Walter O Caldwell Foundation
The Walter O Caldwell Foundation is a private foundation based in an individual recipient, Arkansas. It makes grants to organizations; its 2025 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
Walter O Caldwell Foundation at a glance
In short: Walter O Caldwell Foundation gave $633K across 33 grants in 2025 (avg $19K), mostly in Arkansas. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $633,300
- +121.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 33
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $19,191
- +141.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $1,118,926
- -7.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (7 of 33, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Arkansas (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 Walter O Caldwell Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to contact Donna Miller and submit a letter, proof of exempt status, financials, and the purpose of the request. It does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Awards are restricted to the an individual recipient, Arkansas area.
- Review Cycle
- September.
- Deadline
- September.
- Contact
Application contact: Donna Miller
Mailing address: PO Box 1505, Fort Smith, AR 72902
Phone: (479) 926-0493
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Walter O Caldwell Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Community School for the Arts ($160K). Together the top 10 received $403K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($75,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
199 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 187 grants of 199 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s filing states that awards are restricted to the an individual recipient, Arkansas area. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Arkansas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Walter O Caldwell Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 33 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 79% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 349% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $240K (2019) to $967K (2023). In 2025 it made 33 grants totaling $633K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Community School for the Arts Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $160,000 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $75,000 |
| Arkansas Colleges of Health Education Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $50,000 |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkoma Inc Springdale, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $39,600 |
| Antioch Youth Center Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $25,000 |
| Community Services Clearinghouse Inc Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $25,000 |
| River Valley Regional Foodbank Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $25,000 |
| First Choice Pregnancy Medical Center Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $23,600 |
| Christmas Honors Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $20,000 |
| Fort Smith Public Library Foundation Fort Smith, AR | General Purpose of Exempt Organization | $19,000 |
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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 | $1,118,926 | $575,272 | $660,580 | $633,300 | 33 | $633,300 | $552,285 | $181,414 |
| 2024 | $1,204,323 | $316,229 | $307,663 | $286,200 | 36 | $286,200 | $294,766 | $180,380 |
| 2023 | $1,199,704 | $285,717 | $989,765 | $966,500 | 34 | $966,500 | $262,452 | $196,216 |
| 2022 | $1,829,522 | $643,703 | $592,762 | $565,960 | 47 | $565,960 | $616,901 | $219,320 |
| 2021 | $1,722,865 | $611,676 | $796,709 | $767,200 | 49 | $767,200 | $582,167 | $235,902 |
| 2020 | $2,053,799 | $293,044 | $308,102 | $283,500 | 46 | — | $268,442 | $214,601 |
| 2019 | $2,068,857 | $88,616 | $268,371 | $239,600 | 50 | — | $59,845 | $207,103 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Walter O Caldwell Foundation reported a distributable amount of $181K 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 went to organizations working in areas including arts, education, health care, emergency assistance, food support, and local history. For example, Arkansas Colleges of Health Education describes its mission as training health care professionals and supporting health and research facilities. Good Samaritan Clinic says it provides medical services and medications to working-poor, uninsured, elderly, and homeless people.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 33 grants totaling $633,300. Grant amounts ranged from $1,500 to $160,000, with a median of $10,000. Its largest grants included $160,000 to Community School for the Arts, $75,000 to UAFS Foundation, and $50,000 to Arkansas Colleges of Health Education. Each was listed for the “General Purpose of Exempt Organization.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Donna Miller, Nancy Smith Robinson, and Mary Jane Goins as directors.
Walter O Caldwell Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Donna Miller
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Jane Goins
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Smith Robinson
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Nancy T. Wenderoth (2019–2023) — Director
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 Walter O Caldwell Foundation
How much does Walter O Caldwell Foundation give each year?
Walter O Caldwell Foundation gave $633K across 33 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $286K across 36 grants.
What is Walter O Caldwell Foundation's typical grant size?
Walter O Caldwell Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $19,191, across 33 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Walter O Caldwell Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does Walter O Caldwell Foundation give grants?
Walter O Caldwell Foundation gives mostly in Arkansas: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Fort Smith, AR (28 grants) and Little Rock, AR (2 grants).
Does Walter O Caldwell Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Walter O Caldwell Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (33 of 33) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Walter O Caldwell Foundation's largest grantees?
Walter O Caldwell Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Community School for the Arts ($160,000), Arkansas Colleges of Health Education ($50,000) and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkoma Inc ($39,600), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($75,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 39% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Walter O Caldwell Foundation?
Walter O Caldwell Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $633K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $181K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Walter O Caldwell Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including arts, education, health care, emergency assistance, food support, and local history. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Walter O Caldwell Foundation?
The filing says to contact Donna Miller and submit a letter, proof of exempt status, financials, and the purpose of the request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Walter O Caldwell Foundation's EIN?
Walter O Caldwell Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 71-6060080. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 29, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Walter O Caldwell Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/walter-o-caldwell-foundation-morg_8db542b81d7149269024e311c43edf02
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_716060080_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Walter O Caldwell Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/walter-o-caldwell-foundation-morg_8db542b81d7149269024e311c43edf02},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Walter O Caldwell 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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