Echo Foundation

## Mission & Strategic Priorities

Echo Foundation (EIN 63-0748959) is a long-established private foundation headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, with IRS tax-exempt status dating to October 1980 — making it one of the older private foundations in the greater Birmingham area. The foundation is classified under IRS activity code 162179000, which corresponds to charitable giving and donations to other organizations, indicating a pure grantmaking role rather than direct service delivery.

The foundation is located at 2937 7th Avenue South, Suite 101, Birmingham, AL 35233 — the UAB Health Sciences District, placing it at the heart of Birmingham's academic medical and community development corridor. This address has been consistent across recent filings, suggesting operational stability.

Important Data Note: The website listed in the foundation's database record (echofoundation.org) appears to serve a distinct organization — The Echo Foundation of Charlotte, NC (EIN 56-2054137), a youth education and human rights foundation co-founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel in 1997. The two organizations share a name but have different EINs, locations, missions, and are entirely separate entities. This enrichment report covers EIN 63-0748959, the Birmingham, Alabama private foundation.

Operational Model: The Birmingham Echo Foundation operates as a classic investment-based private foundation. It holds an endowment (primarily in non-stock assets given the minimal book value of corporate stock — $7,188 — compared to fair market value of $1.3–1.7M), generates investment income, and distributes approximately $68,000–$82,000 annually in grants. There is no officer compensation in any visible filing year, indicating volunteer or family governance with no paid staff.

The foundation's strategic priorities are not publicly articulated, as it maintains no public-facing website of its own and publishes no annual reports or press releases. All available data derives from IRS filings.

## Grant Programs & Funding Priorities

Echo Foundation (Birmingham) files as a private non-operating foundation (990-PF) with a history of consistent annual grantmaking since at least 2018. The foundation's funding patterns based on IRS 990-PF data:

Notable observations: - The $0 grants in FY2018 followed by $68,000+ per year suggests a grant pause or cycle reset, possibly related to leadership transition or strategic review. - Grants paid ($68K–$82K) closely match the IRS minimum distribution requirement of 5% of qualifying assets, suggesting the foundation distributes at or near the minimum required level. - Revenue is highly variable, driven primarily by dividends ($40K–$53K/year) and realized capital gains (variable). - FY2019 showed negative total revenue (-$591) due to investment losses, yet the foundation still distributed $68,000 — demonstrating commitment to maintained giving even in down years.

Focus areas: Without access to the full 990-PF grant schedules or a public-facing program description, specific grant recipients are unknown. The activity code (charitable giving/donations) and Birmingham location suggest grants likely go to local Birmingham-area nonprofits, community organizations, educational institutions, or human services organizations. The foundation may support arts, education, health, or community development based on its UAB-area location.

## Peer Comparison

The following table places Echo Foundation (Birmingham) in context among comparable small private foundations with similar asset profiles and annual giving levels:

Key financial characteristics vs. peers: - Asset stability: Echo Foundation's book value has remained in the $1.3M–$1.4M range from 2019 to 2022 while fair market value has fluctuated from $1.3M to $1.7M, indicating significant unrealized appreciation in investment holdings. - Dividend income reliance: The foundation derives $40,000–$53,000/year in dividend income, suggesting a substantial income-producing investment portfolio (bonds, REIT, or fixed income despite minimal stock book value). - Grant consistency: Three consecutive years of $68K–$82K in grants (2019–2022) after a 2018 hiatus shows predictable annual giving post-reset. - Zero overhead: No officer compensation and minimal administrative costs make this one of the most efficient grantmakers at its asset level — essentially all investment returns flow to grantees. - Asset discrepancy: The gap between book value ($1.33M) and FMV ($1.5M) suggests assets may include real property, closely-held interests, or other non-marketable investments not reflected in the $7,188 corporate stock line.

## Financial Health & Recent Activity

Echo Foundation (Birmingham) maintains a stable endowment base with total assets (book value) of approximately $1.33 million as of 2022, and a fair market value that has ranged from $1.3 million to $1.67 million over recent years depending on market conditions.

FY2022 financial snapshot: - Total assets (book): $1,328,020 - Fair market value of all assets: $1,507,011 - Total revenue: $41,625 - Dividend income: $51,293 - Total expenses: $105,482 - Grants paid: $82,407 - Officer compensation: $0 - Net investment income: ~$44,000 (estimated after excise tax)

Trend analysis: The foundation's revenue is entirely investment-driven. In 2021, an exceptional year for capital markets, the foundation recognized $123,979 in capital gains and received a large one-time contribution, yielding $171,585 in total revenue against $95,042 in expenses. In 2022, with no realized capital gains, revenue dropped to $41,625 despite $51,293 in dividends — the shortfall was covered by drawing down assets, consistent with the 5% mandatory distribution model.

Financial health assessment: The foundation is financially stable but not growing. The book value of assets has declined modestly from $1.4M (2018) to $1.33M (2022), while FMV fluctuates with market conditions. With $0 officer compensation and minimal overhead, the foundation's principal financial risk is a sustained market downturn reducing the endowment below the level needed to generate mandatory distributions without asset liquidation.

FY2023/FY2024 note: The most recent ProPublica tax period indicated is 2025-03-01 (fiscal year ending March 2024 or 2025), suggesting this foundation has a March fiscal year end rather than December, which is atypical and worth noting for timing grant requests.

## Application Guidance & Prospect Intelligence

Echo Foundation (Birmingham, EIN 63-0748959) does not maintain a public website, publish an annual report, or post grant guidelines. It is a classic "dark" private foundation that is inaccessible through normal grantseeker channels.

Realistic access pathways: - The foundation has no public-facing grant application process. Cold outreach has essentially zero probability of success. - Birmingham-area nonprofits with existing relationships with foundation leadership or board members have the only realistic pathway to funding. - The foundation's UAB-area address (2937 7th Ave S, Birmingham) suggests possible connections to the University of Alabama at Birmingham academic and medical community.

Strategic intelligence: - The foundation has operated since 1980 — over 44 years — with no visible public profile, suggesting a deeply private family foundation approach. - Zero officer compensation across all visible filing years confirms this is volunteer/family governance. The grantmaking decisions are likely made by a single family or small group of trustees. - Annual giving of $68,000–$82,000 is consistent but concentrated, suggesting grants may go to one to three organizations per year rather than a broad portfolio. - The FY2018 grant pause ($0 grants) followed by resumed giving suggests a possible leadership transition or family-level strategic review around 2017-2018. - The March fiscal year end (unusual) means the foundation's annual giving cycle likely concludes in Q1, with grant decisions possibly made in the prior fall or winter.

Data quality note: This foundation has limited publicly available information. The linked website (echofoundation.org) appears to be a different Charlotte, NC-based organization. Enrichment confidence on program focus is low; grant recipient data is not publicly available. Organizations seeking this foundation should focus on building personal relationships with Birmingham philanthropic circles rather than attempting formal grant applications.

Bottom line: Echo Foundation (Birmingham) is inaccessible to external grantmakers. This is a private family foundation with no public grant process, no staff, and no online presence of its own. Only Birmingham-area organizations with direct personal connections to the foundation's trustees should invest time pursuing this funder.