Preston & Catharine White Foundation
The Preston & Catharine White Foundation is a private foundation based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with most grant dollars going to recipients in Virginia.
Preston & Catharine White Foundation at a glance
In short: Preston & Catharine White Foundation gave $401K across 35 grants in 2024 (avg $11K), mostly in Virginia. 43% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $401,000
- +36.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 35
- +16.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $11,457
- +17.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $7,535,272
- +0.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (15 of 35, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (95% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Preston & Catharine White Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 5530, Virginia Beach, VA 23471
Phone: (757) 460-5366
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Preston & Catharine White Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Chesapeake Bay Foundation ($100K). Together the top 10 received $300K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
144 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 138 grants of 144 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia, 3% to recipients in the District of Columbia, and 1% each to recipients in Maryland and New York. South Carolina accounted for 0% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Preston & Catharine White Foundation open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 15 of 35 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 46% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 62% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 84% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $182K (2020) to $401K (2024). In 2024 it made 35 grants totaling $401K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake Bay Foundation Norfolk, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $100,000 |
| CHKD Norfolk, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $75,000 |
| Evms Foundation Norfolk, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $50,000 |
| Tocqueville Society United Way Norfolk, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $15,000 |
| Hokie Scholarship Fund Blacksburg, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $10,000 |
| The Nature Conservancy Arlington, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $10,000 |
| Va Business Higher Education Council Richmond, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $10,000 |
| Va Tech Athletic Fund Lax Blacksburg, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $10,000 |
| Va Tech Athletic Fund Soccer 2024 Blacksburg, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $10,000 |
| Va Tech Athletic Fund Womens Four Bases 2024 Blacksburg, VA | To Support Recipient's Tax Exempt Status | $10,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $7,535,272 | $456,439 | $471,777 | $401,000 | 35 | $403,138 | $387,797 | $481,819 |
| 2023 | $7,491,768 | $222,976 | $332,634 | $293,000 | 30 | $293,275 | $194,749 | $419,223 |
| 2022 | $7,615,113 | $3,168,413 | $308,866 | $278,000 | 29 | $280,363 | $132,944 | $278,129 |
| 2021 | $4,743,072 | $116,162 | $267,353 | $247,500 | 26 | $249,000 | $53,158 | $296,741 |
| 2020 | $4,917,143 | $353,435 | $222,162 | $181,500 | 24 | — | $75,823 | $236,969 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Preston & Catharine White Foundation reported a distributable amount of $482K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants went to organizations working in areas including environmental conservation, health care, education, family support, services for older adults, and grief counseling. For example, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation describes its mission as “to Save the Bay,” while the Nature Conservancy says it works to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Access College Foundation describes its work as providing postsecondary planning, application and financial-aid assistance, and career support for students.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 35 grants totaling $401,000. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with a median grant of $5,000. The largest grants listed were $100,000 to Chesapeake Bay Foundation, $75,000 to CHKD, and $50,000 to EVMS Foundation. Other listed awards included $15,000 to Tocqueville Society United Way and $10,000 each to the Hokie Scholarship Fund, the Nature Conservancy, Virginia Business Higher Education Council, and three Virginia Tech athletic funds.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Catharine M. White as treasurer and secretary, Preston M. White as president, and Catharine Glover Cartwright, Jenifer Rush Heilig, and Mason P. Carrington as directors.
Preston & Catharine White Foundation is led by Preston M. White, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Preston M. White
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Catharine Glover Cartwright
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jenifer Rush Heilig
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Mason P. Carrington
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Catharine M. White
Treasurer & Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Preston & Catharine White Foundation
How much does Preston & Catharine White Foundation give each year?
Preston & Catharine White Foundation gave $401K across 35 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $293K across 30 grants.
What is Preston & Catharine White Foundation's typical grant size?
Preston & Catharine White Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $11,457, across 35 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Preston & Catharine White Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does Preston & Catharine White Foundation give grants?
Preston & Catharine White Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Norfolk, VA (10 grants), Virginia Beach, VA (5 grants), Blacksburg, VA (4 grants) and Richmond, VA (3 grants).
Who are Preston & Catharine White Foundation's largest grantees?
Preston & Catharine White Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Chesapeake Bay Foundation ($100,000), CHKD ($75,000) and Evms Foundation ($50,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($5,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 56% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Preston & Catharine White Foundation?
Preston & Catharine White Foundation reported $7.5M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $403K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $482K (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 Preston & Catharine White Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants went to organizations working in areas including environmental conservation, health care, education, family support, services for older adults, and grief counseling. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Preston & Catharine White Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Preston & Catharine White Foundation's EIN?
Preston & Catharine White Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-2862771. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Preston & Catharine White 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Preston & Catharine White Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/preston-and-catharine-white-foundation-morg_e04083b9181c40b9b94365f3ef750731
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_262862771_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Preston \& Catharine White Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/preston-and-catharine-white-foundation-morg_e04083b9181c40b9b94365f3ef750731},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Preston & Catharine White 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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