The Imperial Charitable Trust concentrates its modest endowment on education-focused grants with a clear Virginia/local emphasis. The majority of funding goes to supporting independent higher education in the state, with a smaller but notable commitment to local arts education and cultural institutions. Its grantmaking is concentrated and targeted rather than broadly distributed.
Concentrated, small-number giving: few grants overall with the bulk of dollars directed to a single repeat grantee (Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges) and one local arts recipient. Grants appear to be one-time or limited repeat payments rather than a wide portfolio of small grants.
Notable grantees: Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Academy Center of the Arts
The Imperial Charitable Trust’s largest recent grant was a $2,267,880 award in 2025 to The Ict Dafgiving360 Fund in Lynchburg, a single grant that stands far above its other recent awards. That scale sits alongside a consistent pattern of educational giving, especially to Virginia institutions and independent higher education. Across the recent grants list, the trust appears to favor targeted institutional support rather than many small, dispersed awards. Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges appears repeatedly in the recent record, including grants of $19,000 and $18,500 in 2025, after prior awards of $18,000 in 2024 and $17,000 in 2023. That multi-year sequence suggests sustained support for independent-college infrastructure in Virginia. The trust also backs local educational and civic institutions in Lynchburg, with awards to Academy Center of the Arts, Virginia Episcopal School, and United Way of Central Virginia. Its giving is framed as educational, but the recipient mix shows a narrower pattern within that category: colleges, schools, arts education, and community-serving institutions that can receive direct program or institutional support.
Independent higher education is a central theme. The trust gave $19,000 and $18,500 in 2025 to Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges in Richmond, following grants of $18,000 in 2024 and $17,000 in 2023. It also supported Coker University in Hartsville with $10,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Local arts and cultural education is another visible area. Academy Center of the Arts in Lynchburg received $16,500 in 2024 and $10,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern shows repeated support for a regional arts institution rather than a one-time contribution. The trust also funds school-based education. Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg received $10,000 grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, showing a recurring relationship with a local independent school.
Typical grants are small: the p25 is $1,000, the median is $1,325, and the p75 is $2,500. The recent list also shows a few much larger awards, including the 2025 grant to The Ict Dafgiving360 Fund, which indicates some outsized giving alongside a generally modest grant profile. The record includes repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, so the trust does not appear to rely only on one-time grants. It makes grants rather than program-related investments and does not fund individuals.
$2.4M
$0
$337K
$2.5M
Most grants fall between $1K and $3K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$3K
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Giving is heavily concentrated in Virginia, which receives 80% of grants and is the top state by grant count. Lynchburg appears often in the recipient list, including Academy Center of the Arts, Virginia Episcopal School, and United Way of Central Virginia. Richmond also appears through Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. Outside Virginia, the recent grants list includes Hartsville, South Carolina; Charleston, West Virginia; Media, Pennsylvania; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Forest, Virginia.
The recent grants point to education-centered support, especially independent colleges and schools, plus some arts and cultural institutions. Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Virginia Episcopal School, Academy Center of the Arts, and United Way of Central Virginia all appear in the recent grant record.
Yes. The same recipients appear across multiple years in the recent list. Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Virginia Episcopal School and Academy Center of the Arts also received repeated awards over that span.
The grant-size distribution is small for most awards: p25 is $1,000, median is $1,325, and p75 is $2,500. The recent record also includes larger, targeted grants, including a $50,000 award in 2025.
Virginia is the main giving state, with 80% of grants going to recipients there. Lynchburg and Richmond both appear repeatedly in the recipient list, alongside smaller numbers of grants to organizations in South Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE ICT DAFGIVING360 FUND | LYNCHBURG, VA | $2,267,880 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHARLESTON PATRICK C GRANEY III MEMORIAL FUND | CHARLESTON, WV | $50,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| VIRGINIA FOUNDATION FOR INDEPENDENT COLLEGES | RICHMOND, VA | $18,500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| ACADEMY CENTER OF THE ARTS | LYNCHBURG, VA | $10,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| VIRGINIA EPISCOPAL SCHOOL | LYNCHBURG, VA | $10,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| COKER UNIVERSITY | HARTSVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA | LYNCHBURG, VA | $10,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| DECORATIVE ARTS TRUST | MEDIA, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE CORPORATION FOR JEFFERSON'S POPLAR FOREST | FOREST, VA | $5,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| NC BOTANICAL GARDEN FOUNDATION INC | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $5,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| FRIENDS OF THE LYNCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY | LYNCHBURG, VA | $2,900 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS | AMHERST, VA | $2,500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| WEST VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES | CHARLESTON, WV | $2,500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| CENTRA HEALTH FOUNDATION | LYNCHBURG, VA | $2,500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| EWVCF | MARTINSBURG, WV | $2,500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| YMCA OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA | LYNCHBURG, VA | $2,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| LYNCHBURG BEACON OF HOPE | LYNCHBURG, VA | $2,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| BOYS HOME OF VIRGINIA | COVINGTON, VA | $1,700 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| FREE CLINIC OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,550 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE SALVATION ARMY | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| MESDA | WINSTONSALEM, NC | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| ANNE SPENCER HOUSE AND GARDEN MUSEUM INC | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER LYNCHBURG | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| JAMES RIVER DAY SCHOOL | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| LYNCHBURG CITY SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| LYNCHBURG GROWS INC | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| OLD CITY CEMETERY | LYNCHBURG, VA | $1,000 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| GIRL SCOUTS OF VIRGINIA SKYLINE COUNCIL INC | ROANOKE, VA | $700 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT | BOONE, IA | $500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| BOONSBORO FIRE AND RESCUE COMPANY | LYNCHBURG, VA | $500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE LYNCHBURG HUMANE SOCIETY | LYNCHBURG, VA | $500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| RIVERMONT AREA EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY | LYNCHBURG, VA | $500 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| PARK VIEW COMMUNITY MISSION | LYNCHBURG, VA | $450 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| WVTF PUBLIC RADIO | ROANOKE, VA | $400 | 2026 | EDUCATIONAL |
| VIRGINIA FOUNDATION FOR INDEPENDENT COLLEGES | RICHMOND, VA | $19,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| VIRGINIA EPISCOPAL SCHOOL | LYNCHBURG, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| DECORATIVE ARTS TRUST | MEDIA, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| ACADEMY CENTER OF THE ARTS | LYNCHBURG, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA | LYNCHBURG, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| COKER UNIVERSITY | HARTSVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| NC BOTANICAL GARDEN FOUNDATION INC | CHAPEL HILL, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE CORPORATION FOR JEFFERSON'S POPLAR FOREST | FOREST, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| THE LYNCHBURG POLICE FOUNDATION | LYNCHBURG, VA | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| WEST VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES | CHARLESTON, WV | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| MESDA | WINSTONSALEM, NC | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| CENTRA HEALTH FOUNDATION | LYNCHBURG, VA | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| BUCKSKIN COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA | CHARLESTON, WV | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
| EWVCF | MARTINSBURG, WV | $2,500 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL |
THE ICT DAFGIVING360 FUND
$2,267,880EDUCATIONAL
UNIVERSITY OF CHARLESTON PATRICK C GRANEY III MEMORIAL FUND
$50,000EDUCATIONAL
VIRGINIA EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
$10,000EDUCATIONAL
COKER UNIVERSITY
$10,000EDUCATIONAL
THE CORPORATION FOR JEFFERSON'S POPLAR FOREST
$5,000EDUCATIONAL
NC BOTANICAL GARDEN FOUNDATION INC
$5,000EDUCATIONAL
FRIENDS OF THE LYNCHBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY
$2,900EDUCATIONAL
WEST VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
$2,500EDUCATIONAL
EWVCF
$2,500EDUCATIONAL
BOYS HOME OF VIRGINIA
$1,700EDUCATIONAL
THE SALVATION ARMY
$1,500EDUCATIONAL
MESDA
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
ANNE SPENCER HOUSE AND GARDEN MUSEUM INC
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GREATER LYNCHBURG
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
JAMES RIVER DAY SCHOOL
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
LYNCHBURG CITY SCHOOLS EDUCATION FOUNDATION
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
LYNCHBURG GROWS INC
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
OLD CITY CEMETERY
$1,000EDUCATIONAL
BOONSBORO FIRE AND RESCUE COMPANY
$500EDUCATIONAL
RIVERMONT AREA EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY
$500EDUCATIONAL
WVTF PUBLIC RADIO
$400EDUCATIONAL
VIRGINIA EPISCOPAL SCHOOL
$10,000EDUCATIONAL
COKER UNIVERSITY
$10,000EDUCATIONAL
NC BOTANICAL GARDEN FOUNDATION INC
$5,000EDUCATIONAL
THE CORPORATION FOR JEFFERSON'S POPLAR FOREST
$5,000EDUCATIONAL
THE LYNCHBURG POLICE FOUNDATION
$2,500EDUCATIONAL
WEST VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
$2,500EDUCATIONAL
MESDA
$2,500EDUCATIONAL
BUCKSKIN COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
$2,500EDUCATIONAL
EWVCF
$2,500EDUCATIONAL