Foundations paying out right at the legal minimum
“Hugging the Floor”
Unusual is not the same as improper. Many of these patterns have ordinary explanations. Check the filing. Report an error.
What this counts
Private foundations whose qualifying distributions came to 5.0% to 5.2% of their investment assets for 5 or more years in a row.
Exact rule: Payout = qualifying distributions (990-PF Part XII line 4) / net value of noncharitable-use assets (Part X line 5). The minimum investment return is 5% of that line (Part X line 6). Longest run of consecutive tax years at 5.0% to 5.2%, at least 5. Filings from organizations reporting at least $10,000,000 in revenue or $50,000,000 in total assets that year.
Paying the 5% minimum is legal and common; many foundations plan to last forever and pay exactly what the law requires. The legal test also allows carryovers and a year's grace, so a single year's figure is not the whole story.
Coverage: tax years 2017 to 2021, e-filed returns only. 3 rows. Refreshed 2026-10-17.
Top row: HALL-PERRINE FOUNDATION, 8, tax year 2017
3 rows. Download CSV (first 10,000 rows) · JSON
| Organization | State | Form | Tax year | From | To | Average payout % | Investment assets (latest) | Years in a row | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. HALL-PERRINE FOUNDATION | |||||||||
| HALL-PERRINE FOUNDATION 42-6057097 | IA | 990-PF | 2017 of 2017–2021 | 2010 | 2017 | 5.15 | $114,794,552 | 8 | view |
| 2. DEKKO FOUNDATION INC | |||||||||
| DEKKO FOUNDATION INC 35-1528135 | IN | 990-PF | 2021 of 2017–2021 | 2016 | 2021 | 5.07 | $276,490,715 | 6 | view |
| 3. EULA MAE AND JOHN BAUGH FOUNDATION | |||||||||
| EULA MAE AND JOHN BAUGH FOUNDATION 76-0457820 | TX | 990-PF | 2020 of 2017–2021 | 2016 | 2020 | 5.12 | $191,514,197 | 5 | view |
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