The Whalley Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker Houston, TX EIN: 26-2291525

The Whalley Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2024 filing lists grants to charitable organizations including schools, hospitals, food-assistance organizations, and other nonprofits.

Key facts about The Whalley Foundation

In short: The Whalley Foundation gave $6.6M across 88 grants in 2025 (avg $75K), mostly in Texas. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
26-2291525
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$6,625,000
Grants made (2025)
88
Average grant
$75,284
Median grant
$32,500
New grantees (estimate)
11% first-time grantees (10 of 88, 2025)
Total assets
$20,875,468
Primary geography
Texas (81% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$20.9M

+14.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$6.6M

-11.0% YoY

Grant Count

88

-1.1% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$75K

-10.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Whalley Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.8M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is The Whalley Foundation open to new grantees?

11%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 10 of 88 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $26K; repeat grants $82K. How we count

Medians: $9K first-time, $35K repeat.

  • 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+9%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 363% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including health, food assistance, education, youth development, and disaster response. For example, Texas Children’s Hospital says its mission is to improve the health of children and women through patient care, education, and research; Target Hunger says it works to alleviate hunger and its root causes in Houston neighborhoods; and Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council says Girl Scouting builds girls’ courage, confidence, and character.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 89 grants totaling $7,447,000. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $1,001,000, with a median of $25,000. Notable grants included $1,001,000 to The Kinkaid School; $400,000 each to Texas Children’s Hospital, Kids Meals, American Red Cross, Houston Food Bank, and MD Anderson Cancer Center; and $300,000 to March of Dimes.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2024, 84% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 6% to recipients in Washington, DC, 3% each to California and Tennessee, and 2% to Colorado.

Grant Distribution by State

18states

Share of all 88 itemized 2025 grant dollars.

Cities

HoustonTellurideDallasNew YorkWashingtonMemphisKatyBrookshireHanoverLos AngelesWest PointAshburnBellaireBoca RatonAlexandriaBaltimoreHosutonLincolnNew UlmPortsmouth

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2M$4M$6M$8M60 grants201969 grants202069 grants202188 grants202289 grants202389 grants202488 grants2025

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Kids Meals: $400KKids Meals$400KAmerican Red Cross: $400KAmerican Red Cross$400KHouston Food Bank: $400KHouston Food Bank$400KMD Anderson Cancer Center: $400KMD Anderson Cancer Center$400KMarch of Dimes: $355KMarch of Dimes$355KTexas Children's Hospital: $300KTexas Children's Hospital$300KRonald McDonald House Houston: $300KRonald McDonald House Houston$300KBrighter Bites: $275KBrighter Bites$275KTeam Rubicon: $250KTeam Rubicon$250KSt Jude Children's Hospital: $200KSt Jude Children's Hospital$200K

Grant Size Distribution

423 grants across all recorded years

260<$50K62$50–100K63$100–250K33$250–500K4$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
KIDS MEALS Houston, TXFUND PROGRAMS$400,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS Washington, DCFUND PROGRAMS$400,000
HOUSTON FOOD BANK Houston, TXFUND PROGRAMS$400,000
MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER Houston, TXFUND PROGRAMS$400,000
MARCH OF DIMES Houston, TXFUND PROGRAMS$355,000
TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Houston, TXFUND PROGRAMS$300,000
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE HOUSTON Houston, TXFUND PROGRAMS$300,000
BRIGHTER BITES Houston, TXFUND PROGRAMS$275,000
TEAM RUBICON Los Angeles, CAFUND PROGRAMS$250,000
ST JUDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL Memphis, TNFUND PROGRAMS$200,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $18,177,300 $8,922,795 $7,490,164 $7,447,000
2023 $19,841,385 $13,715,428 $6,994,652 $6,968,500
2022 $14,011,324 $12,745,193 $6,131,760 $6,098,025
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$5M$10M$15M$20M2019202020212022202320242025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$20,875,468$18,177,300$19,841,385
Revenue$9,441,705$8,922,795$13,715,428
Expenses$6,703,757$7,490,164$6,994,652
Qualifying Distributions$6,625,000$7,447,000$6,968,500
Net Investment Income$9,420,679$2,577,077$930,997
Distributable Amount$1,823,924$1,567,426$1,333,800

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 2, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 26, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Lawrence G Whalley as President, Mary Whalley as Vice President, and Elizabeth M Taylor as Vice President.

The Whalley Foundation is led by Lawrence G. Whalley, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Lawrence G. Whalley

    President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Elizabeth M. Taylor

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Mary Whalley

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: 5 Carsey Lane, Houston, TX 77024
Phone: (832) 594-6499

Frequently asked questions about The Whalley Foundation

How much does The Whalley Foundation give each year?

The Whalley Foundation gave $6.6M across 88 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $7.4M across 89 grants.

What is The Whalley Foundation's typical grant size?

The Whalley Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $32,500, and its average grant was $75,284, across 88 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Whalley Foundation that year got $26K on average.

Where does The Whalley Foundation give grants?

The Whalley Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (52 grants), Telluride, CO (5 grants), New York, NY (5 grants) and Dallas, TX (3 grants).

Does The Whalley Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 88 grants with a stated purpose on The Whalley Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Fund Programs" (82 grants) and "Funds Programs" (5 grants).

Who are The Whalley Foundation's largest grantees?

The Whalley Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Kids Meals ($400,000), American Red Cross ($400,000) and Houston Food Bank ($400,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 18% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Whalley Foundation?

The Whalley Foundation reported $20.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.6M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Whalley Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including health, food assistance, education, youth development, and disaster response. For example, Texas Children’s Hospital says its mission is to improve the health of children and women through patient care, education, and research; Target Hunger says it works to alleviate hunger and its root causes in Houston neighborhoods; and Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council says Girl S…

How do I apply for a grant from The Whalley Foundation?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Whalley Foundation's EIN?

The Whalley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-2291525. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Whalley Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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