. The record shows repeated funding to the same organizations across multiple years, especially in Charlotte. That repeat pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-off gifts. The foundation is a regular funder and funds individuals, while the recent grants themselves are made to nonprofits. Unsolicited applications are not accepted in the listed grant programs.
$1.1M
$22.1M
$3.4M
$1.3M
Most grants fall between $15K and $30K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$30K
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Bill and Sharon Allen Family Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 89 | $3.2M | 97.8% |
| 2 | United Kingdom |
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Concentrated, mid-to-large local grants with repeat funding to a small set of core Charlotte-area organizations; mix of program-restricted and general operating support focused on youth services and community institutions.
Notable grantees: Arts Plus, YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Knothole Foundation, Discovery Place, Paramount Institute of Cosmetic Arts
Grantmaking is strongly concentrated in North Carolina, with 82% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Charlotte is the main recipient city, with many awards landing there, and nearby Gastonia also appears in the record. A smaller share reaches outside the region: there are recent grants to recipients in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Barre, Vermont. The broader distribution is overwhelmingly U.S.-based, with 89 grants in the U.S. and 2 in the U.K.
The foundation backs Charlotte-area nonprofits working in youth development, arts education, health and fitness, school engagement, and recreational enrichment. Recent examples include arts education, museum outreach, baseball access in underserved communities, and programs for students with learning disabilities and autism.
Typical awards cluster around $15,000 at the 25th percentile, a $20,000 median, and $30,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent grants also include larger six-figure commitments for long-term local partners.
No. The listed grant programs do not accept unsolicited applications, and they are described as general grantmaking for nonprofit organizations and programs in the Charlotte region and Mecklenburg County.
Recurring support is common. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Arts Plus, Knothole Foundation, Right Moves for Youth Inc., Philips Academy of North Carolina Inc., and Carolina Thread Trail.
North Carolina is the top state by grant count, and 82% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Charlotte is the most common recipient city in the recent grants record.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 2 |
| $40K |
2.2% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts Plus | CHARLOTTE, NC | $270,000 | 2025 | ARTS EDUCATION ORGANIZATION |
| Paramount Institute of Cosmetic Arts | Gastonia, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| Knothole Foundation | Charlotte, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | Promote baseball in underserved communities |
| Carolina Thread Trail | CharLOTTE, NC | $35,500 | 2025 | assist communities plan and develop connecting trails in a 15 county area surrounding Charlotte |
| PIRATES CHARITIES | PITTSBURGH, PA | $30,000 | 2025 | YOUTH HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| RIGHT MOVES FOR YOUTH INC | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2025 | WORK WITH STUDENTS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, IMPROVE BEHAVIOR, AND ENGAGE IN EDUCATION. |
| YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2025 | HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS CHARITIES | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2025 | HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| PHILIPS ACADEMY OF NORTH CAROLINA INC | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2025 | SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES AND AUTISM |
| Good Samaritan Haven | Barre, VT | $30,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| LIFESPAN INC | CHARLOTTE, NC | $25,000 | 2025 | ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITUES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES |
| Least of These Carolinas | Gastonia, NC | $25,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| FURNISH FOR GOOD | Charlotte, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| CLASSROOM CENTRAL | CHARLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | COLLECTS AND DISTRIBUTES FREE SCHOOL SUPPLIES |
| charlotte speech and hearing center | charLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | Support speach -language and hearing services to those in need |
| Freedom communities | CharLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | a family centered community transformation organization in the Freedom Drive corridor of West Charlotte |
| BRIGHT BLESSINGS | MATTHEWS, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN |
| CAMP LUCK INC | CHERRYVILLE, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AND YOUTH CAMP PROGRAM |
| GIRLS ON THE RUN INTERNATIONAL | CHARLOTTE, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | PROGRAMS FOR PRETEEN GIRLS |
| Spokes Group | Charlotte, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Putting underprivileged young people on community bikes |
| Joe Martin ALS | Charlotte, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Overnight summer camp for kids with ALS |
| TRIPS FOR KIDS | Charlotte, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| Low Country Orphan Relief | N Charleston, SC | $15,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| Bike Walk NC | Cary, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| Pat's Place | CHARLOTTE, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| ALEXANDER YOUTH NETWORK | CHARLOTTE, NC | $15,000 | 2025 | CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE |
| EXTRA MILE EDUCATION FOUNDATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,500 | 2025 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT TO UNDER-RESOURCED CHILDREN FOR PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS |
| Charlotte's Finest Legacy Foundation | Charlotte, NC | $1,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| Montour Trail Council | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | Operational Support |
| Arts Plus | CHARLOTTE, NC | $270,000 | 2024 | ARTS EDUCATION ORGANIZATION |
| YMCA OF GREATER CHARLOTTE | CHARLOTTE, NC | $180,000 | 2024 | HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| Knothole Foundation | Charlotte, NC | $100,000 | 2024 | Promote baseball in underserved communities |
| Carolina Thread Trail | CharLOTTE, NC | $40,000 | 2024 | assist communities plan and develop connecting trails in a 15 county area surrounding Charlotte |
| LIFESPAN INC | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2024 | ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITUES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES |
| RIGHT MOVES FOR YOUTH INC | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2024 | WORK WITH STUDENTS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, IMPROVE BEHAVIOR, AND ENGAGE IN EDUCATION. |
| PIRATES CHARITIES | PITTSBURGH, PA | $30,000 | 2024 | YOUTH HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS CHARITIES | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2024 | HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| PHILIPS ACADEMY OF NORTH CAROLINA INC | CHARLOTTE, NC | $30,000 | 2024 | SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES AND AUTISM |
| Good Samaritan Haven | Barre, VT | $25,000 | 2024 | Operational Support |
| Least of These Carolinas | Gastonia, NC | $25,000 | 2024 | Operational Support |
| Rangers Foundation | Glasgow | $20,000 | 2024 | YOUTH HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS |
| ALEXANDER YOUTH NETWORK | CHARLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE |
| Freedom communities | CharLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | a family centered community transformation organization in the Freedom Drive corridor of West Charlotte |
| GIRLS ON THE RUN INTERNATIONAL | CHARLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | PROGRAMS FOR PRETEEN GIRLS |
| charlotte speech and hearing center | charLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | Support speach -language and hearing services to those in need |
| BRIGHT BLESSINGS | MATTHEWS, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN |
| FURNISH FOR GOOD | Charlotte, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | Operational Support |
| TRIPS FOR KIDS | Charlotte, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | Operational Support |
| CLASSROOM CENTRAL | CHARLOTTE, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | COLLECTS AND DISTRIBUTES FREE SCHOOL SUPPLIES |
| Bike Walk NC | Cary, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | Operational Support |
Arts Plus
$270,000ARTS EDUCATION ORGANIZATION
Paramount Institute of Cosmetic Arts
$200,000Operational Support
Carolina Thread Trail
$35,500assist communities plan and develop connecting trails in a 15 county area surrounding Charlotte
PIRATES CHARITIES
$30,000YOUTH HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
WORK WITH STUDENTS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, IMPROVE BEHAVIOR, AND ENGAGE IN EDUCATION.
CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS CHARITIES
$30,000HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
PHILIPS ACADEMY OF NORTH CAROLINA INC
$30,000SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES AND AUTISM
LIFESPAN INC
$25,000ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITUES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Least of These Carolinas
$25,000Operational Support
FURNISH FOR GOOD
$20,000Operational Support
Support speach -language and hearing services to those in need
a family centered community transformation organization in the Freedom Drive corridor of West Charlotte
BRIGHT BLESSINGS
$15,000SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN
CAMP LUCK INC
$15,000PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AND YOUTH CAMP PROGRAM
Spokes Group
$15,000Putting underprivileged young people on community bikes
Joe Martin ALS
$15,000Overnight summer camp for kids with ALS
TRIPS FOR KIDS
$15,000Operational Support
Bike Walk NC
$15,000Operational Support
Pat's Place
$15,000Operational Support
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT TO UNDER-RESOURCED CHILDREN FOR PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS
Charlotte's Finest Legacy Foundation
$1,000Operational Support
Montour Trail Council
$1,000Operational Support
Carolina Thread Trail
$40,000assist communities plan and develop connecting trails in a 15 county area surrounding Charlotte
LIFESPAN INC
$30,000ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITUES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
WORK WITH STUDENTS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, IMPROVE BEHAVIOR, AND ENGAGE IN EDUCATION.
PIRATES CHARITIES
$30,000YOUTH HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS CHARITIES
$30,000HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
PHILIPS ACADEMY OF NORTH CAROLINA INC
$30,000SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES AND AUTISM
Least of These Carolinas
$25,000Operational Support
Rangers Foundation
$20,000YOUTH HEALTH, FITNESS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
a family centered community transformation organization in the Freedom Drive corridor of West Charlotte
Support speach -language and hearing services to those in need
BRIGHT BLESSINGS
$20,000SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN
FURNISH FOR GOOD
$20,000Operational Support
TRIPS FOR KIDS
$20,000Operational Support
Bike Walk NC
$15,000Operational Support