The Helen Kimberly Jones Charitable Trust was established in 1993 through the Last Will and Testament of Helen Kimberly Jones, a passionate advocate for animal welfare. This charitable trust honors her memory and that of her cherished dogs—Trixie, Mike, Kimmy, Penny, Bitsy, and Taffy—by providing financial support to nonprofit organizations devoted to preventing cruelty to animals. The trust is managed by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., which serves as the trustee.
The primary mission of the trust is to promote the charitable purpose of preventing cruelty to animals, with a strong geographic focus on Buncombe County, North Carolina. This mission underpins all funding decisions and guides the trust’s strategic priorities. Grant funding is limited strictly to programs and services that are aligned with the goal of animal cruelty prevention.
Eligibility for this grant is restricted to organizations that qualify as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Furthermore, eligible applicants must be operating programs within Buncombe County, North Carolina, as this is the exclusive area supported by the trust. The trust does not entertain applications from outside of this region or from programs not specifically focused on the prevention of animal cruelty.
The trust typically awards approximately eight grants annually, with an average grant size of $5,000. The total annual disbursement from the trust averages $40,000. Applications are accepted year-round; however, to be considered for the annual grant meeting held in July, applications must be submitted by June 15. Applications received by this date will receive a decision notification by August. Applicants will receive an automated email confirmation upon submission.
Funded projects may be subject to periodic progress reports and final reports, and site visits may also be conducted to evaluate project implementation. For any inquiries regarding the application process or technical support, applicants can contact the grant administration team at 1-888-235-4351 or via email at grantadministration@wellsfargo.com.
