The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation is a private foundation based in Charleston, West Virginia. Its 2025 filing lists 22 grants totaling $407,500, with each listed grant designated to fund operations.
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation at a glance
In short: The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation gave $408K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $19K), mostly in West Virginia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $407,500
- +0.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- -42.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $18,523
- +74.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $7,599,235
- +11.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- West Virginia (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: Thomas A Heywood 600 Quarrier St, Charleston, WV 25301-2121
Phone: (304) 545-4932
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation ($100K). Together the top 10 received $338K.
Grant Size Distribution
63 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 55 grants of 63 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in West Virginia and 5% to recipients in Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation gives
- 86% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 122% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $290K (2020) to $408K (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $408K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation Charleston, WV | Fund Operations | $100,000 |
| University of Charleston Charleston, WV | Fund Operations | $75,000 |
| A New Clendenin Clendenin, WV | Fund Operations | $50,000 |
| Mountaineer Food Bank Gassaway, WV | Fund Operations | $25,000 |
| The Library Foundation of Kanawha County Charleston, WV | Fund Operations | $25,000 |
| Beverly Farm Foundation Godfrey, IL | Fund Operations | $20,000 |
| Coda Mountain Academy Fayetteville, WV | Fund Operations | $12,500 |
| Education Elevators Foundation Charleston, WV | Fund Operations | $10,000 |
| West Virginia Health Right Charleston, WV | Fund Operations | $10,000 |
| TGKVF - Community Initiative Fund Charleston, WV | Fund Operations | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,599,235 | $591,101 | $511,434 | $407,500 | 22 | $431,280 | $476,526 | $353,716 |
| 2024 | $6,825,582 | $523,639 | $510,202 | $404,500 | 38 | $432,500 | $405,671 | $335,695 |
| 2023 | $6,575,832 | $321,969 | $451,790 | $380,500 | 1 | $394,100 | $189,279 | $312,298 |
| 2022 | $6,157,072 | $387,982 | $434,074 | $355,500 | 1 | $368,475 | $279,138 | $324,882 |
| 2021 | $7,522,424 | $557,092 | $432,932 | $351,500 | 1 | $363,591 | $438,751 | $363,082 |
| 2020 | $7,032,540 | $230,891 | $361,886 | $290,000 | 1 | — | $134,445 | $316,086 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation reported a distributable amount of $354K 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 show support for organizations working in areas including health care, education, food assistance, literacy, and services for people with developmental disabilities. For example, Mountaineer Food Bank describes its mission as helping alleviate hunger in West Virginia, while West Virginia Health Right says it provides medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and health education services to uninsured and underinsured people in the state. Beverly Farm Foundation describes its mission as providing residential and training options for people with developmental disabilities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 22 grants totaling $407,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $100,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest awards included $100,000 to Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation, $75,000 to University of Charleston, $50,000 to A New Clendenin, and $25,000 each to Mountaineer Food Bank and The Library Foundation of Kanawha County.
Other listed grants included $20,000 to Beverly Farm Foundation; $12,500 to Coda Mountain Academy; and $10,000 each to Education Elevators Foundation, West Virginia Health Right, TGKVF - Community Initiative Fund, Women’s Health Center of West Virginia, and Saint Matthews Episcopal Church.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
E. Gaines Wehrle
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katherine Wehrle Kend
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martha Chilton Mueller
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael H. Wehrle
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas A. Heywood
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation
How much does The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation give each year?
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation gave $408K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $405K across 38 grants.
What is The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's typical grant size?
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $18,523, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation give grants?
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation gives mostly in West Virginia: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Charleston, WV (15 grants).
Does The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Fund Operations" (22 grants).
Who are The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's largest grantees?
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation ($100,000), University of Charleston ($75,000) and A New Clendenin ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation?
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation reported $7.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $431K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $354K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including health care, education, food assistance, literacy, and services for people with developmental disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's EIN?
The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-6428986. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-martha-gaines-and-russell-wehrle-memorial-foundation-morg_47227ef8967c42adb3a6035e9293e7d8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_266428986_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Martha Gaines \& Russell Wehrle Memorial Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-martha-gaines-and-russell-wehrle-memorial-foundation-morg_47227ef8967c42adb3a6035e9293e7d8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-09. 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 Martha Gaines & Russell Wehrle Memorial 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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