Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation
The Thomas A Wendt Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Buffalo, New York. It reported 22 grants totaling $333,600 in 2024, with most grant dollars going to recipients in New York.
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation gave $334K across 22 grants in 2024 (avg $15K), mostly in New York. 18% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $333,600
- +20.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 22
- +57.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $15,164
- -23.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $8,237,741
- +14.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (4 of 22, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (96% 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 Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It instructs applicants to contact the directors and submit organizational contact information, a mission description, historical achievements, program focus and population served, board list, recent annual report and audited financial statements, project description and organizational responsibilities, estimated project budget and requested amount, evaluation and fund-use methods, a three-year historical organizational budget with funding sources, and a proposal requiring semi-annual written accounts and a final written report. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- The filing states that proposals are due no later than March 1 of any calendar year. The March 1, 2026 deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The filing states that proposals are due no later than March 1 of any calendar year.
- Contact
Application contact: Directors Of The Thomas A Wendt Fam
Mailing address: 2555 Walden Ave, Buffalo, NY 14225
Phone: (716) 391-1200
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was The Chapel ($160K). Together the top 10 received $280K.
Grant Size Distribution
98 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 93 grants of 98 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York. The remaining reported shares were Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina at 1% each, and Colorado at 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 22 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 55% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 105% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 80% 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 $163K (2021) to $334K (2024). In 2024 it made 22 grants totaling $334K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Chapel Getzville, NY | General Purpose | $160,000 |
| Feed More WNY Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| St Lukes Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| St Matthew's Roman Catholic Church Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $20,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| The Salvation Army Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Hearts for the Homeless Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Eight Days of Hope Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Kevins Guest House Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $10,000 |
| Jericho Road Community Center Buffalo, NY | General Purpose | $10,000 |
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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 | $8,237,741 | $1,371,512 | $368,176 | $333,600 | 22 | $333,600 | $337,816 | $419,285 |
| 2023 | $7,223,634 | $1,267,599 | $303,259 | $276,300 | 14 | $276,300 | $241,500 | $331,718 |
| 2022 | $6,266,008 | $1,210,827 | $280,443 | $250,500 | 21 | $250,500 | $203,051 | $275,291 |
| 2021 | $5,335,916 | $1,382,710 | $186,438 | $163,000 | 22 | $163,000 | $318,949 | $251,992 |
| 2020 | $4,183,797 | $1,222,364 | $185,139 | $164,000 | 19 | — | $206,964 | $163,217 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $419K 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 available filing does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants include general-purpose awards to organizations such as churches, food and community organizations, and humanitarian groups. Among the grantees described in their own words, Habitat for Humanity says it builds affordable homes in partnership with lower-income households, and Roswell Park Alliance Foundation says it supports cancer research, treatment, prevention, and the needs of patients and families.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 22 grants totaling $333,600. Grants ranged from $100 to $160,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest award was $160,000 to The Chapel in Getzville, New York, for general purposes. Other grants included $20,000 each to Feed More WNY, St. Luke’s, and St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Church, all in Buffalo, for general purposes. The foundation also gave $10,000 each to Doctors Without Borders, The Salvation Army, Hearts for the Homeless, Eight Days of Hope, Kevin’s Guest House, Jericho Road Community Center, Buffalo City Mission, and The Brothers of Mercy.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Thomas A. Wendt as president, treasurer, and director; Doreen M. Wendt as vice president, secretary, and director; and Camille Siejka as director.
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation is led by Thomas A. Wendt, President, Treasurer & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Thomas A. Wendt
President, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Camille Siejka
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Doreen M. Wendt
Vice President, Secretary & D
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 Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation
How much does Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation give each year?
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation gave $334K across 22 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $276K across 14 grants.
What is Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $10,000, and its average grant was $15,164, across 22 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation give grants?
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation gives mostly in New York: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Buffalo, NY (11 grants), Getzville, NY (2 grants) and Tonawanda, NY (2 grants).
Does Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include The Chapel ($160,000), Feed More WNY ($20,000) and St Lukes ($20,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation?
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation reported $8.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $334K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $419K (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 Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation fund?
The available filing does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants include general-purpose awards to organizations such as churches, food and community organizations, and humanitarian groups. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation's EIN?
Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2652314. 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS June 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 25, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/thomas-a-wendt-family-foundation-morg_182103a91d934af2a5f3a5bd5652b44c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_472652314_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Thomas a Wendt Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/thomas-a-wendt-family-foundation-morg_182103a91d934af2a5f3a5bd5652b44c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Thomas a Wendt Family 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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