The Heritage Fund Inc
The Heritage Fund Inc is a private foundation based in Princeton, New Jersey. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations in education, health, ministry, and human services.
The Heritage Fund Inc at a glance
In short: The Heritage Fund Inc gave $188K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), top state Georgia. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $187,500
- -2.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $11,029
- +14.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,060,816
- -13.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (2 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (41% 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 Heritage Fund Inc
- 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: 9 Nelson Ridge Road, Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone: (863) 688-1201
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Heritage Fund Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Wilberforce School ($50K). Together the top 10 received $153K.
Grant Size Distribution
91 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 86 grants of 91 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants were distributed among recipients in multiple states. Georgia accounted for 41% of grant dollars and New Jersey for 27%; Colorado accounted for 8%, while Virginia and Massachusetts each accounted for 5%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Heritage Fund Inc open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 17 grantees (12%) 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 $5K; repeat grants $12K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 82% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−6%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 89% 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 $188K (2025) to $209K (2023). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $188K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Wilberforce School Princeton Junction, NJ | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $50,000 |
| Daughters Against Alzheimers Atlanta, GA | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $15,000 |
| K-Life Atlanta, GA | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $15,000 |
| The Navigators Colorado Springs, CO | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $15,000 |
| Atlanta Youth Project Atlanta, GA | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $10,000 |
| Center for Christian Study Charlottesville, VA | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $10,000 |
| Cure ALZ Wellesley Hills, MA | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $10,000 |
| Harvest USA Philadelphia, PA | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $10,000 |
| Samaritan's Purse Boone, NC | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $10,000 |
| African Inland Mission Peachtree City, GA | Unrestricted Charitable Grant | $7,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Heritage Fund Inc?
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 | $3,060,816 | $-309,747 | $193,614 | $187,500 | 17 | $188,653 | $342,160 | $212,587 |
| 2024 | $3,553,177 | $140,683 | $197,163 | $192,500 | 20 | $193,642 | $133,456 | $192,693 |
| 2023 | $3,609,657 | $180,274 | $213,278 | $209,000 | 19 | $209,750 | $179,389 | $189,393 |
| 2022 | $3,642,674 | $173,813 | $201,701 | $200,500 | 20 | $200,500 | $173,813 | $207,357 |
| 2021 | $3,670,562 | $103,136 | $195,329 | $191,000 | 15 | — | $103,136 | $200,134 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Heritage Fund Inc reported a distributable amount of $213K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for The Wilberforce School, whose stated mission is to provide a distinctly Christian education within a classical framework; Daughters Against Alzheimer’s, which describes its work as supporting efforts to prevent Alzheimer’s and meet the needs of affected families; and Samaritan’s Purse, which says it provides spiritual and physical aid to people facing hardship around the world. Other 2025 grantees describe work that includes ministry support, safe housing, and care for children.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $187,500. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $50,000, with a median of $10,000.
The largest reported grant was $50,000 to The Wilberforce School in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. Other notable grants included $15,000 each to Daughters Against Alzheimer’s and K-Life, both in Atlanta, Georgia, and The Navigators in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Atlanta Youth Project, Center for Christian Study, Cure Alzheimer’s, Harvest USA, and Samaritan’s Purse each received $10,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Howe D Whitman Jr as president; Vincent B Merkle as director; Howe D Whitman as vice president; Paige W Merkle as secretary; and Vicki B Whitman and Brenda Whitman as directors.
The Heritage Fund Inc is led by Howe D. Whitman Jr., President on every filing since 2021; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Howe D. Whitman Jr.
President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brenda Whitman
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vicki B. Whitman
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vincent B. Merkle
Director
Secretary → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Howe D. Whitman
Vice President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paige W. Merkle
Secretary
Treasurer → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/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 The Heritage Fund Inc
How much does The Heritage Fund Inc give each year?
The Heritage Fund Inc gave $188K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $193K across 20 grants.
What is The Heritage Fund Inc's typical grant size?
The Heritage Fund Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $11,029, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Heritage Fund Inc that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Heritage Fund Inc give grants?
The Heritage Fund Inc's top state is Georgia, with 41% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were New Jersey (27%) and Colorado (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Atlanta, GA (6 grants).
Does The Heritage Fund Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Heritage Fund Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Heritage Fund Inc's largest grantees?
The Heritage Fund Inc's largest 2025 grantees include The Wilberforce School ($50,000), Daughters Against Alzheimers ($15,000) and K-Life ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Heritage Fund Inc?
The Heritage Fund Inc reported $3.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $189K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $213K (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 The Heritage Fund Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Heritage Fund Inc?
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 The Heritage Fund Inc's EIN?
The Heritage Fund Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 01-0782316. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does The Heritage Fund Inc 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Heritage Fund Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Heritage Fund Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-heritage-fund-inc-morg_0d91bcd23f1c42ada2ada4578e808e67
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_010782316_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Heritage Fund Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-heritage-fund-inc-morg_0d91bcd23f1c42ada2ada4578e808e67},
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 Heritage Fund Inc'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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