John Wesley Foundation

The John Wesley Foundation — operating publicly as the John Wesley Holt Foundation — is a deeply personal memorial foundation created to honor John Wesley Holt, a University of South Alabama sophomore and 2021 St. Luke's Episcopal School graduate killed in a Mobile, Alabama hit-and-run accident on February 21, 2023. Understanding this origin is not background context; it is the entire philosophy of the institution. This is not a conventional grantmaking organization with competitive cycles, program officers, or peer review. It is a family-led institution where all four board members serve without compensation: President and Director John Wesley (the namesake's father), Directors William Barrette and Leigh Behnke, and Secretary Monica Ramos.

The foundation operates across three interconnected pillars: justice reform (advocacy for Alabama hit-and-run felony reclassification), educational opportunity (scholarships at two specific institutions), and community engagement (the annual 4JWH Legacy Race). A fourth, less-publicized track — arts and cultural preservation — is suggested by the foundation's only documented institutional grants: two awards totaling $87,500 to The Chinati Foundation, the Donald Judd contemporary art museum in Marfa, Texas, for museum conservation work. This arts giving reflects personal board connections rather than a stated program priority.

The application path is entirely relationship-driven. The foundation accepts inquiries via a contact form at johnwesleyholtfoundation.com or directly at thejohnwesleyholtfoundation@gmail.com. There is no published RFP, no grant portal, no eligibility matrix, and no announced review cycle. The foundation has confirmed it is accepting applications, but prospective scholarship recipients must request materials directly.

The most consequential strategic consideration for grant seekers is the foundation's financial inflection point. A $13.77 million contribution received in fiscal year 2023 expanded total assets from $738,406 to $14.4 million. IRS private foundation rules require a minimum 5% annual payout — approximately $720,000 at current asset levels — creating significant pressure to expand giving far beyond the $40,000–$100,000 range that characterized prior years. Organizations aligned with justice reform, Alabama-based educational programs, or arts and cultural preservation should monitor this foundation for formal program announcements and engage proactively in 2025–2026, before grantmaking structures solidify.

The John Wesley Foundation's giving history divides sharply into two eras separated by the February 2023 tragedy that prompted the foundation's current form.

Pre-2023 steady state (2012–2022): Annual external grants paid ranged from $26,000 (2013) to $44,000 (2022), with a narrow band around $40,000–$43,500 in most years. Total giving — including program expenditures beyond direct grants — ran $38,000–$63,000 per year. Total assets were modest, peaking at $897,427 in 2015 and settling around $738,000–$780,000 in the 2019–2022 period. Investment income was the primary revenue driver, contributing $4,000–$51,000 annually. The sole documented external grantee is The Chinati Foundation (Marfa, TX), which received two grants totaling $87,500 for museum conservation at an average of $43,750 per award — consistent with the foundation's pre-2023 annual grant ceiling.

Post-2023 transformation: Fiscal year 2023 brought a $13,773,570 contribution — a 100% year-over-year increase from $0 in new contributions the prior year. Total assets jumped 1,855%, from $738,406 to $14,439,414. Total giving reached $98,123 — the highest on record — but all of it was delivered through direct program expenditures, with $0 in external grants paid. This signals a build-out phase in which the foundation is investing in its own programs (scholarship administration, the legacy race, legislative advocacy) rather than distributing to external organizations.

Geographic breakdown: All scholarship recipients are in Mobile, Alabama (St. Luke's Episcopal School, University of South Alabama). The only external institutional grantee — The Chinati Foundation — is in Texas. No multi-state or national grantmaking is documented.

Program area breakdown: Of $87,500 in documented institutional grants, 100% went to arts/cultural preservation. Educational scholarships are disbursed directly to students, not through institutional grants. Justice reform and advocacy work appears funded through direct operating expenditures.

Forward outlook: At $14.4M in assets, mandatory IRS payout requirements suggest approximately $720,000 in required annual distributions — a potential 7-10x increase over historical giving, creating substantial new grant capacity in the 2025–2027 window.

The following table compares the John Wesley Foundation to its closest asset-size peers, all classified under the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category.

The John Wesley Foundation sits in a peer cohort of mid-sized private family and charitable foundations sharing the $14.3–14.5 million asset band. None of the peer foundations maintain public websites or documented open application processes — this is typical for family foundations of this scale and structure, which overwhelmingly operate through invitation-only or relationship-driven grantmaking.

What separates the John Wesley Foundation from every peer in this cohort is the speed of its asset accumulation: peers at this level typically built wealth gradually over decades, while the John Wesley Foundation crossed the $14M threshold through a single $13.77M contribution in 2023. This places it in an unusually early developmental stage relative to its resources — a window of opportunity for grant seekers who engage before formal program infrastructure is established and giving patterns become fixed.

The defining recent event at the John Wesley Foundation is the receipt of a $13,773,570 contribution in fiscal year 2023 — an amount that increased total assets by 1,855% in a single year, from $738,406 to $14,439,414. No public announcement has been located explaining the contribution's source, though the timing coincides with the February 21, 2023 death of John Wesley Holt, the foundation's namesake. This influx represents the foundation's primary current news story and its most consequential strategic development.

The foundation's most visible public program is the annual 4JWH Legacy Race — a 5K and fun run held at St. Luke's Episcopal School in Mobile, Alabama, with proceeds benefiting the John Wesley Holt Scholarship Fund. Registration is managed via RunSignUp. The event functions simultaneously as a fundraising vehicle, a community memorial, and a visibility platform.

On the legislative front, the foundation is actively pursuing Alabama hit-and-run felony reclassification — seeking to elevate such crimes from Class C to Class A felonies when death or severe injury results. No specific bill numbers, sponsoring legislators, or session milestones were publicly documented in available sources as of mid-2026.

Leadership remains entirely volunteer-driven and compact: President John Wesley, Directors William Barrette and Leigh Behnke, and Secretary Monica Ramos. No paid staff or program officers are documented. The foundation maintains a Facebook presence (facebook.com/61571236413169) and accepts contact via email at thejohnwesleyholtfoundation@gmail.com. No major press coverage, new formal grant programs, or leadership changes have been announced in available sources for 2025 or early 2026.

Approaching the John Wesley Foundation requires a fundamentally different posture than applying to a staffed, cycle-based grantmaker. With four all-volunteer directors, no program staff, and no published grant guidelines, the pathway to funding is personal, relationship-centered, and narrative-driven.

For scholarship applicants — St. Luke's Episcopal School (High School Scholarship): This award goes to a senior who, in the board's judgment, best exemplifies John Wesley Holt's character. The evaluation criterion is explicit and personal, not academic rank alone. Applicants should reach out in September or October of their senior year — timing that mirrors the academic award cycle — by emailing thejohnwesleyholtfoundation@gmail.com to request the application form. In your request, write two to three sentences connecting your personal values, service record, and activities to John Wesley's known qualities: academic achievement, athletic involvement, community service, and leadership. Do not treat this as a form submission; treat it as a first introduction.

For scholarship applicants — University of South Alabama (Electrical Engineering Scholarship): Eligibility is narrow: sophomore year, Electrical Engineering program, University of South Alabama. Confirm your academic standing and major before contacting the foundation. Timing should align with the spring semester prior to sophomore year or the start of sophomore year itself. The application is available upon request — contact the foundation directly.

For organizations seeking institutional grants: No formal program for external organizations exists as of mid-2026, but the $14.4M asset base and IRS payout requirements make expansion highly likely. The Chinati Foundation precedent (two grants, $87,500 total, museum conservation) is the only institutional data point. Organizations in arts/cultural preservation, justice reform, victim advocacy, or traffic safety legislation are best positioned. Draft a brief letter of inquiry — one page maximum — addressed to President John Wesley. Open by acknowledging John Wesley Holt's story directly. State your mission, the specific project or program, the dollar amount, and the precise connection to the foundation's three pillars: justice reform, community engagement, or educational opportunity.

Common mistakes to avoid: - Submitting a formal proposal without prior personal contact — there is no intake process to handle unsolicited proposals - Using corporate grant-writing language with a family memorial foundation - Treating justice reform too broadly — the foundation's reform focus is specifically hit-and-run accountability and victim protection, not criminal justice broadly - Failing to reference John Wesley Holt by name and story in your inquiry