The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation is a private foundation based in an individual recipient, California. Its filings show grants to California organizations, primarily in an individual recipient and Ventura counties, supporting activities that include health care, education, museums, animal welfare, and community programs.
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation at a glance
In short: The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation gave $8.4M across 112 grants in 2025 (avg $75K), mostly in California. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $8,448,500
- +8.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 112
- -13.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $75,433
- +25.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $131,256,389
- +3.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (8 of 112, 2025)
- Primary geography
- California (100% 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 Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
- How to Apply
The foundation’s filing names Noelle Claeyssens Burkey as the contact and requests a letter describing the applicant’s activities, its most recent 12-month financial statement, Form 990, current budget, board of…
The foundation’s filing names Noelle Claeyssens Burkey as the contact and requests a letter describing the applicant’s activities, its most recent 12-month financial statement, Form 990, current budget, board of directors, and proof of exempt status. Applicants must be qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. **Deadline:** The filing lists annual deadlines of May 31 for first-time applicants and June 30 for recurring applicants; those 2026 dates have passed.
- Contact
Application contact: Noelle Claeyssens Burkey
Mailing address: PO Box 30586, Santa Barbara, CA 93130-0586
Phone: (805) 966-0543
Website: https://www.woodclaeyssensfoundation.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital ($1.0M). Together the top 10 received $4.0M.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($35,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
600 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 400 grants of 600 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s filing says grants are made to California organizations, primarily in an individual recipient and Ventura counties. All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 112 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 112 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $45K; repeat grants $78K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 21% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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 (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
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $6.5M (2021) to $12.4M (2020). In 2025 it made 112 grants totaling $8.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara, CA | Cottage Children's Medical Center; Pediatric | $1,000,000 |
| Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation Santa Maria, CA | Marian Robotic Surgery Program Expansion | $500,000 |
| Santa Barbara Foundation Santa Barbara, CA | Peac - General Operating Support | $500,000 |
| Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Santa Barbara, CA | Support for the 2024 mineral masquerade; space lab exhibition & school & teacher services programs; general operating support | $325,000 |
| Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum Santa Ynez, CA | Support of the annual vaquero; benefit event carriage house mosiac; general operating support | $325,000 |
| Providence School Santa Barbara, CA | Safety & security initiative year 3, support of providence fund kickoff week challenge grant | $305,000 |
| Students for Eco Education & Agriculture Ojai, CA | 2024 santa Barbara county farm day - community education & outreach events; in support of seeag's first annual spring celebration; 2024 Ventura county farm day - community education & outreach events; general operating support | $280,000 |
| Foundation for Cottage Rehabilitation Santa Barbara, CA | Rebuild & Renew; the New CRH at GVCH | $250,000 |
| Moxi the Wolf Museum of Exploration Innovation Santa Barbara, CA | General Operating Support | $250,000 |
| Santa Barbara Humane Society Santa Barbara, CA | Transforming the Santa Barbara Humane Campus | $250,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Wood-Claeyssens 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $131,256,389 | $24,452,357 | $22,280,930 | $8,448,500 | 112 | $10,122,922 | $12,661,883 | $10,716,115 |
| 2024 | $127,045,012 | $26,126,105 | $21,029,545 | $7,768,250 | 129 | $9,248,625 | $14,192,368 | $7,620,095 |
| 2023 | $119,749,866 | $26,687,559 | $22,226,457 | $7,715,500 | 116 | $9,105,192 | $15,984,563 | $11,453,784 |
| 2022 | $112,450,224 | $19,490,467 | $18,028,422 | $7,000,500 | 119 | $8,325,465 | $9,475,622 | $9,308,984 |
| 2021 | $108,853,466 | $21,342,104 | $16,768,070 | $6,515,002 | 124 | — | $12,014,527 | $8,049,887 |
| 2020 | $102,984,671 | $19,171,484 | $24,831,408 | $12,352,846 | 161 | — | $8,097,678 | $7,808,619 |
| 2019 | $106,385,485 | $19,754,264 | $22,732,867 | $11,631,755 | 165 | — | $9,852,511 | $7,594,899 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation reported a distributable amount of $10.7M 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 foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants include support for health care, education, museums, animal welfare, community organizations, and local events. The grantees describe their own work in varied terms: An individual recipient Cottage Hospital says it provides health care and works to improve community health; Providence School describes itself as a preschool–12 private school grounded in Christian teachings; and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History says it aims to inspire discovery, promote sustainability, and connect communities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 112 grants totaling $8,448,500. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $1,000,000, with a median of $30,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $1,000,000 to an individual recipient Cottage Hospital for its Children’s Medical Center and pediatric care; $500,000 to Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation for a robotic surgery program expansion; and $500,000 to Santa Barbara Foundation for general operating support for PEAC. Other grants included $325,000 to Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, $305,000 to Providence School, and $250,000 each to Foundation for Cottage Rehabilitation, MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration Innovation, and an individual recipient Humane Society.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are Noelle Claeyssens Burkey, president; Charles C Gray, treasurer; Shelby Hughes, secretary; Brett L Burkey, first vice president; Brad Burkey and Jared P Burkey, directors; and Jenna M Burkey, second vice president.
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation is led by Noelle Claeyssens Burkey, President on every filing since 2019; all 7 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Noelle Claeyssens Burkey
President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$251K (2019) → $269K (2025)
Brad Burkey
Director
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$55K (2019) → $59K (2025)
Jared P. Burkey
Director
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
$55K (2019) → $72K (2025)
Brett L. Burkey
First Vice President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$251K (2019) → $267K (2025)
Charles C. Gray
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$406K (2019) → $432K (2025)
Jenna M. Burkey
Second Vice President
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$251K (2019) → $267K (2025)
Shelby Hughes
Secretary
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$253K (2019) → $269K (2025)
Former officers (1)
- Former: James Burkey (2019–2024) — Director
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $432K, to Charles C Gray (Treasurer). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation
How much does The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation give each year?
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation gave $8.4M across 112 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $7.8M across 129 grants.
What is The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation's typical grant size?
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $30,000, and its average grant was $75,433, across 112 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation that year got $45K on average.
Where does The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation give grants?
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (54 grants), Solvang, CA (11 grants), Ventura, CA (6 grants) and Santa Ynez, CA (4 grants).
Does The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 47% of The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (53 of 112) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation's largest grantees?
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital ($1,000,000), Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation ($500,000) and Santa Barbara Foundation ($500,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($35,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation?
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation reported $131.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $10.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $10.7M (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 Wood-Claeyssens Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants include support for health care, education, museums, animal welfare, community organizations, and local events. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation?
The foundation’s filing names Noelle Claeyssens Burkey as the contact and requests a letter describing the applicant’s activities, its most recent 12-month financial statement, Form 990, current budget, board of… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation's EIN?
The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 32-0341358. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 17, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-wood-claeyssens-foundation-morg_9ee2fc1574fc4e309fae22d5cdba0664
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_320341358_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-wood-claeyssens-foundation-morg_9ee2fc1574fc4e309fae22d5cdba0664},
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 Wood-Claeyssens 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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