V J Wilkins Foundation
V J Wilkins Foundation is a private foundation based in Arkansas City, Kansas. Its 2025 filing reports 18 grants totaling $470,176, all to recipients in Kansas.
V J Wilkins Foundation at a glance
In short: V J Wilkins Foundation gave $470K across 18 grants in 2025 (avg $26K), mostly in Kansas. 39% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $470,176
- +129.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 18
- +38.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $26,121
- +65.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $8,568,705
- +2.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 39% first-time grantees (7 of 18, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Kansas (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 V J Wilkins Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 112 South Summit, Arkansas City, KS 67005
Phone: (620) 705-1102
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who V J Wilkins Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Etzanoa Conservation ($200K). Together the top 10 received $440K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 50 grants of 64 (78%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Kansas. Listed recipients include organizations in Arkansas City, Wichita, and Winfield.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 18 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is V J Wilkins Foundation open to new grantees?
39%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 18 grantees (39%) were first-time recipients. With only 18 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $35K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 33% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $205K (2024) to $499K (2021). In 2025 it made 18 grants totaling $470K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Etzanoa Conservation Arkansas City, KS | Contribution | $200,000 |
| USD 470 Arkansas City, KS | 2025 GRANT | $75,192 |
| Ark City Area Arts Council Arkansas City, KS | Contribution | $50,000 |
| Wichita State University Wichita, KS | 2025 GRANT | $35,271 |
| Chaplin Nature Center-Audobon Socie Arkansas City, KS | 2025 GRANT | $29,500 |
| Music Theatre of Wichita Wichita, KS | 2025 GRANT | $20,300 |
| Winfield Public Library Winfield, KS | 2025 GRANT | $10,000 |
| Arkansas City Public Library Arkansas City, KS | 2025 GRANT | $9,625 |
| South Kansas Symphony Winfield, KS | 2025 GRANT | $5,000 |
| Cowley County Farmers Market Winfield, KS | 2025 GRANT | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $8,568,705 | $717,583 | $532,895 | $470,176 | 18 | $478,862 | $455,546 | $472,170 |
| 2024 | $8,384,017 | $823,655 | $269,355 | $205,207 | 13 | $221,184 | $352,597 | $454,054 |
| 2023 | $7,829,716 | $496,492 | $541,142 | $474,000 | 15 | $494,028 | $244,550 | $428,182 |
| 2022 | $7,845,162 | $-223,235 | $523,495 | $455,465 | 8 | $471,580 | $249,232 | $442,996 |
| 2021 | $8,591,892 | $1,442,976 | $561,805 | $499,474 | 10 | $513,025 | $532,970 | $501,331 |
| 2020 | $7,710,721 | $492,683 | $488,354 | $437,365 | 8 | — | $153,156 | $427,470 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, V J Wilkins Foundation reported a distributable amount of $472K 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 own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including arts and cultural groups, libraries, educational institutions, conservation and nature organizations, and community organizations.
Among its grantees, Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters describes its work as evidence-based, one-to-one mentoring and says it measures outcomes including school attendance and engagement, youth served, and the duration of mentoring relationships. SCK Health Foundation describes its mission as “Ensuring quality healthcare for future generations.”
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave $470,176 through 18 grants. Grant sizes ranged from $2,500 to $200,000, with a median of $5,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $200,000 to Etzanoa Conservation, $75,192 to USD 470, $50,000 to Ark City Area Arts Council, $35,271 to Wichita State University, and $29,500 to Chaplin Nature Center-Audobon Society. Other listed grants included $20,300 to Music Theatre of Wichita, $10,000 to Winfield Public Library, and $9,625 to Arkansas City Public Library. Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters received $5,000, and SCK Health Foundation received $3,000.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Karen Zeller, David Wilkins, James Wilkins, Jennifer Munson, and Tasha Bucher as trustees.
V J Wilkins Foundation's 2025 filing lists 5 officers; 4 of 5 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Wilkins
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $4K (2025)
James Wilkins
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $4K (2025)
Jennifer Munson
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $14K (2025)
Karen Zeller
Trustee
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$1K (2020) → $4K (2025)
Tasha Bucher
Trustee
On filings since 2023
8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Otis Morrow (2020–2022) — 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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $14K, to Jennifer Munson (Trustee). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about V J Wilkins Foundation
How much does V J Wilkins Foundation give each year?
V J Wilkins Foundation gave $470K across 18 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $205K across 13 grants.
What is V J Wilkins Foundation's typical grant size?
V J Wilkins Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $26,121, across 18 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from V J Wilkins Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does V J Wilkins Foundation give grants?
V J Wilkins Foundation gives mostly in Kansas: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Arkansas City, KS (10 grants), Winfield, KS (5 grants) and Wichita, KS (3 grants).
Does V J Wilkins Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 18 grants with a stated purpose on V J Wilkins Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "2025 Grant" (14 grants).
Who are V J Wilkins Foundation's largest grantees?
V J Wilkins Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Etzanoa Conservation ($200,000), USD 470 ($75,192) and Ark City Area Arts Council ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 69% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is V J Wilkins Foundation?
V J Wilkins Foundation reported $8.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $479K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $472K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does V J Wilkins Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including arts and cultural groups, libraries, educational institutions, conservation and nature organizations, and community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from V J Wilkins Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is V J Wilkins Foundation's EIN?
V J Wilkins Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3225892. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does V J Wilkins 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work V J Wilkins Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in V J Wilkins Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). V J Wilkins Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/v-j-wilkins-foundation-morg_39dac848c5df4634a25b806f42ef655c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203225892_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{V J Wilkins Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/v-j-wilkins-foundation-morg_39dac848c5df4634a25b806f42ef655c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 V J Wilkins 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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