The Faile Foundation Inc.

The Faile Foundation operates as an invitation-only family foundation with a dual focus on education and environmental organizations. Founded in 1994 by John B. Faile and his daughter Toni Faile Lyerly in Greensboro, NC, the foundation reflects a personal legacy rooted in the founders' lived experience building schools in the US Virgin Islands and championing equal access to education and nature. With only one part-time employee, the foundation maintains a highly personal, relationship-driven grantmaking model. Applicants cannot approach the foundation cold — grants are awarded exclusively to organizations that have been invited to apply. The foundation strongly favors small, founder-led nonprofits and explicitly frames its work as partnership: "Our success can only be measured through your success and sustainability." Beyond financial grants, the foundation offers capacity building support including board strengthening training, fund development education, leadership support, document editing, and website review. This dual approach (dollars plus skills) distinguishes the Faile Foundation from purely transactional grantmakers. Organizations seeking to enter the Faile portfolio should focus on building a visible track record in environmental education or conservation, and pursue introductions through existing grantees or their networks in North Carolina and the Caribbean region.

The Faile Foundation disburses between $87,000 and $202,000 annually based on IRS Form 990-PF filings from 2014 through 2022. Recent years show a pattern of $134,000 to $156,000 in total charitable disbursements per year. Assets stand at approximately $2.2 million (2023), having peaked near $3 million in 2021 before market adjustments. The foundation supports three grant types: (1) Unrestricted grants for general programmatic support and overhead — these go to trusted legacy grantees; (2) Restricted project-specific grants — tied to defined outcomes and deliverables; and (3) Matching grants — used to seed new projects, expand funding bases, and leverage community philanthropy. Individual grant sizes likely range from $5,000 to $50,000 based on total disbursements spread across approximately 6 to 10 active grantees at any time. Legacy grantees (Queen Louise Home, Good Hope Country Day School, GreenVI) appear to receive ongoing multi-year support. Geographic focus spans the Caribbean (US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands) via legacy commitments and the US mainland (notably North Carolina, California, Pennsylvania) for capacity-building grants.

Disbursement History: Year 2014: $87,000 | Assets $2,739,685 Year 2015: $202,000 | Assets $2,636,328 Year 2019: $156,000 | Assets $2,649,982 Year 2020: $142,000 | Assets $2,676,006 Year 2021: $147,245 | Assets $3,016,863 Year 2022: $134,000 | Assets $2,809,599

The Faile Foundation occupies a niche among small family foundations with dual education-environment missions in the Southeast US. Comparable peer foundations include:

Foundation | Location | Assets | Focus | Application Process The Faile Foundation | Greensboro, NC | ~$2.2M | Education + Environment | Invitation only Cemala Foundation | Greensboro, NC | ~$5M | Education, community | Invitation only Conservation Trust for NC | Raleigh, NC | ~$3M | Conservation, environment | Open RFP-based Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation | Winston-Salem, NC | ~$130M | Multiple (incl. environment) | Open LOI process Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation | Winston-Salem, NC | ~$80M | South equity, environment | Open LOI process

The Faile Foundation is notably smaller than North Carolina's major environmental funders but has a distinctive Caribbean legacy portfolio that larger NC funders typically do not address. Its capacity-building model combining financial grants with skills support aligns more closely with newer capacity-focused funders than traditional grant-only foundations. Unlike peer foundations that accept open LOI submissions, Faile's invitation-only model creates a higher barrier to entry but signals longer-term, trust-based partnerships once inside the portfolio.

Based on website content and IRS data, the Faile Foundation's most recent publicly documented grantees include: ArtFORM (San Diego, CA) — arts education and environmental awareness through creative reuse workshops; LifeSail (Marina Del Rey, CA) — sailing and boat-building for underserved and at-risk youth; Harrisburg University (Harrisburg, PA) — aquaponics education program bridging high school and college learning; Rankin Museum (Ellerbe, NC) — rural cultural and ecological museum access. Past grantees listed include Isaac Dickson Elementary School (Asheville, NC), Western North Carolina Nature Center (Asheville, NC), and The O'Neal School (Southern Pines, NC), indicating historical presence in Western NC. The 2020 COVID response shows organizational adaptability: the foundation altered its grant application and reporting process to reduce burden on small nonprofits, reflecting a grantee-centered philosophy. Total disbursements declined from a 2019 high of $156,000 to $134,000 in 2022, consistent with investment portfolio performance. The foundation's asset base grew significantly from 2014 ($2.7M) to a 2021 peak ($3.0M) before receding. The website is actively maintained with downloadable application forms, suggesting ongoing grantmaking activity as of 2024.

Since grants are by invitation only, the most effective path to funding from The Faile Foundation is through relationship-building rather than direct unsolicited outreach. Target peer organizations already in the Faile portfolio (such as ArtFORM, LifeSail, or Rankin Museum) for introductions to foundation leadership. The foundation's stated values — cooperation, exploration, compassion, and truth — should be woven authentically into any introductory communication. Emphasize your organization's environmental or educational mission with evidence of real community impact. Founder-led nonprofits are explicitly preferred; if your organization has a strong founding narrative, lead with it prominently. The foundation values sustainability: demonstrate financial health, board engagement, and long-term organizational thinking. When invited to apply, use the downloadable application forms from the Grantee Resources page at thefailefoundation.org and keep submissions streamlined and succinct as explicitly requested. Distinguish whether you need unrestricted programmatic support (use the unrestricted grant application) or funding for a specific project (use the restricted grant application). Consider proposing a matching grant if you have an active fundraising campaign — the foundation uses these to broaden donor bases and leverage community participation. Be open to non-financial support: the foundation offers board strengthening, fund development education, and capacity-building assistance that can be as valuable as grant dollars for small nonprofits.