The Will Ascend Foundation
The Will Ascend Foundation is a private foundation based in Alpine, Utah. It reported $260,500 in grants to 14 organizations in 2024; its filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
The Will Ascend Foundation at a glance
In short: The Will Ascend Foundation gave $261K across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $19K), mostly in Utah. 0% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $260,500
- +13.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $18,607
- +13.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $4,824,283
- +0.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Utah (88% 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 Will Ascend 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: 891 East Quail Ridge Circle, Alpine, UT 84004
Phone: (801) 910-6282
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Will Ascend Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Hope for Fertility Foundation ($80K). Together the top 10 received $245K.
Grant Size Distribution
67 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 67 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 88% of grant dollars went to recipients in Utah, 6% to California, and 6% to Idaho.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Will Ascend Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 0 of 14 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. How we count
- 100% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 117% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 96% 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 (2020–2024). 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 $100K (2020) to $261K (2024). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $261K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hope for Fertility Foundation Pleasant Grove, UT | Charitable Donation | $80,000 |
| Philanthropies Provo, UT | Charitable Donation | $70,000 |
| Make a Wish Foundation Murray, UT | Charitable Donation | $15,000 |
| Rising Star Outreach Provo, UT | Charitable Donation | $15,000 |
| Stand with Ukraine Idaho Falls, ID | charitable donation | $15,000 |
| Tovonatese Charities St George, UT | Charitable Donation | $15,000 |
| Camp Kesem Foundation Covina, CA | Charitable Donation | $10,000 |
| Academy for Creating Enterprise Lehi, UT | Charitable Donation | $10,000 |
| Intermountain Foundation Salt Lake City, UT | Charitable Donation | $7,500 |
| Huntsman Cancer Foundation Salt Lake City, UT | Charitable Donation | $7,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Will Ascend Foundation?
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 | $4,824,283 | $300,686 | $295,434 | $260,500 | 14 | $261,225 | $266,477 | $273,185 |
| 2023 | $4,811,595 | $217,280 | $259,639 | $229,500 | 14 | $230,125 | $216,046 | $259,860 |
| 2022 | $4,843,617 | $1,858,398 | $187,675 | $169,000 | 13 | $178,193 | $158,034 | $173,097 |
| 2021 | $3,172,894 | $1,524,979 | $121,992 | $120,000 | 13 | $120,500 | $20,825 | $110,852 |
| 2020 | $1,769,864 | $78,713 | $89,703 | $100,000 | 13 | — | $28,015 | $96,930 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Will Ascend Foundation reported a distributable amount of $273K 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 own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included organizations whose stated missions address areas such as fertility, education, cancer research, health care, community development, and support for people affected by leprosy. For example, Rising Star Outreach says it works to help individuals and families overcome leprosy-related stigma through education, medical care, and community development. The Academy for Creating Enterprise says it provides training and support to foster entrepreneurship among faith-driven people. Huntsman Cancer Foundation says its mission is to support cutting-edge research at Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 14 grants totaling $260,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $80,000, with a median of $10,000.
Notable 2024 grants included $80,000 to Hope for Fertility Foundation, $70,000 to Philanthropies, $15,000 each to Make-A-Wish Foundation, Rising Star Outreach, Stand with Ukraine, and Tovonatese Charities, and $10,000 each to Camp Kesem Foundation and the Academy for Creating Enterprise. Rising Star Outreach’s stated mission includes education, medical care, and community development for people affected by leprosy; the Academy for Creating Enterprise says it provides entrepreneurship training and support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Gary Williams and Deborah Williams as trustees.
The Will Ascend Foundation's 2024 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Deborah Williams
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Williams
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 Will Ascend Foundation
How much does The Will Ascend Foundation give each year?
The Will Ascend Foundation gave $261K across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $230K across 14 grants.
What is The Will Ascend Foundation's typical grant size?
The Will Ascend Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $18,607, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Will Ascend Foundation give grants?
The Will Ascend Foundation gives mostly in Utah: 88% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (6%) and Idaho (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Salt Lake City, UT (3 grants) and Provo, UT (2 grants).
Does The Will Ascend Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on The Will Ascend Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Donation" (14 grants).
Who are The Will Ascend Foundation's largest grantees?
The Will Ascend Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Hope for Fertility Foundation ($80,000), Philanthropies ($70,000) and Make a Wish Foundation ($15,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Will Ascend Foundation?
The Will Ascend Foundation reported $4.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $261K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $273K (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 Will Ascend Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included organizations whose stated missions address areas such as fertility, education, cancer research, health care, community development, and support for people affected by leprosy. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Will Ascend 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 Will Ascend Foundation's EIN?
The Will Ascend Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 87-0644841. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Will Ascend 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
(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 Will Ascend Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-will-ascend-foundation-morg_d30e84d043034f3198455771ace59aed
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_870644841_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Will Ascend Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-will-ascend-foundation-morg_d30e84d043034f3198455771ace59aed},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Will Ascend 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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