Waldfogel Family Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Palo Alto, CA EIN: 55-0865636

The Waldfogel Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. Its 2025 grants supported educational financial aid, music artists, emergency assistance, animal protection, and preservation of printing arts.

Waldfogel Family Foundation at a glance

In short: Waldfogel Family Foundation gave $118K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in Massachusetts. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$117,500
+1858.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
10
+400.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$11,750
+291.7% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,000
Total assets
$851,144
-6.3% vs 2024
Primary geography
Massachusetts (89% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to Waldfogel Family Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation states on its 2024 filing that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

Contact

Mailing address: 300 Santa Rita Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: (650) 845-8100

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Waldfogel Family Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alumni Fund: $100KMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology Alumni Fund$100KSun Valley Music Festival: $6KSun Valley Music Festival$6KWellesley College Annual Fund: $5KWellesley College Annual Fund$5KBlaine County Charitable Fund: $1KBlaine County Charitable Fund$1KDogwood Animal Rescue: $1KDogwood Animal Rescue$1KHumane Society of Silicon Valley: $1KHumane Society of SiliconValley$1KPeninsula Humane Society: $1KPeninsula Humane Society$1KGrabhorn Institute: $1KGrabhorn Institute$1KMountain Humane: $1KMountain Humane$1KBest Friends: $500Best Friends$500

The largest 2025 recipient was Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alumni Fund ($100K). Together the top 10 received $118K.

Grant Size Distribution

46 grants across all recorded years

43<$50K2$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 43 grants of 46 (93%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Massachusetts (89%), Idaho (7%), and California (4%).

Grant Distribution by State

6states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.

Cities

WellesleySan FranciscoHaileyMilpitasMission HillsSan MateoCambridgeEast Palo AltoLos AngelesSt. PaulMontgomeryMountain ViewSanta RosaGreshamKetchumPalo Alto

How Waldfogel Family Foundation gives

  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−2%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 254% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K7 grants2019 13 grants2020 15 grants2021 12 grants2022 7 grants2023 2 grants2024 10 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $6K (2024) to $265K (2020). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $118K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alumni Fund Cambridge, MAProvide Scholarship / Educational Financial Aid$100,000
Sun Valley Music Festival Ketchum, IDSupport Music Artists$6,000
Wellesley College Annual Fund Wellesley, MAProvide Scholarship / Educational Financial Aid$5,000
Blaine County Charitable Fund Hailey, IDEmergency Assistance$1,000
Dogwood Animal Rescue Santa Rosa, CASupport Protection of Animals$1,000
Humane Society of Silicon Valley Milpitas, CASupport Protection of Animals$1,000
Peninsula Humane Society San Mateo, CASupport Protection of Animals$1,000
Grabhorn Institute San Francisco, CASupport the Preservation of Typefoundry and Letterpress$1,000
Mountain Humane Hailey, IDSupport Protection of Animals$1,000
Best Friends Mission Hills, CASupport Protection of Animals$500
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$851,144$77,466$135,037$117,50010$117,500$58,647$46,254
2024$908,715$62,587$26,661$6,0002$6,000$43,784$44,544
2023$872,789$292,388$28,833$14,5007$14,500$273,819$25,321
2022$609,234$36,179$135,636$119,50012$119,500$19,690$33,745
2021$708,691$94,891$181,855$165,50015$165,500$77,150$43,502
2020$795,655$624,797$282,683$265,00013—$612,935$23,644
2019$453,541$259,027$178,101$162,0007—$400,940$17,663

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Waldfogel Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $46K 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 included scholarships and educational financial aid, support for music artists, emergency assistance, protection of animals, and preservation of typefoundry and letterpress.

Among the grantees, the Grabhorn Institute describes its mission as preserving and conserving fine printing and educating the public about that art form. Blaine County Charitable Fund says it assists people living or working in Blaine County who face financial hardship due to an unanticipated crisis.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $117,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $100,000, with a median grant of $1,000.

The largest award was $100,000 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alumni Fund for scholarships or educational financial aid. Other notable awards were $6,000 to Sun Valley Music Festival to support music artists and $5,000 to Wellesley College Annual Fund for scholarships or educational financial aid. The Grabhorn Institute and Blaine County Charitable Fund each received $1,000.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Helyn MacLean as president and Asher Waldfogel as chief financial officer.

Waldfogel Family Foundation is led by Helyn Maclean, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Helyn Maclean

    President

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Asher Waldfogel

    Chief Financial Officer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

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.

Frequently asked questions about Waldfogel Family Foundation

How much does Waldfogel Family Foundation give each year?

Waldfogel Family Foundation gave $118K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $6K across 2 grants.

What is Waldfogel Family Foundation's typical grant size?

Waldfogel Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $11,750, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does Waldfogel Family Foundation give grants?

Waldfogel Family Foundation gives mostly in Massachusetts: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Idaho (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Hailey, ID (2 grants).

Does Waldfogel Family Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Waldfogel Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support Protection of Animals" (5 grants).

Who are Waldfogel Family Foundation's largest grantees?

Waldfogel Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alumni Fund ($100,000), Sun Valley Music Festival ($6,000) and Wellesley College Annual Fund ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 94% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Waldfogel Family Foundation?

Waldfogel Family Foundation reported $851K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $118K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $46K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Waldfogel Family Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included scholarships and educational financial aid, support for music artists, emergency assistance, protection of animals, and preservation of typefoundry and letterpress. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Waldfogel Family Foundation?

The foundation states on its 2024 filing that it 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 Waldfogel Family Foundation's EIN?

Waldfogel Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 55-0865636. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Waldfogel Family 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

(8)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 29, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 4, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 6, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 12, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 25, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 17, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Waldfogel Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/waldfogel-family-foundation-morg_f91930a6fad742608f71642b19a751a7

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_550865636_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Waldfogel Family Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/waldfogel-family-foundation-morg_f91930a6fad742608f71642b19a751a7},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-23. 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 Waldfogel 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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