Burton Family Foundation Inc.

The Burton Family Foundation Inc. operates as a lean, discretionary family foundation led by Donald W Burton (President), with Campbell T Burton serving as Corporate Secretary and Thomas C Barry as Director. All three officers serve without compensation, and the foundation employs zero full-time staff. This structure is the single most defining feature of how to approach this funder: every grant decision flows through a tight-knit family leadership circle with no program officers, no open RFP cycles, and no formal review process visible to the public.

Founded in April 2017 and based at 614 West Bay Street in Tampa, Florida, the foundation concentrates its giving on Florida-based educational and religious organizations. The foundation's own IRS filings state explicitly: "Grants will not usually be made to national organizations or associations and will be made primarily to educational & religious organizations." This restriction is the single most important filter for prospective applicants — organizations without a clear Florida footprint and an education or faith mission should self-select out before investing time in an application.

The typical relationship model for a family foundation of this type is direct correspondence with leadership rather than portal submissions. Because the foundation makes only 1-3 grants per year — with an average documented award of approximately $553,630 — each grant represents a major, concentrated commitment. This signals that the foundation is making deep bets on a small number of trusted organizations, not distributing dollars broadly. First-time applicants should approach with patience: gaining the foundation's trust likely requires either a prior personal relationship or a warm introduction from the Tampa Bay business or civic community before a formal application is seriously considered.

The foundation's sustained asset growth — from $4.6M (2019) to $23.6M (2024) — reflects a deliberate endowment-building strategy funded by Donald W Burton's consistent $3.879M annual contributions. As the endowment matures and investment income grows, grantmaking has accelerated proportionally: total giving rose from $254,175 in FY2019 to $1,036,116 in FY2024. Organizations that align closely with the education and religious focus, demonstrate deep Florida community roots, and engage proactively and personally with leadership stand the best chance of building a meaningful, multi-year funding relationship.

The Burton Family Foundation Inc. demonstrates a clear, consistently accelerating grantmaking trajectory across six fiscal years of available data. Annual giving has grown from $254,175 in fiscal year 2019 to $1,036,116 in fiscal year 2024 — a 307% increase.

Full giving history: - FY 2019: $254,175 grants paid, $262,658 total giving, assets $4.6M - FY 2020: $261,056 grants paid, $270,504 total giving, assets $8.6M - FY 2021: $420,504 grants paid, $435,174 total giving, assets $13.6M - FY 2022: $620,193 grants paid, $718,066 total giving, assets $16.9M - FY 2023: $825,127 total giving, assets $21.1M - FY 2024: $1,036,116 total giving, assets $23.6M

The foundation consistently pays out approximately 4-5% of total assets annually — roughly in line with the IRS minimum distribution requirement of 5% for private foundations. Typical individual grant size based on 2022 grantee-level data is approximately $553,630 (average across 3 documented Florida grants totaling $1,660,890). The upper-bound for a single grant reached $1,036,116 in FY2024, confirming the foundation is willing to concentrate a full year's grantmaking into a single award.

Geography is strictly Florida. All documented grantees in available records are Florida-based, and the IRS restriction language reinforces this preference. No out-of-state grants have been documented.

Program-area dollar breakdowns are not publicly disclosed at the individual-grant level, as grantee names appear as "See [Attached Schedule]" in public 990-PF filings. However, IRS restrictions confirm the two primary categories: education and religious organizations. Based on Tampa's philanthropic landscape, likely recipient types include private K-12 schools, faith-based institutions, and higher education organizations serving the Tampa Bay region.

Revenue is highly predictable: $3,879,000 in annual contributions from the Burton family has remained flat across FY2020-2024. Net investment income has grown substantially — from $116,670 (FY2020) to approximately $659,029 (FY2024) — as the endowment has scaled. This stable and growing funding base means grantmaking capacity will very likely continue its upward trajectory, potentially approaching $1.2-1.4M annually within the next two fiscal years if current trends continue.

The Burton Family Foundation is one of several mid-sized private grantmaking foundations with approximately $23-24M in assets. The foundations below are size-matched peers drawn from IRS data:

Burton Family Foundation distinguishes itself from its size-matched peers in several meaningful ways. First, it is the only foundation in the cohort that has publicly filed explicit application instructions with the IRS — albeit minimal ones — making it more accessible to cold applicants than peers with no guidance whatsoever. Second, its acceptance of any application format (no required portal, LOI form, or online submission) substantially lowers the barrier to a first approach. Third, its consistent $3.879M annual contribution base provides unusually predictable grantmaking capacity compared to foundations that rely exclusively on investment returns, which fluctuate with market conditions. The tradeoff: the Florida-only, education/religion restriction narrows the eligible applicant pool considerably, but this also reduces competition — the foundation likely receives far fewer qualifying applications than a geographically unrestricted peer.

No press releases, media announcements, or public-facing news from Burton Family Foundation Inc. were found in searches covering 2025 and 2026. The foundation maintains a minimal public footprint consistent with a family-run private foundation: the website listed in IRS records (burton.org) resolves to an unrelated personal family blog, confirming the organization has no formal communications or PR function.

The most substantive recent activity is financial. The foundation's latest available 990-PF (fiscal year 2024, data updated April 2026 via ProPublica) shows total giving of $1,036,116 — the first time annual grantmaking has surpassed the $1M mark since the foundation's April 2017 founding. Total assets grew from $21.1M (FY2023) to $23.6M (FY2024), and net investment income increased to approximately $659,029, reflecting continued portfolio appreciation.

Leadership has been completely stable since founding. Donald W Burton (President), Campbell T Burton (Corporate Secretary), and Thomas C Barry (Director) have held their positions across all available 990-PF filings with no officer changes, no new hires, and no compensation recorded. The consistent $3.879M annual contribution figure from FY2020 through FY2024 indicates no disruption to the primary donor relationship.

Grantee identities remain anonymized in all public records — filed as "See [Attached Schedule]" in 990-PF submissions — a common practice for private foundations that prefer discretion about recipient organizations. No major public-facing grants to named institutions were identified through any external source.

The Burton Family Foundation's application process is deliberately informal but the funding decision is highly personal. IRS filings specify that the foundation accepts "any form which indicates the charitable purpose of the organization and includes a copy of their 501(c)(3) exemption" — among the most permissive application formats of any private foundation at this asset level. However, informal process does not mean easy access: with only 1-3 grants awarded annually at average sizes above $500,000, every decision is high-stakes and likely relationship-dependent.

Optimal timing: The foundation has no published deadline cycle or board meeting calendar. Based on fiscal-year patterns showing year-end grant payments, applications should be submitted in Q1 or Q2 (January through June) to allow sufficient review time before year-end distribution decisions. Avoid Q4 submissions when year's grants may already have been committed.

What they look for: The foundation's IRS filing language makes criteria explicit. Your application must demonstrate: (1) Florida-based operations or clear Florida community impact, (2) primary organizational mission in education or religious programming, and (3) current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Frame your grant request as a concentrated, high-impact investment — the foundation is not structured for small, project-level grants. Think $250,000 minimums when calibrating your ask.

Alignment language to use: "local community impact in Florida," "educational excellence," "faith-based mission," "Tampa Bay region," "Florida families and communities," "charitable purpose under 501(c)(3)." Mirror the language in the foundation's own IRS filings wherever possible.

Common mistakes to avoid: Do not submit a generic national-organization boilerplate. The foundation explicitly excludes national organizations and associations. Do not omit the 501(c)(3) determination letter — it is the one explicitly required document. Do not assume an online portal or grants management system exists; there is none.

Relationship-building: The path to funding runs through Donald W Burton personally. The foundation's address at 614 West Bay Street in Tampa places it in a professional and financial district; Donald W Burton is almost certainly an active Tampa business figure. If your organization's board or major donor network includes anyone connected to the Tampa Bay business or civic community with a Donald W Burton relationship, pursue a warm introduction before cold-submitting. A preliminary phone inquiry to (813) 253-2500 is also appropriate to gauge interest and confirm current grant availability before investing in a full application.