The Wendys Foundation
The Wendys Foundation is a private foundation based in Dublin, Ohio. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in foster care adoption, hunger relief, youth and families, and community services.
The Wendys Foundation at a glance
In short: The Wendys Foundation gave $313K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $14K), mostly in Ohio. 55% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $312,500
- -20.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,587
- -27.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $462,245
- -10.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 55% first-time grantees (12 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Ohio (91% 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 Wendys Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Submit a written request with background literature about the prospective donee charitable organization. The organization must be a qualified IRC Section 501(c)(3) organization.
- Contact
Application contact: Liliana M Esposito
Mailing address: One Dave Thomas Blvd, Dublin, OH 43017
Phone: (614) 764-3100
Website: https://irwendys.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Wendys Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption ($175K). Together the top 10 received $263K.
Grant Size Distribution
118 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 110 grants of 118 (93%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Ohio recipients received 91% of grant dollars. Recipients in Illinois, Colorado, Texas, and Virginia each received 2%. The filing lists grants to organizations in those states, including recipients in Columbus and other Ohio communities.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Wendys Foundation open to new grantees?
55%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 22 grantees (55%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $24K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 18% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 27% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 $313K (2025) to $965K (2020). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $313K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Dublin, OH | To dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North Americas foster care system. | $175,000 |
| MidOhio Food Collective Grove City, OH | To end hunger one nourishing meal at a time while co-creating sustainable communities where everyone thrives. | $25,000 |
| Columbus Urban League Empowerment Columbus, OH | To empower African Americans and underrepresented groups through economic educational and social progress. | $15,000 |
| Columbus Urban League HerStory Columbus, OH | To empower African Americans and underrepresented groups through economic educational and social progress. | $10,000 |
| Alicias Closet Dublin, OH | To create a brighter future for families affected by foster care by building community of support to provide essential resources and responsive programming. | $10,000 |
| Northern Illinois Foodbank Geneva, IL | To provide nutritious food and resources for our neighbors with dignity equity and convenience through partnerships and innovation. | $7,500 |
| Central Community House Columbus, OH | This organization is a comprehensive neighborhood-based community center that has been serving the near east side of Columbus Ohio in the settlement house tradition since 1936. Our mission is to empower people to reach their full potential to be self-supporting and to live cooperatively with all others. | $5,000 |
| Harvest to Hope Fort Worth, TX | Serves kids and families in Title I schools in Fort Worth TX. They provide snack packs to kids in school and focus on their development. | $5,000 |
| Kaleidoscope Youth Center Columbus, OH | For youth across the spectrums of sexual orientation and gender identity to live healthy whole lives with acceptance and freedom from oppression. | $5,000 |
| MY Project USA Columbus, OH | To be a catalyst for protecting and empowering youth by uplifting families througheducation social services civic engagement and advocacy. | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Wendys 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 | $462,245 | $261,586 | $315,445 | $312,500 | 23 | $315,445 | $11,586 | $23,966 |
| 2024 | $516,104 | $132,178 | $396,718 | $393,300 | 21 | $396,718 | $31,378 | $36,334 |
| 2023 | $780,644 | $81,143 | $332,911 | $330,000 | 25 | $332,911 | $46,143 | $46,824 |
| 2022 | $1,032,412 | $355,000 | $429,548 | $427,500 | 28 | $429,548 | — | $97,755 |
| 2021 | $1,398,094 | $490,000 | $376,162 | $375,000 | 21 | $376,162 | — | $61,122 |
| 2020 | $1,284,756 | $1,602,121 | $967,713 | $965,000 | 36 | — | $2,121 | $63,350 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Wendys Foundation reported a distributable amount of $24K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations addressing foster care adoption, hunger, youth services, family support, and community needs.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the foundation’s largest 2025 recipient, describes its mission as finding permanent homes for children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Other grantees describe work that includes providing food to neighbors, supporting LGBTQIA+ youth, empowering youth and families, serving neighborhood communities, and helping families experiencing homelessness or poverty.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $312,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $175,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grant was $175,000 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Other notable grants included $25,000 to MidOhio Food Collective, $15,000 and $10,000 to Columbus Urban League programs, and $10,000 to Alicias Closet.
The foundation’s filing states that prospective applicants should submit a written request with background literature about the charitable organization. Awards are restricted to organizations qualified under IRC Section 501(c)(3).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation’s 2025 filing lists Liliana M. Esposito as President, Ken Cook as Chief Executive Officer, Aaron Kale as Treasurer, and Mark Johnson as Secretary.
The Wendys Foundation is led by Ken Cook, Chief Executive Officer on the 2025 filing; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ken Cook
Chief Executive Officer
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Liliana M Esposito
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Aaron Kale
Treasurer
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Johnson
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Kirk A Vidra (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Kirk Tanner (2024) — Chief Executive Officer
- Former: Todd A Penegor (2020–2023) — Chief Executive Officer
- Former: Leigh A Burnside (2020–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Mary Schell (2020) — Chief Public Affairs
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 Wendys Foundation
How much does The Wendys Foundation give each year?
The Wendys Foundation gave $313K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $393K across 21 grants.
What is The Wendys Foundation's typical grant size?
The Wendys Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $13,587, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Wendys Foundation that year got $6K on average.
Where does The Wendys Foundation give grants?
The Wendys Foundation gives mostly in Ohio: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Columbus, OH (9 grants), Dublin, OH (2 grants) and Denver, CO (2 grants).
Does The Wendys Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on The Wendys Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Wendys Foundation's largest grantees?
The Wendys Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption ($175,000), MidOhio Food Collective ($25,000) and Columbus Urban League Empowerment ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Wendys Foundation?
The Wendys Foundation reported $462K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $315K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $24K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Wendys Foundation fund?
No separate mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations addressing foster care adoption, hunger, youth services, family support, and community needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Wendys Foundation?
Submit a written request with background literature about the prospective donee charitable organization. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Wendys Foundation's EIN?
The Wendys Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1807834. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 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 April 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Wendys Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Wendys Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-wendys-foundation-morg_b52ec28f917b4eea99c9e844b1c66597
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311807834_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Wendys Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-wendys-foundation-morg_b52ec28f917b4eea99c9e844b1c66597},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Wendys 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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