The John and Barbara McLendon Family Foundation is a very small, highly targeted funder that has concentrated its recent giving exclusively to a single organization, The Option Institute and Fellowship. Grants are designated as general/exempt purpose, suggesting a preference for flexible, unrestricted support rather than project-restricted funding. The foundation appears to operate locally and with a narrow charitable footprint rather than broad or diversified grantmaking.
Concentrated, small-scale giving: two grants totaling $30,000 to the same organization, indicating repeated, unrestricted support for a single core grantee rather than distributed or multi-issue funding.
The John and Barbara Mclendon Family Foundation has shown a clear pattern of supporting a small set of institutions with general exempt purpose grants, including repeat gifts to The Option Institute and Fellowship in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Across the recent grants list, the foundation’s largest awards are $15,000 grants made in both 2023 and 2024 to that organization, signaling a consistent relationship rather than one-off support. Beyond that core recipient, the foundation has also backed land conservation, education, and community organizations in North Carolina and Vermont. Two repeat grantees help define the foundation’s profile: Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation in Burlington received grants in both 2023 and 2024, and Piedmont Land Conservancy in Greensboro also appears in consecutive years. The presence of General Exempt Purpose language across grants suggests a flexible funding approach, with awards not tied to narrowly described projects. Although the foundation is small, its giving pattern shows deliberate concentration, with a handful of organizations receiving support more than once over the latest two years on file.
Land conservation is a visible part of the foundation’s recent giving. In 2023 and 2024, it gave $10,000 each year to Conservation Trust for North Carolina in Raleigh, $10,000 each year to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in Asheville, and $10,000 each year to Blue Ridge Conservancy in Boone. Education and youth-serving organizations also appear in the record. Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation in Burlington received $10,000 in both 2023 and 2024, while Rock Point School in Burlington received $5,000 in each of those years. The foundation also supported The University of Vermont Foundation in Burlington with $5,000 grants in 2023 and 2024. A separate recurring grant went to Novusway in Arden, which received $10,000 in 2023 and again in 2024. Together, these grants show a narrow but multi-issue portfolio centered on conservation, education, and related community institutions.
Typical awards cluster tightly around two sizes: p25 is $5,000, median is $10,000, and p75 is $10,000. That means most grants are at either $5,000 or $10,000, with a smaller number at $15,000. The foundation’s recent giving also shows repetition: several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2024, including multiple organizations in Vermont and North Carolina. All listed grants are made to organizations, not individuals, and the grants are tagged for general exempt purpose, which points to flexible support rather than restricted project funding. The foundation is a private family foundation with regional giving.
$190K
$1.4M
$64K
$100K
Most grants fall between $5K and $10K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 46% of grants go to recipients in VT.
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Notable grantees: The Option Institute and Fellowship
Grant recipients are entirely in the United States. North Carolina appears often, including Boone, Raleigh, Asheville, Greensboro, Arden, and Pittsboro-area giving patterns in the foundation’s broader footprint. Vermont is the other major location, with recipients in Burlington, Montpelier, Waterbury Center, and Sheffield, Massachusetts appearing as the single out-of-state organization in the recent-grants list. By grant count, Vermont is the top recipient state, while 46% of grants go to recipients in North Carolina, the foundation’s headquarters state.
The recent grants list shows support for conservation groups, education-related organizations, and a small number of community institutions. Examples include conservation funders in North Carolina, Vermont-based children’s and school organizations, and a recurring general support grant to The Option Institute and Fellowship.
Typical grants are concentrated at $5,000 and $10,000. The distribution provided is p25 $5,000, median $10,000, and p75 $10,000, with some awards at $15,000.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2024, including Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation, Piedmont Land Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Conservation Trust for North Carolina, Novusway, Vermont Land Trust Inc, Rock Point School, Green Mountain Club Inc, and The University of Vermont Foundation.
The foundation’s giving is regional, with grants entirely to U.S. recipients. Vermont is the top state by grant count, and North Carolina accounts for 46% of grants. Recipient cities include Burlington, Greensboro, Raleigh, Asheville, Boone, Arden, Montpelier, and Waterbury Center.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE OPTION INSTITUTE AND FELLOWSHIP | SHEFFIELD, MA | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| PIEDMONT LAND CONSERVANCY | GREENSBORO, NC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| VERMONT CHILDREN'S TRUST FOUNDATION | BURLINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY | ASHEVILLE, NC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| CONSERVATION TRUST FOR NORTH CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| NOVUSWAY | ARDEN, NC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| BLUE RIDGE CONSERVANCY | BOONE, NC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB INC | WATERBURY CENTER, VT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| VERMONT LAND TRUST INC | MONTPELIER, VT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT FOUNDATION | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| ROCK POINT SCHOOL | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2024 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE OPTION INSTITUTE AND FELLOWSHIP | SHEFFIELD, MA | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| PIEDMONT LAND CONSERVANCY | GREENSBORO, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| CONSERVATION TRUST FOR NORTH CAROLINA | RALEIGH, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY | ASHEVILLE, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| VERMONT CHILDREN'S TRUST FOUNDATION | BURLINGTON, VT | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| BLUE RIDGE CONSERVANCY | BOONE, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| NOVUSWAY | ARDEN, NC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| VERMONT LAND TRUST INC | MONTPELIER, VT | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT FOUNDATION | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| ROCK POINT SCHOOL | BURLINGTON, VT | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
| GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB INC | WATERBURY CENTER, VT | $5,000 | 2023 | GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE |
THE OPTION INSTITUTE AND FELLOWSHIP
$15,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
PIEDMONT LAND CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
VERMONT CHILDREN'S TRUST FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
CONSERVATION TRUST FOR NORTH CAROLINA
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
NOVUSWAY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
BLUE RIDGE CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB INC
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
VERMONT LAND TRUST INC
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
ROCK POINT SCHOOL
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE OPTION INSTITUTE AND FELLOWSHIP
$15,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
PIEDMONT LAND CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
CONSERVATION TRUST FOR NORTH CAROLINA
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
VERMONT CHILDREN'S TRUST FOUNDATION
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
BLUE RIDGE CONSERVANCY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
NOVUSWAY
$10,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
VERMONT LAND TRUST INC
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
ROCK POINT SCHOOL
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE
GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB INC
$5,000GENERAL EXEMPT PURPOSE