The McMichael Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on higher education, making a small number of very large grants—many designated as general/unrestricted support—and notable targeted funding for business education. Most dollars flow to colleges and universities, with repeat funding to the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and sizable general-purpose gifts to liberal arts institutions. The foundation’s giving appears regionally focused in the Southeast but is executed through a highly concentrated set of awards rather than many small gifts.
Highly concentrated giving: few, very large grants (multi-hundred-thousand to million-dollar scale), repeat funding to select higher-education institutions, with several large general-purpose awards rather than many small, targeted program grants.
The Mcmichael Family Foundation’s giving is defined by a small number of very large awards, many of them labeled for general purpose or available upon request. In 2025, it made multiple seven-figure grants to entities in Madison, North Carolina, including two awards of $1,586,600 and $1,392,301, alongside another $1,309,000 grant in 2024. That pattern points to a foundation that uses substantial, flexible support rather than a long tail of small awards. Higher education is the clearest throughline in the recent record. The foundation has backed the University of Georgia, Elon University, and NC State University, with support ranging from unrestricted operating gifts to an endowed scholarship and a department-level award. It also made a $500,000 general-purpose grant to Mary Baldwin College, showing interest in institutional support beyond one state. The recent grants also show a mix of institutional priorities and broader community funding. Project Liberia received two large general-purpose grants, and several North Carolina health and school organizations appear in the list, including High Point Regional Health System, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Westchester Country Day School, and Alleghany Memorial Hospital.
Higher education dominates the foundation’s named grantmaking. It gave $874,000 to the University of Georgia for the Terry College of Business and later made two separate grants to the same university in 2025: $447,000 for general purpose support and $427,000 for the Godfrey Department of Economics. At Elon University, the foundation issued multiple general-purpose awards, including $235,000, $220,000, $214,000, and $205,000 across recent years, which suggests repeated institutional support. The foundation also funds student aid and campus capacity. NC State University received a $200,000 endowed scholarship and another $200,000 general-purpose grant in 2025, following a $221,400 general-purpose award in 2023 and a $200,000 general-purpose grant in 2024. Outside higher education, its recent gifts include $225,000 and $200,000 to Project Liberia, plus general-purpose support for health-related organizations in High Point and Winston-Salem.
Typical grants cluster tightly around a high-dollar range: p25 is $200,000, median is $210,000, and p75 is $427,000. The recent record is concentrated rather than dispersed, with multiple awards to the same recipients across years, including Elon University, NC State University, the University of Georgia, National Christian Foundation Ky, and Project Liberia. The foundation is a family foundation, and it gives directly as well as through grantmaking vehicles such as National Christian Foundation Ky. It also funds individuals, and the most recent list includes both general-purpose awards and endowed scholarship support.
$3.3M
$46.1M
$6.4M
$3.9M
Most grants fall between $200K and $427K, with a median of $210K.
25th Percentile
$200K
Median
$210K
75th Percentile
$427K
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Notable grantees: University of Georgia — Terry College of Business, Mary Baldwin College, Multiple smaller grantees receiving general-purpose grants (aggregated in the 'grants under 100000' category)
Giving is strongly centered in North Carolina, which accounts for 57% of grants and is the top recipient state by count. Recent recipient cities include Madison, Elkin, Raleigh, High Point, Winston-Salem, and Jacksonville. Outside North Carolina, the foundation’s recent grants reached Athens, Georgia; Staunton, Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Lexington, Kentucky; and Jacksonville, Florida. All listed recent grants were made to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants are centered on higher education institutions and related campus priorities. Named recipients include the University of Georgia, Elon University, NC State University, and Mary Baldwin College, with purposes such as general support, business education, economics, and endowed scholarship funding.
Yes. The recent record includes repeated general-purpose awards, such as $447,000 to the University of Georgia, $500,000 to Mary Baldwin College, $235,000 to Elon University, and $200,000 to NC State University. Several larger awards are also described as general purpose or available upon request.
The middle of the distribution is in the low hundreds of thousands: p25 is $200,000, median is $210,000, and p75 is $427,000. That aligns with a highly concentrated pattern of large grants rather than many small awards.
North Carolina receives the most grants, accounting for 57% of the foundation’s awards in the recent record. Recipient cities there include Madison, Raleigh, High Point, Winston-Salem, Elkin, and Jacksonville.
Yes. NC State University received two $200,000 endowed scholarship grants in 2025, alongside other general-purpose support to the university. Scholarship funding appears as one part of a broader higher-education strategy.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST | MADISON, NC | $1,392,301 | 2026 | VARIOUS-DETAILS UPON REQUEST |
| UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA | ATHENS, GA | $447,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ELON UNIVERSITY | ELON, NC | $235,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PROJECT LIBERIA | CINCINNATI, OH | $225,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NC STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $200,000 | 2026 | ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP |
| HIGH POINT REG HEALTH FOUNDATION | HIGH POINT, NC | $191,500 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY | LEXINGTON, KY | $185,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MENINAK CLUB FOUNDATION | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $103,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BARRY JOYCE CANCER SUPPORT | MADISON, NC | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF REIDSV | REIDSVILLE, NC | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WAKE FOREST BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER | WINSTON SALEM, NC | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST | MADISON, NC | $1,586,600 | 2025 | VARIOUS-DETAILS UPON REQUEST |
| UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA | ATHENS, GA | $427,000 | 2025 | GODFREY DEPT OF ECONOMICS |
| ELON UNIVERSITY | ELON, NC | $220,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HIGH POINT REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM | HIGH POINT, NC | $209,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NC STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $200,000 | 2025 | ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP |
| PROJECT LIBERIA | CINCINNATI, OH | $200,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY | LEXINGTON, KY | $155,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MENINAK CLUB FOUNDATION | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $103,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST | MADISON, NC | $1,309,000 | 2024 | VARIOUS-DETAILS UPON REQUEST |
| UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA | ATHENS, GA | $874,000 | 2024 | TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY | LEXINGTON, KY | $220,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ELON UNIVERSITY | ELON, NC | $214,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NC STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $200,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST | MADISON, NC | $1,352,600 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MARY BALDWIN COLLEGE | STAUNTON, VA | $500,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NC STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | $221,400 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY | LEXINGTON, KY | $210,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ELON UNIVERSITY | ELON, NC | $205,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| WESTCHESTER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | HIGH POINT, NC | $111,500 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ST VINCENT'S FOUNDATION | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ALLEGHANY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | SPARTA, NC | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
$1,392,301VARIOUS-DETAILS UPON REQUEST
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
$447,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ELON UNIVERSITY
$235,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PROJECT LIBERIA
$225,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
$200,000ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY
$185,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MENINAK CLUB FOUNDATION
$103,000GENERAL PURPOSE
BARRY JOYCE CANCER SUPPORT
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF REIDSV
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
WAKE FOREST BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
$1,586,600VARIOUS-DETAILS UPON REQUEST
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
$427,000GODFREY DEPT OF ECONOMICS
ELON UNIVERSITY
$220,000GENERAL PURPOSE
HIGH POINT REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM
$209,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
$200,000ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
PROJECT LIBERIA
$200,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY
$155,000GENERAL PURPOSE
MENINAK CLUB FOUNDATION
$103,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
$1,309,000VARIOUS-DETAILS UPON REQUEST
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
$874,000TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY
$220,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ELON UNIVERSITY
$214,000GENERAL PURPOSE
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
$200,000GENERAL PURPOSE
GRANTS UNDER 100000 AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
$1,352,600GENERAL PURPOSE
NATIONAL CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION KY
$210,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ELON UNIVERSITY
$205,000GENERAL PURPOSE
ALLEGHANY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
$100,000GENERAL PURPOSE