Open Foundations · Indiana

James Foundation Inc

Auburn, Indiana · EIN 452195649. Its Form 990-PF says giving is not restricted to organizations picked in advance, which is how a private foundation files that it accepts unsolicited requests. It paid $8.9M across 71 grants in 2025, a median of $10K each.

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$8.9M
paid in 2025
71
grants paid
$10K
median grant
6%
to first-time recipients
$10.6M
assets on file

How to apply, as filed

Straight off Part XV of the return. Where the foundation left a line blank, this says so rather than guessing.

Send requests to
THE JAMES FOUNDATION INC
Address
PO BOX 606, AUBURN, IN, 46706
Phone
2603330068
Email
Not stated in the filing
Form the request should take
PLEASE VISIT WWW.THEJAMESFOUNDATION.ORG TO DOWNLOAD AND FILL OUT THE JAMES FOUNDATION PRELIMINARY GRANT APPLICATION.
Submission deadline
N/A
Restrictions on awards
STUDENTS GRADUATING FROM A DEKALB COUNTY, INDIANA, HIGH SCHOOL ARE INVITED TO APPLY FOR ONE OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED BY THE JAMES FOUNDATION. SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE ONE FOUR-YEAR AND ONE TWO-YEAR, RENEWABLE SCHOLARSHIP IS AVAILABLE TO EACH HIGH SCHOOL WITH A VALUE OF $5,000 PER YEAR ($2,500 PER SEMESTER). SCHOLARS MUST MAINTAIN A 3.2 ON A 4.0 SCALE IN THE MAJOR COURSE OF STUDY, AND AN OVERALL GPA EQUIVALENT TO 3.0 ON A 4.0 SCALE BY THE END OF EACH ACADEMIC YEAR. SCHOLARS MUST SUBMIT GRADES AND UPCOMING SEMESTER SCHEDULED EACH SEMESTER.

As filed on the Form 990-PF for tax year 2025, IRS filing object id 202621179349101907. Printed word for word, including the entries that only say to see a website or an attachment.

What it funds, in its own words

The words that come up most often across the purposes it wrote on its 2025 grants. These are the foundation's own words, not a category we assigned.

capital campaignscholarshipprogramming

Biggest grants in 2025

The 15 largest of the 71 grants paid in 2025, with the purpose the foundation wrote for each.

#RecipientStateAmountPurpose as filed
1National Parks FoundationDC$3,000,000UNRESTRICTED
2Canterbury SchoolIN$1,000,000FINE ARTS CAMPAIGN
3Trine UniversityIN$1,000,000COLLEGE HEALTH PROFESSIONS
4Vincent VillageIN$500,000CAPITAL CAMPAIGN SUPPORT
5Dekalb Central FoundationIN$425,000DEKALB CENTRAL EARLY LEARNING - PRESCHOOL PROGRAMMING
6Trine UniversityIN$300,000SCHOLARSHIPS
7Dekalb County CourthouseIN$246,600COURTHOUSE BARRIER WALL
8Alzheimer's AssociationIN$200,000OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
9Fort Wayne PhilharmonicIN$200,000MUSIC IS FUNDEMENTAL
10Neighborhood HealthDC$200,000OXFORD STREET PROJECT
11Growing Lives FoundationIN$125,000GENERAL OPERATION
12National Parks FoundationDC$125,000UNRESTRICTED
13The Arc of Northeast Indiana (easterseals Rise)IN$120,000ESPORTS / TRINE COLLABORATION
14Questa FoundationIN$110,000SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT
15Arts UnitedIN$100,000ARTS RESILIENCY FUND

Giving by year, and who received it

Grants paid by year

Every year of this foundation's grants that Civly holds
Tax yearGrantsPaid
20201$5.4M
20211$5.2M
20221$10.7M
2023402$11.4M
202485$11.7M
2025 (partial year)71$8.9M

Where the money went

Share of 2025 grant dollars by recipient state
Indiana90%
District of Columbia4%
Michigan3%
Pennsylvania1%
Illinois1%

Who decides

Officers, directors and trustees as filed, with the year of the return they appeared on.

Jeffrey TurnerSECRETARY · 2025
Jessica BussDIRECTOR · 2025
Kendra KlinkEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 2025
Matt FetterDIRECTOR · 2025
Rick JamesCHAIRMAN · 2025
Stephanie FooteVICE PRESIDENT · 2025
Vicki JamesPRESIDENT · 2025

Every figure on this page is that foundation's own latest filed year, which is 2022 or later. This foundation is listed because its Form 990-PF says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and it paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Latest-year grants and terms per foundation from IRS 990-PF e-file returns; the newest tax year is partial until the IRS finishes releasing it. Grants are de-duplicated on funder, year, recipient and amount, so identical repeat grants collapse into one and totals can run low. Full method.

Source: IRS Form 990-PF e-file releases (public domain). Analysis: Civly.

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