George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat is a private foundation based in Metairie, Louisiana. It reported 11 grants totaling $532,000 in 2025, supporting charitable organizations including a congregation, a Jewish endowment foundation, a museum, and organizations working in STEM education and basic needs.
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat at a glance
In short: George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat gave $532K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $48K), mostly in Louisiana. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $532,000
- +82.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +22.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $48,364
- +49.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,000
- Total assets
- $10,393,484
- +21.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (3 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 321 Veterans Blvd 201, Metairie, LA 70005
Phone: (504) 834-5511
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Congregation Gates of Prayer ($300K). Together the top 10 received $531K.
Grant Size Distribution
41 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 34 grants of 41 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Louisiana and 5% to recipients in Mississippi; it reports 0% for Oregon. The listed recipients include organizations in Metairie, New Orleans, Covington, and Avondale, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and Portland, Oregon.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $65K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 565% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 78% 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 (2019–2025). 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 $64K (2019) to $532K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $532K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Congregation Gates of Prayer Metairie, LA | General Donations | $300,000 |
| Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana Metairie, LA | General Donations | $150,000 |
| Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience Jackson, MS | General Donations | $25,000 |
| STEM Library Lab Metairie, LA | General Donations | $20,000 |
| Tulane Educational Fund Center for K-12 STEM Education New Orleans, LA | General Donations | $10,000 |
| Northshore Food Bank Covington, LA | General Donations | $6,000 |
| First Louisiana-Mississippi Inc Metairie, LA | General Donations | $5,000 |
| Jewish Family Services of Greater New Orleans Metairie, LA | General Donations | $5,000 |
| Forekids Foundation Avondale, LA | General Donations | $5,000 |
| The Greater New Orleans Science Fair Inc New Orleans, LA | General Donations | $5,000 |
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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 | $10,393,484 | $2,394,704 | $560,134 | $532,000 | 11 | $532,000 | $900,558 | $681,577 |
| 2024 | $8,561,979 | $4,757,901 | $326,224 | $291,000 | 9 | $291,000 | $1,080,665 | $531,603 |
| 2023 | $6,720,092 | $2,652,786 | $214,066 | $210,000 | 5 | $210,000 | $1,106,167 | $291,144 |
| 2022 | $5,055,697 | $1,815,324 | $85,095 | $80,000 | 8 | $80,000 | $54,721 | $208,122 |
| 2021 | $4,010,453 | $710,185 | $129,731 | $123,500 | 8 | $123,500 | $54,326 | $184,568 |
| 2020 | $3,429,999 | $745,564 | $132,894 | $132,500 | 12 | — | $38,307 | $143,350 |
| 2019 | $2,817,329 | $1,614,029 | $64,010 | $64,000 | 7 | — | $24,089 | $67,044 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat reported a distributable amount of $682K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations in Louisiana and Mississippi, with a smaller grant to an organization in Oregon. The listed grants were designated for general donations.
Among the recipients, STEM Library Lab says its mission is to support student success by providing teachers with equipment, programs, experiences, and instructional support for active STEM learning. Northshore Food Bank describes its mission as providing access to basic needs on the Northshore. FIRST Louisiana-Mississippi says it promotes young people’s science and technology leadership through mentor-based programs that build technical skills and support confidence, communication, and leadership.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 11 grants totaling $532,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $300,000, with a median grant of $6,000. The largest awards were $300,000 to Congregation Gates of Prayer and $150,000 to Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, both in Metairie. Other notable grants included $25,000 to the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in Jackson, Mississippi, and $20,000 to STEM Library Lab in Metairie.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Harold Wainer, Beth-Anne P Watson, and Andrew Sullivan as directors.
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Harold Wainer
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Andrew Sullivan
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Beth-Anne P. Watson
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: David Berins (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Scott M. Kugler (2019–2022) — Director
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 George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat
How much does George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat give each year?
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat gave $532K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $291K across 9 grants.
What is George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's typical grant size?
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's median grant in 2025 was $6,000, and its average grant was $48,364, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat that year got $5K on average.
Where does George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat give grants?
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat gives mostly in Louisiana: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Metairie, LA (5 grants) and New Orleans, LA (2 grants).
Does George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 11) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's largest grantees?
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's largest 2025 grantees include Congregation Gates of Prayer ($300,000), Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana ($150,000) and Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 89% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat?
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat reported $10.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $532K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $682K (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 George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations in Louisiana and Mississippi, with a smaller grant to an organization in Oregon. The listed grants were designated for general donations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat?
The foundation 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 George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's EIN?
George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0846792. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat 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 July 1, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/george-helen-and-harold-wainer-foundat-morg_e1040ae3e69d47c3a244fa68bf65a93b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_260846792_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/george-helen-and-harold-wainer-foundat-morg_e1040ae3e69d47c3a244fa68bf65a93b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 George Helen and Harold Wainer Foundat'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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