The Ward Family Foundation

PLANO, TX EIN: 75-2514341 Website

The Ward Family Foundation is a private foundation established in 1993 and based in Plano, Texas. The foundation operates as a non-operating private foundation with a focus on philanthropic giving across multiple sectors and geographic regions.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$7.2M

+10.2% YoY

Annual Giving

$287K

+9.4% YoY

Grant Count

+9.1% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$12K

+0.3% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Ward Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $584K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation's giving primarily supports:

Education
Children, youth, and social services
General charitable purposes
Scholarships
Research
Music programs
Building funds
Community health
Health and wellness initiatives

Grantmaking

Invite-only; the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Grant Range

$9,000–$10,000

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation primarily supports organizations in:

Texas
Alaska
Tennessee
Massachusetts
California
New York

The foundation has supported 36 unique organizations across 7 states, with Texas, Massachusetts, and Alaska accounting for 92% of all grants.

Grant Distribution by State

Texas $1.2M (82%)

Massachusetts $115K (8%)

Alaska $42K (3%)

Arkansas $40K (3%)

California $23K (2%)

North Carolina $15K (1%)

Tennessee $10K (1%)

New York $5K (0%)

+1 more states

States

Alaska Arkansas California Massachusetts North Carolina New York Oklahoma Tennessee Texas

Cities

AustinBanderaBeltonBooneBostonCarrolltonCarroltonDallasIthacaIthicaKilgoreLittle RockMemphisNew York CityNewportOceansideOdessaOwassoPalmerRoanoke

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets:

$7,175,276 (as of 2024)
Growth from $5.3 million in 2011 to $6.5 million in 2023

Annual Financials (2024):

Total revenues: $1,182,287
Total expenses: $515,239
Investment income and dividends: $265,647
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets: $13,008

Giving Rate: Approximately 3.6% of assets annually

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$7,175,276	$6,508,228	$5,862,706
Revenue	$1,182,287	$1,150,007	$1,131,719
Expenses	$515,239	$504,485	$503,940
Qualifying Distributions	$292,970	$266,256	$278,935
Net Investment Income	$958,645	$936,959	$913,439
Distributable Amount	$583,620	$296,609	$265,462

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

92 grants across all recorded years

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Uplift Education ($50,000), North Texas Food Bank ($30,000), Ut Southwestern Medical Center ($30,000).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
ARKANSAS CENTER FOR INDEPENDENCE(PREVIOUSLY JACKSON COUNTY LEARNING CENTER) NEWPORT, AK	GENERAL	$2,800
BELTON EDUCATION ENRICHMENT FOUNDATION BELTON, TX	SCHOLARSHIPS.	$25,000
CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY ITHACA, NY	GENERAL	$2,000
DALLAS ARBORTEUM DALLAS, TX	GENERAL	$10,000
DALLAS ARCHITECTURE FORUM DALLAS, TX	GENERAL	$10,000
DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART DALLAS, TX	GENERAL	$2,000
JACKSON COUNTY COMMUNITY THEATRE NEWPORT, AK	GENERAL	$2,500
JUNE SHELTON SCHOOL DALLAS, TX	BUILDING FUND	$10,000
NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK DALLAS, TX	GENERAL	$30,000
SEMPER FI & AMERICA'S FUND OCEANSIDE, CA	GENERAL	$5,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

William C. Ward – Principal Officer
Cynthia R. Ward – President and Secretary
Katherine J. Ward – Vice President and Treasurer
Susan W. Kinser – Director

The leadership team serves without compensation.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
CYNTHIA R WARD	PRESIDENT/SECRETARY	1	—
KATHERINE J WARD	VP/TREASURER	1	—
SUSAN W KINSER	DIRECTOR	1	—

Contact Information

Address: 1900 Preston Rd Ste 267, Plano, TX 75093-3604
Telephone: 214-378-6303

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Ward Family Foundation fund?

The foundation's giving primarily supports: • Education • Children, youth, and social services • General charitable purposes • Scholarships • Research • Music programs • Building funds • Community health • Health and wellness initiatives

How do I apply for a grant from The Ward Family Foundation?

**Grant Activity:** • The foundation makes grants exclusively to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited proposals • Recent annual giving: $261,000–$287,000 • Number of grants: 18–21 grants annually (recent years) • Median grant size: $9,000–$10,000 • Grant range: $2,000–$110,000 • Historical distribution: Between $248,000 and $551,000 annually from 2020–2023, with peak activity in 2022 at $551,000 across 44 grants **Recent Grants (2024):** • Uplift Education: $50,0…

Where does The Ward Family Foundation make grants?

The foundation primarily supports organizations in: • Texas • Alaska • Tennessee • Massachusetts • California • New York The foundation has supported 36 unique organizations across 7 states, with Texas, Massachusetts, and Alaska accounting for 92% of all grants.

What size grants does The Ward Family Foundation award?

In 2024, The Ward Family Foundation awarded 24 grants totaling $287K — an average of about $12K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Ward Family Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Ward Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $584K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.