The Cooper Housing Institute
The Cooper Housing Institute is a private foundation based in Irvine, California. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable organizations in California, Washington, DC, and Massachusetts, including organizations working on housing, homelessness, and related policy issues.
The Cooper Housing Institute at a glance
In short: The Cooper Housing Institute gave $885K across 18 grants in 2024 (avg $49K), mostly in California. 56% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $885,038
- +330.2% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 18
- +125.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $49,169
- +91.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $9,161,917
- +9.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 56% first-time grantees (10 of 18, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (51% 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 The Cooper Housing Institute
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 17782 Sky Park Circle, Irvine, CA 92614
Phone: (949) 236-8100
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Cooper Housing Institute funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Housing Narrative Lab ($250K). Together the top 10 received $861K.
Grant Size Distribution
45 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 29 grants of 45 (64%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 51% of grant dollars went to recipients in California, 32% to recipients in Washington, DC, and 17% to recipients in Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Cooper Housing Institute open to new grantees?
56%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 10 of 18 grantees (56%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $46K; repeat grants $53K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 28% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 56% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 188% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $206K (2023) to $885K (2024). In 2024 it made 18 grants totaling $885K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Housing Narrative Lab Washington, DC | General Support | $250,000 |
| Rand Center Santa Monica, CA | General Purpose | $200,000 |
| Ucsb Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | General Purpose | $153,000 |
| Massachuesetts Housing & Shelter Alliance Inc Boston, MA | General Support | $150,000 |
| South County Outreach Irvine, CA | General Support | $37,700 |
| Terner's Funders Council- Uc Berkeley Berkeley, CA | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| US Vets - Patriotic Hall Los Angeles, CA | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| Center on Budget & Policy Priorities Washington, DC | General Support | $10,000 |
| National Alliance to End Homelessness Washington, DC | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| National Low Income Housing Coalition Washington, DC | General Purpose | $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 | $9,161,917 | $1,739,107 | $971,755 | $885,038 | 18 | $908,177 | $278,177 | $483,638 |
| 2023 | $8,406,569 | $1,443,728 | $303,628 | $205,750 | 8 | $237,506 | $145,527 | $402,836 |
| 2022 | $7,301,423 | $1,280,692 | $411,542 | $355,000 | 8 | $363,012 | $89,578 | $352,817 |
| 2021 | $6,424,688 | $1,248,441 | $635,733 | $567,500 | 6 | $598,268 | $211,126 | $300,636 |
| 2020 | $5,799,950 | $1,099,545 | $295,223 | $210,000 | 5 | — | $64,740 | $268,311 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Cooper Housing Institute reported a distributable amount of $484K 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
No mission statement for the Institute is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for housing and homelessness organizations. For example, South County Outreach describes its mission as preventing hunger and homelessness by helping people help themselves. The National Low Income Housing Coalition says it is dedicated to equitable public policy to ensure that the lowest-income people have quality homes that are accessible and affordable. The National Alliance to End Homelessness describes itself as committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the Institute’s.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Institute reported 18 grants totaling $885,038. Grant amounts ranged from $250 to $250,000, with a median grant of $10,000.
Its largest reported grants included $250,000 to Housing Narrative Lab for general support, $200,000 to RAND Center for general purpose, $153,000 to UCSB Foundation for general purpose, and $150,000 to Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance for general support. Other grants included $37,700 to South County Outreach for general support and $20,000 each to Terner’s Funders Council–UC Berkeley and US Vets–Patriotic Hall for general purpose. The Institute also gave $10,000 each to the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and Pathway Housing First Partner Conference; and $10,000 to JB Brown Fund–Life Steps for general support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Wilfred N. Cooper Jr. as CEO and director; Melanie Wenk as CFO and treasurer; Wilfred N. Cooper Sr. as director; Devon C. Cooper as secretary and director; and Jennifer Cooper as director.
The Cooper Housing Institute is led by Wilfred N. Cooper Jr., CEO & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Wilfred N. Cooper Jr.
CEO & Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Devon C. Cooper
Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer E. Cooper
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wilfred N. Cooper Sr.
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Melanie Wenk
CFO & Treasurer
CFO → CFO & Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Kay A. Cooper (2020–2022) — Director
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 The Cooper Housing Institute
How much does The Cooper Housing Institute give each year?
The Cooper Housing Institute gave $885K across 18 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $206K across 8 grants.
What is The Cooper Housing Institute's typical grant size?
The Cooper Housing Institute's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $49,169, across 18 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Cooper Housing Institute that year got $46K on average.
Where does The Cooper Housing Institute give grants?
The Cooper Housing Institute gives mostly in California: 51% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (32%) and Massachusetts (17%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (4 grants), Santa Monica, CA (2 grants), Boston, MA (2 grants) and Irvine, CA (2 grants).
Does The Cooper Housing Institute give general operating support?
Yes: 94% of The Cooper Housing Institute's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Cooper Housing Institute's largest grantees?
The Cooper Housing Institute's largest 2024 grantees include Housing Narrative Lab ($250,000), Rand Center ($200,000) and Ucsb Foundation ($153,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 68% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Cooper Housing Institute?
The Cooper Housing Institute reported $9.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $908K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $484K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Cooper Housing Institute fund?
No mission statement for the Institute is provided. Its 2024 grants include support for housing and homelessness organizations. For example, South County Outreach describes its mission as preventing hunger and homelessness by helping people help themselves. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Cooper Housing Institute?
The foundation states that it 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 The Cooper Housing Institute's EIN?
The Cooper Housing Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-2629416. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Cooper Housing Institute 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
Live grants for the work The Cooper Housing Institute funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Cooper Housing Institute's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Cooper Housing Institute funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-cooper-housing-institute-morg_29f18b2533634ba29a2fb32a74e80503
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_832629416_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Cooper Housing Institute funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-cooper-housing-institute-morg_29f18b2533634ba29a2fb32a74e80503},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 The Cooper Housing Institute'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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