The Dean Witter Foundation
The Dean Witter Foundation is a private foundation based in San Rafael, California. Established in 1952, it makes grants to launch and expand innovative conservation and K-12 education programs.
The Dean Witter Foundation at a glance
In short: The Dean Witter Foundation gave $428K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), mostly in Washington. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $427,500
- +42.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- +38.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $23,750
- +2.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $7,098,633
- -1.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (7 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Washington (61% 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 The Dean Witter Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Review Cycle
- The 2023 filing states that there are no deadlines.
- Deadline
- The 2023 filing states that there are no deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Kenneth J Blum Co Kramer Blum Assoc
Mailing address: PO Box 6106, San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: (415) 981-2966
Website: https://deanwitterfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Dean Witter Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Naturebridge ($45K). Together the top 10 received $320K.
Grant Size Distribution
72 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 71 grants of 72 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
For conservation, the website says the foundation supports organizations based in Northern California, Colorado and Washington State. In 2025, 61% of grant dollars went to recipients in Washington, 27% to California, 6% to Iowa, 4% to Colorado and 2% to New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Dean Witter Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 17 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $22K; repeat grants $27K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 35% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 26% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 105% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $225K (2021) to $428K (2025). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $428K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Naturebridge San Francisco, CA | For scholarships for students at naturebridge's west coast campuses (matching) | $45,000 |
| Bellevue Schools Foundation Bellevue, WA | For the mental health expansion program and/or the spark fund at the district superintendents discretion | $30,000 |
| Eat Happy Now Yarrow Point, WA | For the Food Insecurity Program | $30,000 |
| Islandwood Bainbridge Island, WA | For the Islandwood Educators' Fund | $30,000 |
| Northwest Film Forum Seattle, WA | To Pilot the Documentary Reflections of the River | $30,000 |
| Sealife Response Rehabilitation & Research Des Moines, WA | To rescue and protect marine mammals in the pacific northwest | $30,000 |
| The Thacher School Ojai, CA | For the Horse Program | $30,000 |
| University of Washingtoncollege of the Environment Friday Harbor, WA | For the friday harbor labs k-12 science outreach program | $30,000 |
| Fred Hutch Cancer Center Seattle, WA | For the project: mussel lab: distinguishing invasive vs local mussels through dna analysis | $25,000 |
| Practical Farmers of Iowa Ames, IA | For sowing biodiversity: empowering small-scale farmers to support native pollinators | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Dean Witter 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 | $7,098,633 | $418,415 | $557,970 | $427,500 | 18 | $486,010 | $351,455 | $462,128 |
| 2024 | $7,238,188 | $365,457 | $404,861 | $300,500 | 13 | $340,684 | $301,280 | $426,279 |
| 2023 | $7,277,592 | $185,971 | $393,593 | $298,000 | 14 | $333,514 | $125,892 | $404,991 |
| 2022 | $7,485,214 | $1,085,854 | $476,423 | $339,000 | 13 | $379,763 | $1,019,194 | $438,773 |
| 2021 | $6,875,783 | $1,470,039 | $326,604 | $224,500 | 14 | — | $1,423,041 | $402,496 |
| 2020 | $5,732,348 | $149,117 | $401,743 | $315,000 | 17 | — | $105,049 | $375,503 |
| 2019 | $5,984,974 | $518,984 | $396,620 | $280,000 | 14 | — | $464,574 | $362,463 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Dean Witter Foundation reported a distributable amount of $462K 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
The foundation’s K-12 education mission is to help all students develop their full potential and to invest in innovative initiatives that improve student learning. Its stated areas of interest include educational leadership, effective education, literacy, STEAM, graduation rates and college and work readiness. It seeks promising academic projects that are evidence-based and replicable across educational institutions.
Its conservation mission is to protect wilderness areas and natural resources and create lifelong environmental stewards. The foundation supports projects that conserve, restore or revitalize natural landscapes, improve water-resource stewardship, and connect young people with the outdoors. Its website also identifies specific wildlife conservation projects and environmental education as areas of interest.
Recent grantees illustrate the range of supported work. NatureBridge describes its mission as connecting young people with the natural world and inspiring environmental stewardship. IslandWood says it uses hands-on learning at its outdoor learning center and in schools to encourage lifelong learning and environmental and community stewardship. Bellevue Schools Foundation says it promotes and funds learning opportunities for students in Bellevue public schools.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 18 grants totaling $427,500. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $45,000, with a median of $25,000. Notable awards included $45,000 to NatureBridge for scholarships at its West Coast campuses, as a matching grant; $30,000 each to Bellevue Schools Foundation for a mental-health expansion program and/or the Spark Fund, Eat Happy Now for its food-insecurity program, IslandWood for its educators’ fund, and Northwest Film Forum to pilot *Reflections of the River*; and $25,000 to Practical Farmers of Iowa for a native-pollinator initiative.
The website says the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. Its funding guidelines also state that it accepts proposals from tax-exempt charitable institutions on a continuing basis, while specifying that it does not accept unsolicited proposals for conservation projects. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the foundation’s consultant to determine whether a program fits its interests. The website says there is no standard application form and describes a proposal package that includes a cover letter, program request and objectives, personnel and organizational information, budgets and financial statements. The foundation’s 2023 filing lists no deadlines and directs applicants to “Exhibit 1” for forms, materials and award restrictions.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dean Witter III as CFO/Treasurer and director, Allison Witter Frey as director, Brooks Witter as president and director, and Malcolm G. Witter as secretary and director. The foundation’s website lists Kenneth J. Blum as Administrative Director.
The Dean Witter Foundation is led by Brooks Witter, President & Director since 2024 (on filings since 2019); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Brooks Witter
President & Director
Trustee → Secretary & Director, 2021
Secretary & Director → President & Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Allison Witter Frey
Director
Secretary & Trustee → President, 2021
President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Dean Witter III
CFO, Treasurer & Director
CFO, Treasurer & Director → CFO & Director, 2024
CFO & Director → CFO, Treasurer & Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Malcolm G. Witter
Secretary & Director
President → Director, 2021
Director → Secretary & Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Dean Witter Foundation
How much does The Dean Witter Foundation give each year?
The Dean Witter Foundation gave $428K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $301K across 13 grants.
What is The Dean Witter Foundation's typical grant size?
The Dean Witter Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $23,750, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Dean Witter Foundation that year got $22K on average.
Where does The Dean Witter Foundation give grants?
The Dean Witter Foundation gives mostly in Washington: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (27%) and Iowa (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (6 grants) and Oak Glen Road, CA (2 grants).
Does The Dean Witter Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of The Dean Witter Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 18) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Dean Witter Foundation's largest grantees?
The Dean Witter Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Naturebridge ($45,000), Wildlands Conservancy ($40,000 across 2 grants) and Bellevue Schools Foundation ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Dean Witter Foundation?
The Dean Witter Foundation reported $7.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $486K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $462K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Dean Witter Foundation fund?
The foundation’s K-12 education mission is to help all students develop their full potential and to invest in innovative initiatives that improve student learning. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Dean Witter Foundation?
The Dean Witter Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines. Check deanwitterfoundation.org for any change to that policy.
What is The Dean Witter Foundation's EIN?
The Dean Witter Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-6065150. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Dean Witter 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 25, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Dean Witter Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-dean-witter-foundation-morg_7546c5f35202486c965c5284aeee7ecb
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_946065150_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Dean Witter Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-dean-witter-foundation-morg_7546c5f35202486c965c5284aeee7ecb},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Dean Witter 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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