Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation
The Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation is a private foundation based in Purchase, New York. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations including museums, a hospital, a foreign-relations organization, a college, and community organizations.
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation at a glance
In short: Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation gave $28.3M across 29 grants in 2025 (avg $975K), mostly in New York. 31% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $28,284,750
- -12.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 29
- +11.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $975,336
- -21.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $100,000
- Total assets
- $592,791,507
- +22.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 31% first-time grantees (9 of 29, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (91% 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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation
- 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: Co Cng 3 Manhattanville Road 301, Purchase, NY 10577
Phone: (914) 696-9000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Museum of Modern Art ($12.1M). Together the top 10 received $27.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
131 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 36 grants of 131 (27%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York and 6% to recipients in Washington, DC. Connecticut and Massachusetts each accounted for 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 29 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation open to new grantees?
31%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 29 grantees (31%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $948K; repeat grants $988K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $150K repeat.
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 36% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 80% 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 (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
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $20.8M (2022) to $32.5M (2024). In 2025 it made 29 grants totaling $28.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Museum of Modern Art New York, NY | General Support | $12,135,000 |
| Memorial Sloan-Kettering New York, NY | General Support | $7,500,000 |
| Council on Foreign Relations New York, NY | General Support | $3,000,000 |
| Hospital for Special Surgery Foundation New York, NY | General Support | $1,000,000 |
| Oceana Inc Washington, DC | General Support | $1,000,000 |
| American Enterprise Institute Washington, DC | General Support | $750,000 |
| Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY | General Support | $650,000 |
| The Carver Center Port Chester, NY | General Support | $500,000 |
| Wnet New York, NY | General Support | $250,000 |
| Eagle Hill School Greenwich, CT | General Support | $200,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Sue & Edgar Wachenheim 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 | $592,791,507 | $137,996,447 | $29,836,202 | $28,284,750 | 29 | $28,290,250 | $137,763,817 | $35,224,333 |
| 2024 | $484,631,262 | $127,242,217 | $33,707,665 | $32,452,500 | 26 | $32,458,000 | $99,881,152 | $33,317,886 |
| 2023 | $412,705,929 | $7,265,446 | $21,491,945 | $21,064,000 | 31 | $21,070,200 | $13,577,343 | $25,301,494 |
| 2022 | $426,932,428 | $9,452,276 | $20,933,758 | $20,820,000 | 24 | $20,821,500 | $7,341,942 | $24,622,722 |
| 2021 | $438,413,910 | $118,434,047 | $25,779,977 | $24,170,000 | 21 | — | $109,696,569 | $24,684,390 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation reported a distributable amount of $35.2M 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
No formal mission statement is stated. The 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas such as art and culture, health, education, public service media, and international affairs. For example, the Council on Foreign Relations describes itself as an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher. Skidmore College describes its work as educating undergraduates and preparing them to be informed, responsible citizens. WNET describes itself as a public-service nonprofit delivering lifelong learning and meaningful experiences.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 29 grants totaling $28,284,750. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $12,135,000, with a median of $100,000. The largest grants included $12,135,000 to The Museum of Modern Art, $7,500,000 to Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and $3,000,000 to the Council on Foreign Relations. The listed purposes for these grants were general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Edgar Wachenheim III as president and CEO; Sue W. Wachenheim as vice president; Lance R. Wachenheim as treasurer; Kim W. Wagman as secretary; and Chris A. Wachenheim as director.
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation is led by Edgar Wachenheim III, President & CEO on every filing since 2021; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Edgar Wachenheim III
President & CEO
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris A. Wachenheim
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kim W. Wagman
Secretary
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lance R. Wachenheim
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sue W. Wachenheim
Vice President
On filings since 2021
0.5 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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation
How much does Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation give each year?
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation gave $28.3M across 29 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $32.5M across 26 grants.
What is Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation's typical grant size?
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $100,000, and its average grant was $975,336, across 29 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation that year got $948K on average.
Where does Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation give grants?
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation gives mostly in New York: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (10 grants), Rye, NY (5 grants), Washington, DC (2 grants) and Greenwich, CT (2 grants).
Does Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (29 of 29) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation's largest grantees?
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Museum of Modern Art ($12,135,000), Memorial Sloan-Kettering ($7,500,000) and Council on Foreign Relations ($3,000,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 80% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation?
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation reported $592.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $28.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $35.2M (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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation fund?
No formal mission statement is stated. The 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas such as art and culture, health, education, public service media, and international affairs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation?
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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation's EIN?
Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7011002. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Sue & Edgar Wachenheim 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 2021–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sue-and-edgar-wachenheim-foundation-morg_bdf3c07c45634bf38aaa5d91aa48f844
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237011002_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sue \& Edgar Wachenheim Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sue-and-edgar-wachenheim-foundation-morg_bdf3c07c45634bf38aaa5d91aa48f844},
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 Sue & Edgar Wachenheim 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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