Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation
The Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. Its 2025 filing reports $1,099,000 in grants to 10 charitable organizations.
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation at a glance
In short: Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation gave $1.1M across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $110K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,099,000
- +31.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $109,900
- +18.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $26,156,054
- +13.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (83% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 885 Northampton Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone: (650) 465-3130
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was PEF Israel Endowment Funds ($710K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
31 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 19 grants of 31 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 83% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 9% to Virginia, and 7% to Washington, DC. The listed grants also included recipients in Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, and California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
How Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation gives
- 80% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 92% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $616K (2019) to $1.1M (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| PEF Israel Endowment Funds New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $710,000 |
| American Friends of TEL Aviv University New York, NY | Charitable Donation | $200,000 |
| US Friends of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute Arlington, VA | Charitable Donation | $100,000 |
| Israel Democracy Fund Washington, DC | Charitable Donation | $80,000 |
| Gemach Harabbonim Skokie, IL | Charitable Donation | $3,000 |
| Crarg Springfield, OH | Charitable Donation | $3,000 |
| Yiddish Book Center Amherst, MA | Charitable Donation | $1,500 |
| Oshman Family JCC Palo Alto, CA | Charitable Donation | $1,000 |
| KDFC Los Angeles, CA | Charitable Donation | $250 |
| Kqed San Francisco, CA | Charitable Donation | $250 |
Ready to take the next step with Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $26,156,054 | $748,837 | $1,117,133 | $1,099,000 | 10 | $1,099,000 | $738,571 | $1,199,576 |
| 2024 | $23,072,979 | $681,112 | $847,438 | $833,500 | 9 | $833,500 | $671,774 | $1,046,240 |
| 2023 | $19,043,439 | $649,025 | $843,665 | $828,500 | 10 | $828,500 | $640,127 | $834,090 |
| 2022 | $14,694,390 | $657,676 | $965,187 | $950,500 | 1 | $950,500 | $648,660 | $828,379 |
| 2021 | $21,160,013 | $576,010 | $694,389 | $679,150 | 1 | $679,150 | $568,113 | $950,000 |
| 2020 | $17,678,573 | $490,707 | $634,166 | $617,950 | 1 | — | $483,980 | $685,750 |
| 2019 | $13,878,944 | $434,857 | $628,341 | $615,540 | 1 | — | $430,442 | $630,037 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.2M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose work includes charitable giving connected to Israel, higher education, democracy, and community media. For example, PEF Israel Endowment Funds describes its purposes as providing relief and supporting health care and educational and religious institutions in Israel. KQED describes its work as providing Northern California audiences with community-supported media, convening dialogue, bringing the arts to audiences, and supporting students and teachers.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $1,099,000. Grants ranged from $250 to $710,000, with a median grant of $3,000. The largest grants were $710,000 to PEF Israel Endowment Funds, $200,000 to American Friends of Tel Aviv University, $100,000 to US Friends of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, and $80,000 to Israel Democracy Fund. Other listed recipients included Gemach Harabbonim ($3,000), CRARG ($3,000), Yiddish Book Center ($1,500), Oshman Family JCC ($1,000), KDFC ($250), and KQED ($250).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Amos Wilnai as president and assistant treasurer; Ruth Wilnai as vice president, secretary, and treasurer; and Sigal Wilnai-Tzoore, Yael Wilnai-Ziskind, and Nitzan Wilnai as vice presidents.
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation is led by Amos Wilnai, President & Assistant Treasurer on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Amos Wilnai
President & Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nitzan Wilnai
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ruth Wilnai
Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sigal Wilnai-Tzoore
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yael Wilnai-Ziskind
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation
How much does Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation give each year?
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation gave $1.1M across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $834K across 9 grants.
What is Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's typical grant size?
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,000, and its average grant was $109,900, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation give grants?
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation gives mostly in New York: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (9%) and District of Columbia (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Donation" (10 grants).
Who are Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's largest grantees?
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include PEF Israel Endowment Funds ($710,000), American Friends of TEL Aviv University ($200,000) and US Friends of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute ($100,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 92% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation?
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation reported $26.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose work includes charitable giving connected to Israel, higher education, democracy, and community media. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's EIN?
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-4839728. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 6, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/amos-and-ruth-wilnai-foundation-morg_0198271b62e0452ebd95905a48f8d25f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_204839728_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/amos-and-ruth-wilnai-foundation-morg_0198271b62e0452ebd95905a48f8d25f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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