The WPW Foundation
The WPW Foundation is a private foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations including schools, community-service providers, and educational institutions.
The WPW Foundation at a glance
In short: The WPW Foundation gave $275K across 37 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), top state Maryland. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $275,000
- -0.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 37
- +12.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $7,432
- -11.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $8,000
- Total assets
- $3,587,711
- +4.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (4 of 37, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Maryland (38% 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 WPW Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Submit a letter of request describing the intended use of funds, geographic area to be served, and purpose of the grant. No formal application is required. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- September 15.
- Deadline
- September 15.
- Contact
Application contact: First State Trust Companyt
Mailing address: 2 Righter Parkway Ste 300A, Wilmington, DE 19803
Phone: (302) 573-5973
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The WPW Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was St Pauls School ($20K). Together the top 10 received $115K.
Grant Size Distribution
159 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 159 grants of 159 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grants went to recipients in multiple states. Maryland received 38% of grant dollars, California 35%, New Jersey 5%, and Rhode Island and Georgia 4% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The WPW Foundation open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 37 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 84% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 90% 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 $275K (2025) to $354K (2023). In 2025 it made 37 grants totaling $275K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Pauls School Brooklandville, MD | Unrestricted Gift | $20,000 |
| Arch Bishop Borders School Baltimore, MD | Unrestricted Gift | $15,000 |
| Providence College Providence, RI | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
| Civicorps Oakland, CA | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
| Alameda Family Services Alameda, CA | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
| Atlanta Community Food Bank Atlanta, GA | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
| Next One Up Foundation Baltimore, MD | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
| Catholic Charities of Baltimore Baltimore, MD | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
| Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
| Mother Mary Lange Catholic School Baltimore, MD | Unrestricted Gift | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The WPW 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 | $3,587,711 | $495,918 | $333,305 | $275,000 | 37 | $277,647 | $447,128 | $309,152 |
| 2024 | $3,434,884 | $535,438 | $334,994 | $277,500 | 33 | $287,929 | $488,373 | $281,536 |
| 2023 | $3,235,057 | $131,822 | $399,087 | $354,000 | 34 | $354,000 | $86,735 | $262,622 |
| 2022 | $3,489,368 | $114,086 | $364,611 | $308,750 | 30 | $308,750 | $81,373 | $276,571 |
| 2021 | $3,743,126 | $385,413 | $352,930 | $285,000 | 25 | $285,000 | $335,219 | $299,675 |
| 2020 | $3,713,800 | $870,566 | $348,750 | $287,500 | 26 | — | $809,316 | $255,883 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The WPW Foundation reported a distributable amount of $309K 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Atlanta Community Food Bank describes its mission as fighting hunger and helping people access nutritious meals; Next One Up Foundation says it advances young men’s academic, athletic, and social development; and Institute for Exceptional Care says it works to transform healthcare for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 37 grants totaling $275,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $20,000, with a median of $8,000. Among the larger grants were $20,000 to St Pauls School; $15,000 to an individual recipient Borders School; and $10,000 each to Providence College, Civicorps, Alameda Family Services, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Next One Up Foundation, Catholic Charities of Baltimore, Southern Methodist University, an individual recipient Lange Catholic School, Cardinal Shehan School, and Institute for Exceptional Care. The listed grants were described as unrestricted gifts.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Parnell Wood Buhlman as co-trustee.
The WPW Foundation is led by Parnell Wood Buhlman, Co-Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Parnell Wood Buhlman
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: First State Trust Company (2020–2023) — Co-Trustee
- Former: Arthur State Bank (2020) — Co-Trustee
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 WPW Foundation
How much does The WPW Foundation give each year?
The WPW Foundation gave $275K across 37 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $278K across 33 grants.
What is The WPW Foundation's typical grant size?
The WPW Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $8,000, and its average grant was $7,432, across 37 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The WPW Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The WPW Foundation give grants?
The WPW Foundation's top state is Maryland, with 38% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest state was California (35%). The most frequent recipient cities were Baltimore, MD (7 grants), Pleasanton, CA (4 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does The WPW Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The WPW Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (37 of 37) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The WPW Foundation's largest grantees?
The WPW Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include St Pauls School ($20,000), Arch Bishop Borders School ($15,000) and Providence College ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 16% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The WPW Foundation?
The WPW Foundation reported $3.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $278K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $309K (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 WPW Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The WPW Foundation?
Submit a letter of request describing the intended use of funds, geographic area to be served, and purpose of the grant. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The WPW Foundation's EIN?
The WPW Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-6338488. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The WPW Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The WPW Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-wpw-foundation-morg_dca0dcb790344b388681a3f2ee9b6733
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_586338488_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The WPW Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-wpw-foundation-morg_dca0dcb790344b388681a3f2ee9b6733},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 WPW 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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