The Wilson Foundationinc
The Wilson Foundationinc is a public charity based in Boonton, New Jersey. Formed in 1909, it offers students and educators funding to help offset expenses for educational programs, including tuition and extracurricular activities.
The Wilson Foundationinc at a glance
In short: The Wilson Foundationinc gave $126K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state New Jersey. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $126,300
- +8.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +46.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,647
- -25.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,373,158
- +5.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New Jersey (29% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to The Wilson Foundationinc
- Contact
Mailing address: 226 Cornelia Street, Boonton, NJ 07005
Phone: (973) 476-2805
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Wilson Foundationinc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
53 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 53 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. New Jersey accounted for 29%, Ohio 12%, and Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Connecticut 8% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How The Wilson Foundationinc gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 155% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $7K (2020) to $126K (2025). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $126K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 19 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $126,300 |
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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 | $2,373,158 | $64,125 | $155,609 | $126,300 | 19 | $155,609 | $64,125 | $100,564 |
| 2024 | $2,242,165 | $85,030 | $165,052 | $116,332 | 13 | — | $85,030 | — |
| 2023 | $2,032,601 | $61,384 | $140,622 | $70,250 | 8 | — | $61,384 | — |
| 2022 | $2,014,376 | $83,826 | $168,477 | $107,914 | 10 | — | $83,655 | — |
| 2021 | $2,248,572 | $73,413 | $82,640 | $30,000 | 3 | — | $72,990 | — |
| 2020 | $2,042,425 | $77,675 | $81,801 | $7,000 | 1 | — | $74,970 | — |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Wilson Foundationinc reported a distributable amount of $101K 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 organization’s stated mission is to offer students and educators of all ages the opportunity to apply for funds to help offset educational-program expenses, whether tuition or activities such as educational travel programs, camps, and college classes.
Its 2025 grants included tuition awards and aid, student stipends, and support for an educational program. Among the recipients, Fairfield University describes its mission as conducting secondary, undergraduate, and graduate education in Connecticut; Villanova University describes itself as a Catholic Augustinian community of higher education; and an individual recipient describes its mission as increasing the number of homes with 100 or more books for children ages 0–18 in New York City.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $126,300. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $15,000, with a median of $5,000. Notable awards included $15,000 to an individual recipient for tuition aid, $13,000 to Lumen Gentium Academy for student tuition, and $10,000 each to Clemson University, Fairfield University, and Brown University for tuition awards. Other listed recipients included Villanova University ($8,000), Boston College ($8,000), and GRUB ($5,000) for student stipends.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Melissa Burnside as president; Betsy Chandler as vice president; Carolyn Borlo as treasurer; and Christopher Vakulchik as secretary. Trustees listed are Rev. Dr. Debra Duke, James M. Cook, Henry Modzelewski, Linda Myers, and Jim Tonelli.
The Wilson Foundationinc is led by Melissa Burnside, President since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 9 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melissa Burnside
President
Trustee → President, 2021
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debra Duke
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Henry Modzelewski
Trustee
Treasurer → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James M. Cook
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Linda Myers
Trustee
Bus. Manager → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jim Tonelli
Trustee
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Betsy Chandler
Vice President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carolyn Borlo
Treasurer
President → Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Vakulchik
Secretary
Trustee → Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
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 Wilson Foundationinc
How much does The Wilson Foundationinc give each year?
The Wilson Foundationinc gave $126K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $116K across 13 grants.
What is The Wilson Foundationinc's typical grant size?
The Wilson Foundationinc's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,647, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Wilson Foundationinc give grants?
The Wilson Foundationinc's top state is New Jersey, with 29% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Ohio (12%) and Massachusetts (8%).
Does The Wilson Foundationinc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on The Wilson Foundationinc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Tuition Award" (14 grants).
How large is The Wilson Foundationinc?
The Wilson Foundationinc reported $2.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $156K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $101K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Wilson Foundationinc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to offer students and educators of all ages the opportunity to apply for funds to help offset educational-program expenses, whether tuition or activities such as educational travel programs, camps, and college classes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Wilson Foundationinc?
The Wilson Foundationinc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is The Wilson Foundationinc's EIN?
The Wilson Foundationinc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-1613656. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 12, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 21, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 21, 2025)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Wilson Foundationinc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Wilson Foundationinc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-wilson-foundationinc-morg_6633011edbf24f279dc1a5f4fd8593ac
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_221613656_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Wilson Foundationinc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-wilson-foundationinc-morg_6633011edbf24f279dc1a5f4fd8593ac},
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 Wilson Foundationinc'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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