The Rapha Foundation
Wise, VA · EIN 54-2002314. Reported 115 grants totalling $3,897,829 to 65 organizations across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Rapha Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $16,796. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $34,300; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $300,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uva Wise | Wise, VA | $1,050,000 | 5 | 4 | 2023 |
| Mountain Empire Community College | Big Stone Gap, VA | $335,500 | 5 | 3 | 2023 |
| Communities in Schools - Swva | Bristol, VA | $294,100 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Meoc | Big Stone Gap, VA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Dickenson County Ida | Clintwood, VA | $175,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ballad Health - Peerhelp Counseling Program | Kingsport, TN | $164,800 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Family Crisis Support Services | Norton, VA | $145,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Lonesome Pine Regional Library | Wise, VA | $107,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Wise County Food Bank | Norton, VA | $98,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Lonesome Pine Office on Youth | Big Stone Gap, VA | $79,900 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Pro-Art of Wise | Wise, VA | $68,600 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Wise County Schools | Wise, VA | $68,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Ji Burton High School | Norton, VA | $62,900 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| City of Norton | Norton, VA | $58,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Dickenson County Food Bank | Clintwood, VA | $57,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Health Wagon | Clintwood, VA | $56,995 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Synergy Foundation | Coeburn, VA | $55,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Dickenson County Social Services | Clintwood, VA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Napolean Hill Foundation | Wise, VA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Town of Wise | Wise, VA | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Virginia Tech Foundation | Blacksburg, VA | $46,981 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| United Way of Swva | Abingdon, VA | $45,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ridgeview High School | Clintwood, VA | $35,100 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Appalachian Council for Innovation | Lebanon, VA | $33,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Meoc - Emergency Fuel Fund | Big Stone Gap, VA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Norton Community Hospital | Norton, VA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Girls Inc of Norton | Norton, VA | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Meoc - Cancer Education | Big Stone Gap, VA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Town of Big Stone Gap | Big Stone Gap, VA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Etsu - Quillen College of Medicine | Mountain Home, TN | $22,600 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Wise Co Career & Tech Center | Wise, VA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Healthcare Heros | Pennington, NJ | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Town of St Paul | St Paul, VA | $17,699 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Norton City Schools | Norton, VA | $17,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Norton Community Hospital Internal Medicine Residency Program | Norton, VA | $16,796 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Coeburn Middle School (ehs) | Coeburn, VA | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bristol Regional Speech & Hearing | Bristol, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Camp Bethel | Wise, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Eo | Abingdon, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Girls Inc of Bristol | Bristol, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lunchbox 276 | Wise, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Nchlph Residency Programs | Norton, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Norton Rescue Squad | Norton, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Town of Pound | Pound, VA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| National Energy Education Dev Program | Manassas, VA | $13,558 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| American Red Cross - Swva Chapter | Bristol, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dickenson County Schools | Clintwood, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Feeding Swva | Abingdon, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lp Office on Youth - Dp Imagination Library | Sevierville, TN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Missions of Mercy | Abingdon, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| United Way of Swva - Rural Resilience Summit | Abington, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dickenson Community Hospital | Clintwood, VA | $8,700 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Wise Rescue Squad | Wise, VA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dickenson County Extension Office (farmers Market) | Clintwood, VA | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Norton Primary School | Norton, VA | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Blue Marins Swim Club | Wise, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ciy of Norton | Norton, VA | $4,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| First Christian Church | Big Stone Gap, VA | $3,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dickenson County Behavioral Health | Clintwood, VA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Norton Department of Social Services | Norton, VA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wm King Museum of Art | Abingdon, VA | $2,100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Eastside High School | Coeburn, VA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jw Adam Combined School | Pound, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St Paul Elementary | St Paul, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Union Primary | Big Stone Gap, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
28 of 65 (43%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 58%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Meoc
EMERGENCY FUEL FUND- $50,000AMPITHEATER PROJECT- $100,000 - Family Crisis Support Services
TO PROVIDE FAMILY'S ASSISTANCE - Communities in Schools - Swva
EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT & CLOTHING - Mountain Empire Community College
SCHOLARSHIP & GENERAL SUPPORT - Napolean Hill Foundation
TO SUPPORT KEYS TO SUCCESS COURSE - Lonesome Pine Regional Library
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS- $21,000FLOOD ASSISTANCE- $25,000
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 15 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 16 | $419,796 | $15,000 |
| 2021 | 19 | $573,700 | $18,000 |
| 2022 | 34 | $1,445,652 | $25,000 |
| 2023 | 46 | $1,458,681 | $15,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. The Rapha Foundation has 47 of them, worth $3,852,975. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Children's Advocacy Center | Big Stone Gap, VA | $525,000 |
| Mountain Empire Community College | Big Stone Gap, VA | $500,000 |
| Communities in Schools - Swva | Bristol, VA | $450,000 |
| Mountain Empire Community College | Big Stone Gap, VA | $375,000 |
| Uva Wise | Wise, VA | $300,000 |
| Norton Community Hospital (oncologist) | Norton, VA | $200,000 |
| Pro Art Wise County | Wise, VA | $171,500 |
| Norton Community Hospital (childcare) | Norton, VA | $150,000 |
| Virginia Tech Foundation | Blacksburg, VA | $134,122 |
| Ballad Health - Peerhelp Counseling Program | Kingsport, TN | $129,200 |
| Family Crisis Support Services | Norton, VA | $100,000 |
| Lp Office on Youth - Dp Imagination Library | Sevierville, TN | $97,200 |
| Communities in Schools - Swva | Bristol, VA | $94,400 |
| The Health Wagon | Wise, VA | $56,995 |
| Dickenson County Social Services | Clintwood, VA | $50,000 |
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 94% of this one's giving went to organizations in Virginia. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $16,796. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Virginia.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Rapha Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: Po Box 3996, Wise, VA, 24293. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 54-2002314 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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