The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler Foundation is a private foundation based in Austin, Texas. It supports charitable organizations working to educate, support, and strengthen families and communities, with an emphasis on McMullen, Atascosa, and surrounding Texas counties.
Key facts about The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler
In short: The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler gave $6.7M across 61 grants in 2025 (avg $110K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 82-7129734
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,705,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 61
- Average grant
- $109,918
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $54,660,998
- Primary geography
- Texas (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The Foundation accepts applications online through its website and requires the applicant organization’s IRS determination letter to be uploaded with the application. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- Applications are reviewed quarterly; see the Foundation’s website for applicable submission deadlines.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$54.7M
+3.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$6.7M
+49.0% YoY
Grant Count
61
+38.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$110K
+7.5% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler reported a distributable amount of $2.2M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
How The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler gives
- 49% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 318% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s mission is to educate, support, and strengthen families and communities. Its stated focus areas are education, family, and community. It supports organizations that emphasize education, aid and empower people, improve quality of life, or help communities and community-based organizations build a strong, sustainable future.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate this range. Majesty Outdoors describes its mission as building hope by addressing fatherlessness through mentoring and outdoor activities. Fuel 4 Education says it provides educational financial assistance, with an emphasis on post-high-school education, while the Tilden Livestock Scholarship Association promotes education and youth development in agriculture. Helping Hand Home for Children describes providing trauma-informed care and support services for children and families; Hungry Souls focuses on food-insecure children in the greater Austin area.
Grantmaking
The Foundation awarded 61 grants totaling $6,705,000 in 2025. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $1,314,000, with a median grant of $25,000.
Review Cycle
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation emphasizes McMullen, Atascosa, and surrounding Texas counties. In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas and 4% to recipients in Arizona.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 61 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $225K (2019) to $6.7M (2025). In 2025 it made 61 grants totaling $6.7M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was McMullen County Community Development Corporation ($1.3M). Together the top 10 received $5.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
206 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 143 grants of 206 (69%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| McMullen County Community Development Corporation Tilden, TX | Program Support | $1,314,000 |
| Tilden Baptist Church Tilden, TX | Program Support | $1,255,000 |
| Majesty Outdoors Corpus Christi, TX | Program Support | $1,010,000 |
| San Antonio Zoological Society San Antonio, TX | Program Support | $500,000 |
| McMullen County ISD Tilden, TX | Program Support | $470,000 |
| Rise and Shine Childcare Tilden, TX | Program Support | $250,000 |
| Assistance League of Phoenix Phoenix, AZ | Program Support | $200,000 |
| Helping Hand Home for Children San Antonio, TX | Program Support | $100,000 |
| Fuel 4 Education Inc Tilden, TX | Program Support | $100,000 |
| Hungry Souls Inc Austin, TX | Program Support | $100,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grants awarded | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,705,000 | 61 |
| 2024 | $4,500,000 | 44 |
| 2023 | $2,700,000 | 28 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $54,660,998 | $52,722,449 | $50,761,936 |
| Revenue | $11,398,617 | $9,288,174 | $4,330,626 |
| Expenses | $9,459,335 | $7,328,394 | $4,452,171 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $6,891,630 | $4,667,142 | $2,867,198 |
| Net Investment Income | $8,975,110 | $6,644,521 | $2,912,444 |
| Distributable Amount | $2,166,842 | $1,974,277 | $1,602,864 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 18, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 4, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 9, 2024)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Shelly McTee and Donald Haynes as trustees and co-executors, and Warren Wheeler as a trustee.
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Donald Haynes
Trustee & Co-Executor
Trustee → Trustee & Co-Executor, 2021
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$30K (2019) → $72K (2025)
Shelly McTee
Trustee & Co-Executor
Trustee → Trustee & Executive Director, 2020
Trustee & Executive Director → Trustee & Co-Executor, 2021
On filings since 2019
22 hrs/week
$80K (2019) → $72K (2025)
Warren Wheeler
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
$30K (2019) → $72K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $72K, to Shelly McTee (Trustee/Co-Executor). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Application contact: Taylor Parsons
Mailing address: 3201 Bee Caves Road Ste 1-160145, Austin, TX 78716
Phone: (512) 567-0228
Email: ed@thewheelerfoundation.org
Website: https://thewheelerfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler
How much does The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler give each year?
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler gave $6.7M across 61 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.5M across 44 grants.
What is The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's typical grant size?
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $109,918, across 61 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler give grants?
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler gives mostly in Texas: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Antonio, TX (32 grants), Tilden, TX (6 grants), Austin, TX (5 grants) and Phoenix, AZ (3 grants).
Does The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 61 grants with a stated purpose on The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (61 grants).
Who are The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's largest grantees?
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's largest 2025 grantees include McMullen County Community Development Corporation ($1,314,000), Tilden Baptist Church ($1,255,000) and Majesty Outdoors ($1,010,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 53% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler?
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler reported $54.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.9M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $2.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler fund?
The Foundation’s mission is to educate, support, and strengthen families and communities. Its stated focus areas are education, family, and community. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler?
The Foundation accepts applications online through its website and requires the applicant organization’s IRS determination letter to be uploaded with the application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's EIN?
The Carroll and Marguerite Wheeler's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 82-7129734. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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