Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family

Private foundation · Grantmaker Boerne, TX EIN: 81-5256238

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family is a private foundation based in Boerne, Texas. It made 22 grants totaling $139,656 in filing year 2025, with grants to organizations in several states.

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family at a glance

In short: Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family gave $140K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Texas. 64% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$139,656
-3.5% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
22
-4.3% vs 2024
Average grant
$6,348
+0.8% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,775
Total assets
$2,595,384
-0.6% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
64% first-time grantees (14 of 22, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Texas (58% 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 Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family

How to Apply

The 2025 filing says to contact Desiree Whitney by letter, email, or telephone. It lists no required form or materials, no award restrictions, and no deadlines.

Review Cycle
No deadline is listed.
Deadline
No deadline is listed.
Contact

Application contact: Desiree Whitney
Mailing address: 547 Cordillera, Boerne, TX 78006-4203
Phone: (612) 597-4585

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Cibolo Nature: $71KCibolo Nature$71KNorthwestern Health SCI: $18KNorthwestern Health SCI$18KOpportunity Internation: $14KOpportunity Internation$14KMarnitas Table: $11KMarnitas Table$11KCommunity Foundation: $5KCommunity Foundation$5KGo Fund ME: $3KGo Fund ME$3KMetropolitan Museum of: $3KMetropolitan Museum of$3KMetropolitan Opera: $2KMetropolitan Opera$2KGrapevine Organization: $2KGrapevine Organization$2KMighty Cause: $2KMighty Cause$2K

The largest 2025 recipient was Cibolo Nature ($71K). Together the top 10 received $130K.

Grant Size Distribution

113 grants across all recorded years

110<$50K3$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 110 grants of 113 (97%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas (58%), Minnesota (23%), Illinois (10%), and New York (5%); California received 2%.

Grant Distribution by State

20states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.

Cities

BoerneMinneapolisNew YorkSan AntonioWashingtonCharlottesvillFredericksburgSan DiegoChicagoComfortEaganGallupLittle CanadaLittle RockMount AirySaint PaulAngel FireAtlantaAustinBakersfield

Is Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family open to new grantees?

64%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 14 of 22 grantees (64%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $1K; repeat grants $15K. How we count

Medians: $1K first-time, $7K repeat.

  • 36% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+9%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K24 grants2021 22 grants2022 22 grants2023 23 grants2024 22 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $55K (2021) to $171K (2023). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $140K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Cibolo Nature Boerne, TXGeneral Support$71,260
Northwestern Health SCI Minneapolis, MNGeneral Support$17,500
Opportunity Internation Chicago, ILGeneral Support$13,500
Marnitas Table Minneapolis, MNGeneral Support$11,023
Community Foundation Kerrville, TXGeneral Support$5,168
Go Fund ME San Diego, CAGeneral Support$2,749
Metropolitan Museum of New York, NYGeneral Support$2,500
Metropolitan Opera New York, NYGeneral Support$2,149
Grapevine Organization New York, NYGeneral Support$2,107
Mighty Cause Marianna, FLGeneral Support$2,091
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$2,595,384$158,715$202,256$139,65622$202,256$5$10
2024$2,611,134$208,113$232,361$144,78523$232,361$12—
2023$2,643,483$157,520$217,925$171,11222$217,925—$49
2022$2,703,888$66,018$179,705$128,59222$179,705——
2021$2,817,575$139,560$197,633$54,58024$197,633——

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family reported a distributable amount of $10 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 went to organizations including Cibolo Nature, Northwestern Health Sci, Opportunity Internation, and Marnitas Table. Marnita’s Table Inc. describes its mission as making “Intentional Social Interaction” a societal pattern in which people of color, the disenfranchised, the poor, the unheard, and the fragile are included and valued at policy-making and resource-sharing tables.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 22 grants totaling $139,656. Grant amounts ranged from $38 to $71,260, with a median of $1,775. The largest grants included $71,260 to Cibolo Nature, $17,500 to Northwestern Health Sci, $13,500 to Opportunity Internation, and $11,023 to Marnitas Table. These grants were reported for general support.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Joseph Whitney as president, Desiree Whitney as treasurer, and Nicholas Heller as director.

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family is led by Joseph Whitney, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Joseph Whitney

    President

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Nicholas Heller

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    No compensation reported

  • Desiree Whitney

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2021

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family

How much does Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family give each year?

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family gave $140K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $145K across 23 grants.

What is Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family's typical grant size?

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family's median grant in 2025 was $1,775, and its average grant was $6,348, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family that year got $1K on average.

Where does Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family give grants?

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family gives mostly in Texas: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Minnesota (23%) and Illinois (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boerne, TX (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Minneapolis, MN (2 grants).

Does Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family's largest grantees?

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family's largest 2025 grantees include Cibolo Nature ($71,260), Northwestern Health SCI ($17,500) and Opportunity Internation ($13,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 73% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family?

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $202K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $10 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including Cibolo Nature, Northwestern Health Sci, Opportunity Internation, and Marnitas Table. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family?

The 2025 filing says to contact Desiree Whitney by letter, email, or telephone. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family's EIN?

Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-5256238. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(2)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 10, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/joseph-and-desiree-whitney-family-morg_3d5e6b5c68614045adfdbd13f04a8f52

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_815256238_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/joseph-and-desiree-whitney-family-morg_3d5e6b5c68614045adfdbd13f04a8f52},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Joseph and Desiree Whitney Family'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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