The Wight Foundation
The Wight Foundation is a private foundation based in Newark, New Jersey. Founded in 1986, it supports educational opportunities and personal development for young people from the Greater Newark area, particularly through scholarships to attend college-preparatory boarding schools.
The Wight Foundation at a glance
In short: The Wight Foundation gave $426K across 120 grants in 2024 (avg $4K), mostly in New Jersey. 36% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $426,458
- -19.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 120
- +87.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $3,554
- -57.0% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $563
- Total assets
- $11,412,087
- -12.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (12 of 33, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Wight Foundation
- Contact
Application contact: The Wight Foundation
Mailing address: 550 Broad Street Suite 717, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 824-1195
Website: https://wightfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Wight Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was UCSF Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $245K.
Organizations only. It also paid 88 individual scholarships ($50,437), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
659 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 655 grants of 659 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2024 went to recipients listed in New Jersey. The foundation’s website identifies the Greater Newark area as its recruitment area, noting that most students come from Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, and Union counties; students within an hour’s drive of Newark are also welcome to apply. Its boarding-school grants are described as supporting schools in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 120 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Wight Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 12 of 33 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $11K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $11K repeat.
- 61% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−10%). Method
- In 2024 it paid out 313% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $426K (2024) to $529K (2023). In 2024 it made 120 grants totaling $426K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UCSF Foundation Newark, NJ | Charitable Assistance | $50,000 |
| The Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation Inc Newark, NJ | Charitable Assistance | $35,000 |
| Church Farm School Newark, NJ | Scholarships for Education | $32,336 |
| The Loomis-Chaffee School Newark, NJ | Scholarships for Education | $27,250 |
| Nancy Lieberman Charities Newark, NJ | Charitable Assistance | $20,000 |
| Student Diplomacy Corps Newark, NJ | Scholarships for Education | $18,000 |
| Westtown School Newark, NJ | Scholarships for Education | $16,090 |
| Phillips Academy Summer Session Newark, NJ | Scholarships for Education | $16,056 |
| Chapel Hill - Chauncy Hall Newark, NJ | Scholarships for Education | $15,750 |
| The Experiment in International Living Newark, NJ | Scholarships for Education | $15,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $11,412,087 | $633,414 | $2,285,202 | $426,458 | 120 | $2,283,452 | $651,246 | $728,841 |
| 2023 | $13,063,875 | $3,289,222 | $2,192,521 | $528,605 | 64 | $2,190,884 | $1,287,585 | $694,011 |
| 2022 | $11,967,174 | $2,283,343 | $1,744,227 | $501,430 | 149 | $1,756,809 | $331,334 | $687,624 |
| 2021 | $11,428,058 | $439,993 | $1,695,621 | $473,170 | 142 | $1,694,164 | $438,535 | $723,675 |
| 2020 | $12,683,686 | $3,333,739 | $1,738,220 | $482,392 | 184 | — | $833,739 | $743,576 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Wight Foundation reported a distributable amount of $729K for 2024 — 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 stated mission is to provide young men and women of the Greater Newark area with superior educational opportunities to achieve academic excellence and personal development in a boarding-school environment. Its website describes grants based on family income for attendance at boarding schools in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Its 2024 filing lists grants for scholarships for education as well as charitable assistance. Among supported schools, The Hun School of Princeton says its mission is to help students thrive through individual mentorship and vigorous, joyful learning. The Pennington School describes itself as an independent co-educational school serving day and boarding students in grades 6–12, dedicated to developing individual excellence.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation made 120 grants totaling $426,458. Grants ranged from $250 to $50,000, with a median of $562. The largest listed awards included $50,000 to UCSF Foundation for charitable assistance; $35,000 to The Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation Inc. for charitable assistance; and $32,336 to Church Farm School for scholarships for education. Other notable education awards included $27,250 to The Loomis-Chaffee School, $18,000 to Student Diplomacy Corps, and $16,090 to Westtown School, each for scholarships for education.
The foundation states on its filing that names are submitted to it by various private schools for scholarships. It reports no deadlines and no restrictions on awards.
The foundation’s website describes a separate student admissions process that includes an eleven-month academic preparation program called STEP. For the 2026–2027 school year, applications are for students in seventh grade. The website lists a preliminary application date of January 29, 2027, and a final application date of February 15, 2027.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Russell Wight, Alfred Woods, James Adlam, Yvonne Goyins, Shakirah Miller-Harrington, and Gwen Rukeyser as trustees.
The Wight Foundation's 2024 filing lists 6 officers; none of the 6 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Alfred Woods
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gwen Rukeyser
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Adlam
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Russell Wight
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shakirah Miller-Harrington
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Yvonne Goyins
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Wight Foundation
How much does The Wight Foundation give each year?
The Wight Foundation gave $426K across 120 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $529K across 64 grants.
What is The Wight Foundation's typical grant size?
The Wight Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $563, and its average grant was $3,554, across 120 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Wight Foundation that year got $11K on average.
Where does The Wight Foundation give grants?
The Wight Foundation gives mostly in New Jersey: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Newark, NJ (32 grants).
Does The Wight Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 120 grants with a stated purpose on The Wight Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships for Education" (115 grants) and "Charitable Assistance" (5 grants).
Who are The Wight Foundation's largest grantees?
The Wight Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include UCSF Foundation ($50,000), The Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation Inc ($35,000) and Church Farm School ($32,336), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 88 individual scholarships ($50,437), which are not listed by name. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Wight Foundation?
The Wight Foundation reported $11.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $729K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Wight Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to provide young men and women of the Greater Newark area with superior educational opportunities to achieve academic excellence and personal development in a boarding-school environment. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Wight Foundation?
The Wight Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check wightfoundation.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is The Wight Foundation's EIN?
The Wight Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-2743349. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Wight Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-wight-foundation-morg_682c2673af184aef88eaa134919d72c3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_222743349_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Wight Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-wight-foundation-morg_682c2673af184aef88eaa134919d72c3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Wight 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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