The Jcpenney Foundation
The JCPenney Foundation is a public charity based in Plano, Texas, established in 2001. It supports America’s diverse, working families by investing in nonprofits that provide access to skill-building and resources.
The Jcpenney Foundation at a glance
In short: The Jcpenney Foundation gave $507K across 42 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), top state Illinois. 71% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $507,376
- +1.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 42
- +82.6% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $12,080
- -44.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $6,621
- Total assets
- $4,704,151
- +32.2% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 71% first-time grantees (30 of 42, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Illinois (38% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Jcpenney Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 6501 Legacy Drive, Plano, TX 75024
Phone: (972) 431-5628
Website: https://jcpenney.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Jcpenney Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Feeding America ($175K). Together the top 10 received $298K.
Grant Size Distribution
160 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 153 grants of 160 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Plano, Texas. In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state went to Illinois (38%), Texas (8%), Ohio (8%), California (7%), and New Jersey (4%). Its reported grants also went to recipients in other states and Puerto Rico.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Jcpenney Foundation open to new grantees?
71%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 30 of 42 grantees (71%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 14% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−2%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2024). 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 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $308K (2022) to $1.7M (2020). In 2024 it made 42 grants totaling $507K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding America Chicago, IL | This donation is to support feeding America's child hunger programming. | $175,000 |
| Emergency Assistance Foundation Dallas, TX | To Provide Grants to Associates in Need. | $22,300 |
| Houston Food Bank Houston, TX | Food needs of the houston community in the aftermath of hurricane beryl. | $20,000 |
| Little Lambs Evansville, IN | General Support of Local Community | $14,193 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest New Jersey Inc Wayne, NJ | General Support of Local Community | $11,750 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Lynn Lynn, MA | General Support of Local Community | $11,330 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern NC Wilmington, NC | General Support of Local Community | $11,315 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Toledo Toledo, OH | General Support of Local Community | $10,984 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Whittier Inc Whittier, CA | General Support of Local Community | $10,719 |
| J C Penney Homestead Inc Kemmerer, WI | Supporting the operation and maintenance of the james cash penney homestead and museum in kemmerer, wy. | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Jcpenney Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The grant totals shown are reported grant sums for each filing year.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,704,151 | $2,586,299 | $1,437,851 | $507,376 | 42 | $165,298 |
| 2023 | $3,558,360 | $1,472,253 | $1,366,349 | $502,237 | 23 | $53,139 |
| 2022 | $3,199,674 | $1,255,628 | $983,377 | $307,873 | 23 | $12,061 |
| 2021 | $2,810,788 | $958,516 | $1,574,078 | $515,912 | 56 | $4,559 |
| 2020 | $3,355,340 | $895,693 | $1,730,027 | $1,667,500 | 16 | $7,674 |
| 2019 | $4,242,245 | $1,611,105 | $1,504,590 | $1,174,653 | 58 | $28,182 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is “to support America’s diverse, working families with access to skill-building and resources that allow everyone to thrive.” It says it invests in nonprofits working in job readiness, health and well-being, and inclusive access to education. Its program description notes an earlier focus on supporting high-quality, affordable after-school programs for children.
Recipients in 2024 included organizations whose missions illustrate the range of grants: Feeding America works to advance equitable access to nutritious food; Boys & Girls Club of Lynn aims to help young people reach their potential; and Big Brothers – Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties facilitates one-to-one mentoring between at-risk youth and adult mentors. The Houston Food Bank received a grant for community food needs after Hurricane Beryl, while the Emergency Assistance Foundation received support to provide grants to associates in need.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 42 grants totaling $507,376. Grant amounts ranged from $5,035 to $175,000, with a median of $6,620.
The largest reported grants included $175,000 to Feeding America for its child hunger programming; $22,300 to Emergency Assistance Foundation to provide grants to associates in need; and $20,000 to Houston Food Bank for food needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. Other recipients included Little Lambs ($14,193) and Boys & Girls Club of Lynn ($11,330), both for general support of local community. The LeBron James Family Foundation received $9,607 for general support of local community.
JCPenney’s 2024 Women Making Change initiative separately offered five $2,000 donations to the nonprofits of selected women making an impact through community service. The source describing the initiative says applications opened March 1, 2024, and winners were to be announced May 1, 2024.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Andre Joyner as chairman; Michelle Sing as president; Dawn Wolverton as secretary; Debbie Massimi as vice president, tax matters; and Otis Buchanan, Kevin McGhee, Wendy Santana, Wayne Milano, Chad Duennes, and Lauren Tessaro as directors. The organization states that its officers and directors serve in a volunteer capacity and are employed by Penney OpCo, LLC, a related for-profit entity.
The Jcpenney Foundation is led by Michelle Sing, President on every filing since 2023; none of the 12 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Michelle Sing
President
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andre Joyner
Chairman
President & Chairman → Chairman, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kevin McGhee
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Otis Buchanan
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wendy Santana
Director
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chad Duennes
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lauren Tessaro
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wayne Milano
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dawn Wolverton
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ayesha Hurst
Assistant Controller
On filings since 2021
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debbie Massimi
Vice President & Tax Matters
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tiffany White
Vice President & Controller
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (28)
- Former: Chad Duennes Start (2023) — Director
- Former: Lauren Tessarostart (2023) — Director
- Former: Wayne Milano Start (2023) — Director
- Former: David Bullington (2019–2022) — Vice President & Tax Matters · Filing note: Ended 042022
- Former: Kristine Glaser (2020–2022) — Vice President & Controller · Filing note: Ended 032022
- Former: Valerie Harris (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Debbie Massimi Start (2022) — Vice President & Tax Matters
- Former: Michelle Sing Start (2022) — President
- Former: Tiffany White Start (2022) — Vice President & Controller
- Former: Aubrey Dezego (2020–2021) — President
- Former: Melissa Pint (2020–2021) — Chairman
- Former: Kevin Updegrove (2021) — Vice President
- Former: Anne Buckingham (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Brynn Evanson (2019–2020) — Chairman & President
- Former: Gary Piper (2019–2020) — Vice President & Treasurer
- Former: Kim Dowgielewicz (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Amy Lanctot (2020) — Secretary
- Former: Brooke Buchanan (2020) — Director
- Former: Dan Matarelli (2020) — Director
- Former: Thomas Spieth (2020) — Assistant Controller
- Former: Daphne Avila (2019) — President
- Former: David White (2019) — Vice President & Controller
- Former: Hani Eideh (2019) — Assistant Treasurer
- Former: Jeanne Johnston (2019) — Assistant Controller
- Former: Kirk Waidelich (2019) — Director
- Former: Michael Robbins (2019) — Director
- Former: Misty Tippen (2019) — Vice President - Tax Matters
- Former: Salil Virkar (2019) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Jcpenney Foundation
How much does The Jcpenney Foundation give each year?
The Jcpenney Foundation gave $507K across 42 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $502K across 23 grants.
What is The Jcpenney Foundation's typical grant size?
The Jcpenney Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $6,621, and its average grant was $12,080, across 42 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Jcpenney Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does The Jcpenney Foundation give grants?
The Jcpenney Foundation's top state is Illinois, with 38% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Texas (8%) and Ohio (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Does The Jcpenney Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 90% of The Jcpenney Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (38 of 42) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Who are The Jcpenney Foundation's largest grantees?
The Jcpenney Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Feeding America ($175,000), Emergency Assistance Foundation ($22,300) and Houston Food Bank ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Jcpenney Foundation?
The Jcpenney Foundation reported $4.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.6M.
What does The Jcpenney Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is “to support America’s diverse, working families with access to skill-building and resources that allow everyone to thrive.” It says it invests in nonprofits working in job readiness, health and well-being, and inclusive access to education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Jcpenney Foundation?
The Jcpenney Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check jcpenney.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is The Jcpenney Foundation's EIN?
The Jcpenney Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 75-2966166. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Jcpenney Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-jcpenney-foundation-morg_0ad0bbfd7e9c417593cad36d066c7782
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_752966166_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Jcpenney Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-jcpenney-foundation-morg_0ad0bbfd7e9c417593cad36d066c7782},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Jcpenney 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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