The Bryan Foundation concentrates its giving on strengthening higher education in North Carolina, primarily by funding scholarships and building endowment capacity for colleges and community foundations. Grants are directed to a small set of repeat recipients, with a clear preference for local institutions and scholarship support for students at specific universities. The foundation favors durable, long-term investments (endowments and scholarship funds) rather than one-off program grants.
Bryan Foundation Inc Co First Citizens centers its giving on scholarships and endowment support for North Carolina education, with a clear pattern of repeated, restricted grants to a small set of institutions. The largest recent gift in the file is a $330,000 grant to North Carolina Community of North Foundation for endowment funds, followed by another $305,000 grant to the same recipient the next year and a $225,000 award in 2024. That sequence points to a funder that uses larger commitments to build long-term support rather than making many short-term awards. The foundation also channels substantial support directly to colleges and schools. University of Mount Olive received $125,000 in 2025 for scholarships for students, and Campbell University received $100,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for scholarships for students. Outside higher education, the portfolio includes scholarship and capital-campaign support for K–12 institutions and independent college funds, all within North Carolina. The recipient list is concentrated and recurring, which makes the foundation's funding style easy to trace across years.
A defining theme is scholarship support for students at specific North Carolina institutions. Bryan Foundation Inc Co First Citizens gave $125,000 to University of Mount Olive for scholarships for students, along with $100,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025 to Campbell University for scholarships for students. The foundation also supports K–12 education. It awarded $45,000 to Wayne Country Day School for scholarships for Wayne County, and gave $40,000 to Hobbton High School for scholarships for high school students. Institutional capacity is another clear thread. A $40,000 grant to St Mary's School was designated for a capital campaign, and the foundation also made $20,000 grants to Independent College Fund Carolina for scholarships for North Carolina students. The pattern shows a mix of direct student aid and restricted support for school and college funding structures.
Typical grant sizes cluster in the middle of the five-figure range: p25 is $20,000, median grant size is $37,500, and p75 is $65,000. The recent record also shows repeated awards to the same recipients across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated gifts. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Grants in the file are restricted and institution-specific, often tied to scholarships, endowment funds, or capital campaigns.
$700K
$5.7M
$489K
$760K
Most grants fall between $20K and $65K, with a median of $38K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$38K
75th Percentile
$65K
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Concentrated, large-dollar giving to a few repeat grantees; mix of multi-year or multiple grants that create or bolster endowments and scholarship funds; geographically focused on North Carolina.
Notable grantees: North Carolina Community Foundation, University of Mount Olive, Campbell University
Giving is entirely local and entirely in North Carolina: 100% of grants in the file go to recipients in the HQ state. Raleigh appears frequently as the recipient city, including North Carolina Community of North Foundation, Campbell University, St Mary's School, and College Foundation Inc. Other named recipient cities include Olive and Goldsboro, plus Newton Grove. The recipient-country distribution is exclusively U.S.-based, with 29 grants to U.S. organizations.
The foundation mainly funds scholarships and endowment support for North Carolina education. Recent grants include endowment funds for North Carolina Community of North Foundation and scholarship support for University of Mount Olive, Campbell University, Wayne Country Day School, and Hobbton High School.
No. The grant record shows 29 grants, all 100% to recipients in North Carolina, and the recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based.
Typical grants are in the five-figure range. The distribution shows a p25 of $20,000, a median of $37,500, and a p75 of $65,000.
It makes recurring grants. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including North Carolina Community of North Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Campbell University in 2024 and 2025; and St Mary's School and Hobbton High School across multiple years.
The recipients are educational institutions and education-related nonprofits, including universities, high schools, community foundations, and college funds. The file also includes capital campaign support for a school and scholarship support routed through college fund organizations.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY OF NORTH FOUNDATION | RALEIGH, NC | $330,000 | 2025 | ENDOWMENT FUNDS FOR |
| UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE | OLIVE, NC | $125,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $100,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | GOLDSBORO, NC | $45,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WAYNE CNTY |
| ST MARY'S SCHOOL | RALEIGH, NC | $40,000 | 2025 | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN |
| HOBBTON HIGH SCHOOL | NEWTON GROVE, NC | $40,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH |
| INDEPENDENT COLLEGE FUND CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $20,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH |
| NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY OF NORTH FOUNDATION | RALEIGH, NC | $305,000 | 2024 | ENDOWMENT FUNDS FOR |
| NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY OF NORTH FOUNDATION | RALEIGH, NC | $225,000 | 2024 | ENDOWMENT FUNDS FOR |
| CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $100,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE | OLIVE, NC | $100,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE | OLIVE, NC | $65,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $50,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS |
| COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC | RALEIGH, NC | $40,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS |
| ST MARY'S SCHOOL | RALEIGH, NC | $40,000 | 2024 | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN |
| HOBBTON HIGH SCHOOL | NEWTON GROVE, NC | $35,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH |
| ST MARY'S SCHOOL | RALEIGH, NC | $25,000 | 2024 | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN |
| INDEPENDENT COLLEGE FUND CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH |
| WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | GOLDSBORO, NC | $20,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WAYNE CNTY |
| WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | GOLDSBORO, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WAYNE CNTY |
| INDEPENDENT COLLEGE FUND CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2024 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH |
| GO GLOBAL | Morrisville, NC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | RALEIGH, NC | $225,000 | 2023 | ENDOWMENT FUNDS FOR SPECIFIED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS |
| UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE | MT OLIVE, NC | $65,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE |
| CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $50,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS OF CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY |
| HOBBTON HIGH SCHOOL | NEWTON GROVE, NC | $35,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS |
| ST MARY'S SCHOOL | RALEIGH, NC | $25,000 | 2023 | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN |
| WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | GOLDSBORO, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS OF WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL |
| INDEPENDENT COLLEGE FUND OF NORTH CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $15,000 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH CAROLINA STUDENTS |
WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$45,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WAYNE CNTY
ST MARY'S SCHOOL
$40,000CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
HOBBTON HIGH SCHOOL
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH
INDEPENDENT COLLEGE FUND CAROLINA
$20,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH
CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY
$100,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS
COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC
$40,000SCHOLARSHIPS
ST MARY'S SCHOOL
$40,000CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
HOBBTON HIGH SCHOOL
$35,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH
ST MARY'S SCHOOL
$25,000CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
INDEPENDENT COLLEGE FUND CAROLINA
$20,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH
WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$20,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WAYNE CNTY
WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$15,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WAYNE CNTY
INDEPENDENT COLLEGE FUND CAROLINA
$15,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH
GO GLOBAL
$10,000GENERAL
ENDOWMENT FUNDS FOR SPECIFIED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE
HOBBTON HIGH SCHOOL
$35,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
ST MARY'S SCHOOL
$25,000CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
$15,000SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS OF WAYNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NORTH CAROLINA STUDENTS