Wake Forest University is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution located in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university operates as an institution of higher education dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the liberal arts and in graduate and professional education. The organization operates Wake Forest College, a graduate school of arts and sciences, and four professional schools.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$2.8B
+5.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$6.3M
+45.0% YoY
Grant Count
81
+62.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$77K
-10.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Wake Forest University is an institution of higher education dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the liberal arts and in graduate and professional education.
The university has established the Educating Character Initiative, which focuses on character education and promotes this work through a nationwide network of colleges and universities.
Grantmaking
Wake Forest University's Educating Character Initiative administers grants to U.S. colleges and universities focused on character education. Grant sizes range from $50,000 to $1 million. The initiative announced $30 million in new funding to expand its nationwide network promoting character education.
Grant Range
s range from $50,000 to $1 million. The initiative announced $30 million in new funding to expand its nationwide network promoting character education.
Ready to take the next step with Wake Forest University?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Educating Character Initiative focuses on U.S. colleges and universities nationwide.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of June 30, 2023:
- Total Assets: $2.8 billion
- Annual Income: $1.2 billion
- Annual Revenue: $764.4 million
- Program Service Revenue: $541,023,038
- Investment Income: $48,365,539
- Other Revenue: $23,380,905
- Unrelated Business Income: $8,110,860
Workforce:
- Approximately 5,772 employees
- 2,150 volunteers
- Governing body: 48 voting members (44 independent)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,804,123,401 | $2,655,159,124 | $2,572,484,456 |
| Revenue | $764,367,570 | $686,860,190 | $715,438,504 |
| Expenses | $705,687,576 | $654,792,741 | $627,965,784 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $68,875,714 | $48,365,539 | $61,644,679 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
198 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Wake Forest University
Institutional Impact Grants
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
Amount
US $100,000 - US $1,000,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Professional Development Grant
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
Amount
Up to US $400
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Wake Forest Capacity Building Grant
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
Amount
Up to US $50,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew A King | Board Chair | 15 | — |
| Jeanne Whitman Bobbitt | Board Vice Chair | 6 | — |
| Curtis C Farmer | Board Vice Chair | 6 | — |
| Alexander Acquavella | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Lynn C Baranski | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Shelmer D Blackburn Jr | Comm Vice Chair | 4 | — |
| Peter C Brockway | Trustee | 5 | — |
| Thomas W Bunn | Comm Vice Chair | 4 | — |
| Bobby R Burchfield | Committee Chair | 6 | — |
| Jocelyn Burton | Committee Chair | 6 | — |
| David F Couch | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Matthew Starbuck Crawford | Trustee | 3 | — |
| William Rittenhouse Culbreth Jr | Trustee | 3 | — |
| H Lawrence Culp Jr | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Jermyn M Davis | Trustee | 5 | — |
| James E Dixon | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Serena Fisher Dugan | Trustee | 3 | — |
| David W Dupree | Trustee | 4 | — |
| The Honorable Donna F Edwards | Trustee | 5 | — |
| Frederick W Eubank II | Trustee | 5 | — |
| Lisbeth Clark Evans | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Mary R Farrell | Committee Chair | 5 | — |
| Helen Hough Feinberg | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Donald E Flow | Comm Vice Chair | 4 | — |
| Anil Rai Gupta | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Julie Ann Mullen Hartman | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Marybeth Torbet Hays | Comm Vice Chair | 5 | — |
| Frank B Holding Jr | Committee Chair | 5 | — |
| A Dale Jenkins | Committee Chair | 4 | — |
| Aubrey L Martin | Trustee | 3 | — |
| John M McAvoy | Comm Vice Chair | 6 | — |
| Robert J McCreary | Comm Vice Chair | 3 | — |
| Jane McGraw | Committee Chair | 4 | — |
| James M O'Connell | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Ogden Phipps II | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Rev Dr Prince R Rivers | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Gerald F Roach | Trustee | 5 | — |
| Jorge Rodriguez | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Mit B Shah | Committee Chair | 6 | — |
| Hannah VanderWeide Shue | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Michael C Smith | Committee Chair | 5 | — |
| Janice K Story | Trustee | 5 | — |
| Ben C Sutton Jr | Comm Vice Chair | 5 | — |
| Matthew B Teller | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Cathy Wall Thomas MD | Trustee | 3 | — |
| Shannan Spence Townsend | Comm Vice Chair | 5 | — |
| John M Vann | Trustee | 3 | — |
| David I Wahrhaftig | Committee Chair | 6 | — |
| Eric C Wiseman | Comm Vice Chair | 5 | — |
| Susan R Wente PhD | President & Trustee | 29.3 | $1,473,696 |
| Julie A Freischlag MD | EVP Health Aff. | 2 | — |
| J Reid Morgan | S.VP, Sec, G.C. | 19.7 | $690,571 |
| Anita M Conrad | Asst Secretary | 21 | $218,902 |
| Michele Gillespie PhD | Provost | 40 | $741,870 |
| Jacqueline A Travisano EdD | EVP, CFO, Treas | 36.5 | $664,838 |
| Brian A White | VP, Corp. Sec, G.C. | 19.7 | $386,863 |
| John A Currie | Director of Athletics | 40 | $1,146,384 |
| Anthony P Marsh PhD | Interim Dean, Wake Forest College | 40 | $353,215 |
| Jackie Krasas PhD | Dean, Wake Forest College | 40 | $289,703 |
| Annette Ranft PhD | Dean, School of Business | 40 | $550,168 |
| David P Clawson | Football Coach | 40 | $4,774,547 |
| Warren D Ruggiero | F'ball Offensive Coordinat | 40 | $1,067,221 |
| Brad Lambert | F'ball Defensive Coordinat | 40 | $900,717 |
| Steve Forbes | Men's BktBall Co | 40 | $2,281,576 |
| Tom Walter | Baseball Coach | 40 | $915,597 |
| Rogan Kersh PhD | Former Provost | 40 | $515,937 |
| B Hofler Milam | Former EVP, CFO, Treas | 40 | $1,041,654 |
| Charles L Iacovou PhD | Dean, School of Profession | 40 | $539,320 |
| Mark A Petersen | SVP - Advancement | 40 | $1,012,992 |
Recent Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The Educating Character Initiative announced a request for proposals for grants ranging from $50,000 to $1 million to U.S. colleges and universities. The initiative announced 2025 Capacity-Building Grant recipients and plans to expand its nationwide network with $30 million in new funding.
Wake Forest University's Educating Character Initiative announces ...Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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