The Whalley Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Houston, TX EIN: 26-2291525

The Whalley Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in health care, food access, disaster response, education, and the arts.

The Whalley Foundation at a glance

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.

Annual giving (2025)
$6,625,000
-11.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
88
-1.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$75,284
-10.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$32,500
Total assets
$20,875,468
+14.8% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
11% first-time grantees (10 of 88, 2025)
Primary geography
Texas (81% 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 Whalley Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

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

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Whalley Foundation funds

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

The largest 2025 recipient was Kids Meals ($400K). Together the top 10 received $3.3M.

Grant Size Distribution

423 grants across all recorded years

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

The most common grant size was under $50K: 260 grants of 423 (61%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, Texas recipients received 81% of grant dollars. Other reported recipient-state shares were Washington, DC (6%), California (5%), Tennessee (3%), and Colorado (2%).

Grant Distribution by State

18states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 88 itemized grants.

Cities

HoustonTellurideDallasNew YorkWashingtonMemphisKatyBrookshireHanoverLos AngelesWest PointAshburnBellaireBoca RatonAlexandriaBaltimoreHosutonLincolnNew ULMPortsmouth

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.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$2M$4M$6M$8M60 grants2019 69 grants2020 69 grants2021 88 grants2022 89 grants2023 89 grants2024 88 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.5M (2019) to $7.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 88 grants totaling $6.6M.

Grants by year

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
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$20,875,468$9,441,705$6,703,757$6,625,00088$6,625,000$9,420,679$1,823,924
2024$18,177,300$8,922,795$7,490,164$7,447,00089$7,447,000$2,577,077$1,567,426
2023$19,841,385$13,715,428$6,994,652$6,968,50089$6,968,500$930,997$1,333,800
2022$14,011,324$12,745,193$6,131,760$6,098,02588$6,098,025$676,900$856,758
2021$9,244,870$811,243$3,936,289$3,914,00069$3,914,000$803,785$736,660
2020$12,373,694$5,695,766$2,840,172$2,820,50069—$520,552$727,542
2019$10,721,213$3,419,198$2,553,971$2,527,00060—$410,315$578,042

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.

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

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Texas Children’s Hospital says its mission is to create a healthier future for children and women through patient care, education, and research. Brighter Bites describes its work as improving health outcomes for children and families in under-resourced communities through fresh produce and nutrition education. Team Rubicon says it serves communities before, during, and after disasters and crises.

Other 2025 recipients include The Briarwood School, which says it supports students with learning differences or developmental disorders; Theatre Under the Stars, which describes its work in musical theatre, artist development, and community outreach; and Telluride Adaptive Sports Program, which provides educational and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 88 grants totaling $6,625,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $400,000, with a median of $32,500. Notable grants included $400,000 each to Kids Meals, the American Red Cross, Houston Food Bank, and MD Anderson Cancer Center; $355,000 to March of Dimes; and $300,000 each to Texas Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House Houston.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 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.

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 foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Texas Children’s Hospital says its mission is to create a healthier future for children and women through patient care, education, and research. See mission & focus areas ↑

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

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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 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 October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(3)

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

Explore Open Grants

Browse active grant opportunities in The Whalley Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Whalley Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-whalley-foundation-morg_8b1efc2264dd4baa818e0faafa63022c

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_262291525_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Whalley Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-whalley-foundation-morg_8b1efc2264dd4baa818e0faafa63022c},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Whalley 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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