About Pleiad Foundation
The Pleiad Foundation concentrates substantial, place-based support in Birmingham, with major gifts to higher-education institutions and University medical programs. Its giving emphasizes university-related initiatives—particularly neurosurgery/medical research—and also includes selective backing for local cultural organizations. Grants are few but large, often repeated to the same institutions, signaling a preference for deep, institutional partnerships over broad, small-dollar funding.
Focus Areas
Higher education and campus priorities at Birmingham institutions (e.g., Birmingham–Southern College)University-based neurosurgery and medical research at UABLocal performing arts and cultural infrastructure (e.g., Virginia Samford Theatre)
Who They Fund
charitable organizations (unspecified)general public/communities (unspecified)
Giving Approach
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of local institutional grantees with repeat funding to university and medical departments rather than many small, diverse awards.
Funding Style
About Pleiad Foundation
Pleiad Foundation’s recent giving is marked by a very large grant to Birmingham Southern College: $400,000 in 2025. That single award captures a broader pattern in the foundation’s work — a small number of substantial grants, mostly to Birmingham and other Central Alabama institutions, with repeated support for universities, medical programs, and local cultural organizations. The foundation also made a $265,000 grant to Uab - Department of Neurosurgery in 2025, reinforcing its interest in university-linked medical work. Across the recent grant list, the same recipient organizations appear more than once, including UAB units, Virginia Samford Theater, Freshwater Land Trust, and Urban Ministry, suggesting ongoing institutional relationships rather than one-off awards. Pleiad Foundation’s grantmaking is local in scope, and the recipient mix shows support for higher education, neurosurgery and medical research, arts and culture, and selected community projects. The pattern points to place-based giving in Greater Birmingham and Central Alabama, with a strong tilt toward established nonprofits and campus-related priorities.
What Pleiad Foundation Funds
Higher education is a major theme in Pleiad Foundation’s grantmaking. In 2025, it gave $400,000 to Birmingham Southern College and $60,000 to Huntingdon College, while also supporting university-related funds such as the University Foundation in Tuscaloosa. Medical research and clinical training are another clear area of support: the foundation awarded $265,000 to Uab - Department of Neurosurgery in 2025 and $100,000 to Uab Division of Neurosurgery in 2024. Arts and culture also appear in the recent record, including $75,000 to Virginia Samford Theater in 2025 and $50,000 to Metropolitan Arts Center in 2025. Community and land-focused work is represented by grants such as $57,500 to Freshwater Land Trust in 2025 and $35,000 to United Way in 2025.
How Pleiad Foundation Gives
Pleiad Foundation’s typical grant size is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $10,000 at the median, and $25,000 at the 75th percentile, but recent awards also show much larger institutional gifts. The foundation makes annual discretionary grants and is a family foundation with a once-a-year decision cycle in December. It typically issues about 20–30 donations annually. The recent grants list shows repeat funding to the same organizations across multiple years, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than a one-time grant cycle. Its general grantmaking programs are open to unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.1M
Total Assets
$10.1M
Total Revenue
$2.1M
Total Expenses
$1.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $5K and $25K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
Local5 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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