The Whitehead Charitable Foundation
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation is a private foundation based in Atlanta, Georgia. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations supporting research, education, medical research, environmental protection, and community assistance.
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation at a glance
In short: The Whitehead Charitable Foundation gave $263K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $26K), mostly in Massachusetts. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $262,500
- -0.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +150.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $26,250
- -60.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $13,300
- Total assets
- $5,368,170
- +10.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (2 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Massachusetts (66% 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 Whitehead Charitable Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3330 Cumberland Blvd Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: (404) 419-7117
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Whitehead Charitable Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Whitehead Institute ($97K). Together the top 10 received $263K.
Grant Size Distribution
40 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 31 grants of 40 (78%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Its 2025 grants went to recipients in Massachusetts (66% of grant dollars), Georgia (24%), California (7%), Washington, DC (3%), and Pennsylvania (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Whitehead Charitable Foundation open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 10 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $31K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 40% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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 $240K (2020) to $300K (2022). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $263K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Whitehead Institute Cambridge, MA | To Fund Research | $97,000 |
| Raising Expectations Inc Atlanta, GA | To Fund Education | $50,000 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA | To Fund Research | $37,500 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA | To Fund Medical Research | $25,000 |
| Clean Air Task Force Boston, MA | To Fund Environmental Protection | $14,100 |
| The Place Cumming, GA | To fund food and financial assistance in the community | $12,500 |
| Earth Justice San Francisco, CA | To Fund Environmental Protection | $10,600 |
| Rainforest Trust Roseville, CA | To Fund Environmental Protection | $7,000 |
| World Resources Institute Washington, DC | To Fund Environmental Protection | $7,000 |
| Bicyle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA | To promote and ensure a safe environment for bicycling | $1,800 |
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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 | $5,368,170 | $852,034 | $340,331 | $262,500 | 10 | $282,576 | $800,779 | $298,272 |
| 2024 | $4,856,467 | $543,638 | $319,814 | $264,000 | 4 | $264,452 | $488,276 | $286,577 |
| 2023 | $4,632,643 | $370,968 | $350,946 | $270,000 | 6 | $280,000 | $315,022 | $256,990 |
| 2022 | $4,612,621 | $663,692 | $378,807 | $300,000 | 13 | $312,875 | $601,760 | $267,458 |
| 2021 | $4,327,671 | $335,343 | $302,792 | $240,000 | 7 | — | $278,376 | $320,554 |
| 2020 | $4,295,120 | $80,944 | $307,040 | $240,000 | 7 | — | $27,361 | $244,992 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Whitehead Charitable Foundation reported a distributable amount of $298K 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 available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for research, education, medical research, environmental protection, food and financial assistance in the community, and safe bicycling.
Among its grantees, Raising Expectations says it empowers youth in crisis to pursue high school graduation and postsecondary plans. MIT describes its mission as advancing knowledge and educating students in science, technology, and other fields. Clean Air Task Force says it works to advance technology and policy changes for a zero-emissions, high-energy planet at affordable cost. World Resources Institute says it works to improve people’s lives and help the natural world thrive.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $262,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,800 to $97,000, with a median of $13,300.
The largest grants included $97,000 to Whitehead Institute for research, $50,000 to Raising Expectations Inc. for education, $37,500 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for research, and $25,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital for medical research. Other grants included $14,100 to Clean Air Task Force for environmental protection, $12,500 to The Place for food and financial assistance in the community, and $10,600 to Earth Justice for environmental protection.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John Whitehead as president, director, and treasurer; Peter J. Whitehead and Susan E. Whitehead as vice presidents and directors; and Tracie K. Henderson as secretary.
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation is led by John Whitehead, President, Director & Treasurer on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Whitehead
President, Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Peter J. Whitehead
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Susan E. Whitehead
Vice President & Director
Director → Vice President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Tracie K. Henderson
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
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 Whitehead Charitable Foundation
How much does The Whitehead Charitable Foundation give each year?
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation gave $263K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $264K across 4 grants.
What is The Whitehead Charitable Foundation's typical grant size?
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $13,300, and its average grant was $26,250, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Whitehead Charitable Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Whitehead Charitable Foundation give grants?
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 66% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Georgia (24%) and California (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Cambridge, MA (2 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants).
Does The Whitehead Charitable Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on The Whitehead Charitable Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Fund Environmental Protection" (4 grants).
Who are The Whitehead Charitable Foundation's largest grantees?
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Whitehead Institute ($97,000), Raising Expectations Inc ($50,000) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($37,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Whitehead Charitable Foundation?
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation reported $5.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $283K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $298K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does The Whitehead Charitable Foundation fund?
The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grants show support for research, education, medical research, environmental protection, food and financial assistance in the community, and safe bicycling. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Whitehead Charitable Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 Whitehead Charitable Foundation's EIN?
The Whitehead Charitable Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 06-0956618. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does The Whitehead Charitable 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 1, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Whitehead Charitable Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Whitehead Charitable Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-whitehead-charitable-foundation-morg_2bdab8a6a53c44d495cc650fdc71cb6a
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_060956618_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Whitehead Charitable Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-whitehead-charitable-foundation-morg_2bdab8a6a53c44d495cc650fdc71cb6a},
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 Whitehead Charitable 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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