The Wenger Family Foundation
The Wenger Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Barbara, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including a large grant to a donor-advised fund and grants to organizations working in areas such as nature, humanitarian aid, reproductive healthcare, and the arts.
The Wenger Family Foundation at a glance
In short: The Wenger Family Foundation gave $825K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $49K), mostly in Florida. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $824,762
- +1851.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -26.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $48,515
- +2540.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $15,857
- -98.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (5 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Florida (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. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Wenger Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation has no formal application process. Its filing says there are no restrictions on awards and no deadlines. Robert M Wenger is listed as the contact on the filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Robert M Wenger
Mailing address: 2449 Calle Almonte, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Phone: (301) 656-2532
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Wenger Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund DAF ($782K). Together the top 10 received $816K.
Grant Size Distribution
123 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 122 grants of 123 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Florida, 4% to California, 1% to Washington, DC, and less than 1% to Maryland. The listed California grantees include several Santa Barbara organizations; the largest Florida grant went to a donor-advised fund in St. Petersburg.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Wenger Family Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 17 grantees (29%) 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 $159K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 65% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 1778% 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 $36K (2020) to $825K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $825K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund DAF St Petersburg, FL | General Purposes | $781,818 |
| National Multiple Sclerosis Society Washington, DC | General Purposes | $6,000 |
| Ganna Walska Lotusland Santa Barbara, CA | General Purposes | $5,122 |
| Kidsave Culver City, CA | General Purposes | $5,000 |
| Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Santa Barbara, CA | General Purposes | $5,000 |
| Food Bank Santa Barbara County Santa Maria, CA | General Purposes | $2,900 |
| Direct Relief Santa Barbara, CA | General Purposes | $2,900 |
| Grace Reproductive Fund Washington, DC | General Purposes | $2,500 |
| Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Santa Barbara, CA | General Purposes | $2,500 |
| Women's Fund of Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | General Purposes | $2,500 |
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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 | $15,857 | $77,061 | $831,786 | $824,762 | 17 | $828,662 | $74,636 | $44,643 |
| 2024 | $780,327 | $50,921 | $47,145 | $42,261 | 23 | $44,436 | $47,760 | $46,141 |
| 2023 | $776,551 | $19,346 | $58,710 | $51,974 | 28 | $54,330 | $16,991 | $44,420 |
| 2022 | $815,915 | $98,793 | $48,912 | $43,925 | 27 | $46,160 | $94,405 | $50,435 |
| 2021 | $766,034 | $47,816 | $44,507 | $39,051 | 28 | — | $44,488 | $47,790 |
| 2020 | $762,725 | $58,303 | $40,213 | $35,738 | 25 | — | $56,465 | $40,281 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Wenger Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $45K 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
The foundation’s filing describes its direct charitable activity as grants awarded to charitable organizations; it does not state a specific mission. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. For example, Ganna Walska Lotusland says it preserves and enhances its botanical gardens and estate, while the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History says it aims to inspire discovery, promote sustainability, and connect communities. Direct Relief describes its work as humanitarian aid, and the Grace Reproductive Fund says it funds organizations that increase access to reproductive healthcare. Other 2025 grantees include the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $824,762. Grants ranged from $500 to $781,818, with a median of $2,500. The largest grant, $781,818, went to the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund DAF for general purposes. Other notable grants included $6,000 to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society; $5,122 to Ganna Walska Lotusland; $5,000 each to Kidsave and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History; and $2,900 each to Food Bank Santa Barbara County and Direct Relief.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Robert M Wenger is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing.
The Wenger Family Foundation is led by Robert M. Wenger, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert M. Wenger
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$1K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $1K, to Robert M Wenger (Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about The Wenger Family Foundation
How much does The Wenger Family Foundation give each year?
The Wenger Family Foundation gave $825K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $42K across 23 grants.
What is The Wenger Family Foundation's typical grant size?
The Wenger Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $48,515, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Wenger Family Foundation that year got $159K on average.
Where does The Wenger Family Foundation give grants?
The Wenger Family Foundation gives mostly in Florida: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (10 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does The Wenger Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Wenger Family Foundation'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 Wenger Family Foundation's largest grantees?
The Wenger Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund DAF ($781,818), National Multiple Sclerosis Society ($6,000) and Ganna Walska Lotusland ($5,122), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 96% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Wenger Family Foundation?
The Wenger Family Foundation reported $16K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $829K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $45K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Wenger Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing describes its direct charitable activity as grants awarded to charitable organizations; it does not state a specific mission. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Wenger Family Foundation?
The foundation has no formal application process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Wenger Family Foundation's EIN?
The Wenger Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-1744058. 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 September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Wenger Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-wenger-family-foundation-morg_4548df375c154730a08ae8fb7994d204
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_521744058_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Wenger Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-wenger-family-foundation-morg_4548df375c154730a08ae8fb7994d204},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-25. 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 Wenger Family 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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