Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc
Washington Biologists’ Field Club Inc is a Washington, DC-based organization that supports field research on the natural history of the Mid-Atlantic region. Its 2025 IRS filing identifies it as a Form 990-PF private foundation.
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc at a glance
In short: Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc gave $28K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in District of Columbia. 53% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $28,207
- -42.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -5.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,659
- -39.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,478
- Total assets
- $437,321
- +46.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (9 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (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 Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc
- How to Apply
-
The 2026 competition materials invite proposals from qualified individuals. Applicants who are not Club members must obtain a letter of sponsorship from a member familiar with their scientific abilities, credentials, and proposed research. The 2025 filing describes application materials as a concise 500-word project description addressing scientific significance and Mid-Atlantic relevance, an itemized budget with explanations, a timetable with a spending schedule and completion date, a CV with education and publications, and a sponsoring-member support letter. It says items 4 and 5 are not required for Club members, and proposals lacking required information will not be considered. The filing lists mid-January as the annual submission deadline. The 2026 competition was announced in 2025, so that cycle is past.
- Contact
Mailing address: P O Box 37012 Mrc 111, Washington, DC 20013-7012
Phone: (202) 633-1278
Email: woodmann@si.edu
Website: HTTPS://WBFC.SCIENCE/
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc
Who Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Conkin and Mann ($4K). Together the top 10 received $26K.
Grant Size Distribution
88 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 88 grants of 88 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Club’s grant program focuses on field research in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Research on Plummers Island, Maryland, and in the Potomac River drainage is given high priority. The 2025 filing reports that all grant dollars for that year went to recipients in DC.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 17 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $848. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $435 repeat.
- 35% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 23% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 82% 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 (2020–2025). 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 $28K (2025) to $49K (2024). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $28K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Conkin and Mann Washington, DC | Assessing demographic structure & recovery from a morbillivirus epidemic among tamanend's bottlenose dolphins | $4,292 |
| Wen Talavera Washington, DC | Assessing hybridization as the driver for diversification of the vitis cinerea complex in the mid-atlantic region | $3,560 |
| Newtoff Washington, DC | The impact of urbanization on eastern bluebird reproductive success and nest site fidelity | $3,000 |
| Minsavage-Davis Washington, DC | Investigating evolutionary patterns and mechanisms of a salt-marsh foundation species in regional | $3,000 |
| Poindexter Washington, DC | Fieldwork and Conservation Genetic Analysis of | $2,893 |
| Thiemkey Washington, DC | The expanding population size, range, and movements of black bears in Maryland | $2,289 |
| Huysman Washington, DC | Trophic interactions and pest control by insectivorous cavity-nesting birds in working landscapes of Virginia | $2,097 |
| Szlavecz Katalin Washington, DC | The Enigma of Lumbricus Friendi, the "Other" Nightcrawler | $2,070 |
| Kula and Sakowski Washington, DC | Plant and microbiome changes across the season and in response to management | $1,478 |
| Barry Washington, DC | Evaluating the effects of introduced species on native fish behavior in the potomac river | $1,037 |
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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 | $437,321 | $174,536 | $10,394 | $28,207 | 17 | $32,416 | $171,770 | $39,508 |
| 2024 | $299,232 | $99,098 | $55,507 | $49,428 | 18 | $51,091 | $97,673 | $39,695 |
| 2023 | $229,588 | $15,365 | $35,367 | $30,000 | 19 | $30,993 | $14,993 | $37,118 |
| 2022 | $249,590 | $39,588 | $44,165 | $36,462 | 19 | $40,431 | $37,888 | $36,174 |
| 2021 | $254,167 | $48,479 | $39,555 | $33,615 | 15 | $35,261 | $45,929 | $37,627 |
| 2020 | $245,243 | $24,805 | $35,926 | $29,992 | 21 | — | $24,105 | $32,145 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc reported a distributable amount of $40K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Club describes its purpose as studying and promoting the study of biology in the Washington, DC area. Its annual research awards support field-based work on Mid-Atlantic natural history, including research in natural history, systematics, biodiversity, ecology, and environmental studies. The Club gives high priority to studies of organisms on Plummers Island or within the Potomac River drainage, while also considering field research elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic. It is particularly interested in research that increases knowledge of poorly known taxa.
The Club accepts applications from qualified individuals. Applicants who are not Club members need a sponsoring member’s letter of support. The Club also reports direct charitable activities that include maintaining its Plummers Island facility to support research and providing resources for members to share information and cooperate in research.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Club reported 17 grants totaling $28,207. Grant amounts ranged from $35 to $4,292, with a median of $1,478. The largest reported awards supported research on dolphin disease ecology ($4,292), grape hybridization in the Mid-Atlantic ($3,560), and eastern bluebird reproductive success and nest-site fidelity ($3,000). The filing reports that all 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in DC.
Awards are up to $6,000. The Club strongly encourages requests below $4,000. Reimbursement is for qualified expenses upon submission of receipts; eligible costs include travel to study sites, field expenses, research assistance, and specialized equipment and tests. Principal investigator salary, publication costs, and overhead or administrative costs are not supported. The 2026 competition announcement says that projects including field or research assistant funds must route those funds or the entire award through an institution.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Carla Dove as president; David E Blockstein as vice-president; James Whatton as treasurer; and Suzanne Peurach as secretary. It also lists Lowell Adams, John Brown, Alfred Gardner, Patrick Gillevet, James Lawrey, and Matthew Perry as board managers.
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc is led by Carla Dove, President & Board Manager since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 19 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carla Dove
President & Board Manager
Vice President → President & Board Manager, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alfred Gardner
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alma Solis
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Don Wilson
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
George Watson
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Lawrey
Board Manager
Board of Managers Chair → Board Manager, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Brown
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lowell Adams
Board Manager
Secretary & Board Manager → Board Manager, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Matthew Perry
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick Gillevet
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Soreng
Board Manager
President & Board Manager → Board Manager, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Roderick Simmons
Board Manager
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Warren L. Wagner
Board Manager
Treasurer & Board Manager → Board Manager, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Trauger
Board Manager
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David E. Blockstein
Vice President & Board Manager
Board Manager → Vice President & Board Manager, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kenneth J. Wurdack
Board Manager
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bruce Stein
Board Manager
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Whatton
Treasurer & Board Manager
On filings since 2024
1.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Suzanne Peurach
Secretary & Board Manager
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (13)
- Former: Martha Weiss (2022–2023) — Board Manager
- Former: Matthew Buffington (2022–2023) — Board Manager
- Former: Nelson Debarros (2022–2023) — Board Manager
- Former: Lourdes Chamorro (2023) — Board Manager
- Former: Jil Swearingen (2020–2022) — Board Manager
- Former: Ralph Eckerlin (2020–2022) — Board Manager
- Former: Scott Powell (2020–2022) — Board Manager
- Former: Elizabeth Matthews (2021–2022) — Board Manager
- Former: David Ballantine (2020–2021) — Board Manager
- Former: Louise Emmons (2020–2021) — Board Manager
- Former: Mercedes Foster (2020–2021) — Board Manager
- Former: Walter Bulmer (2020–2021) — Board Manager
- Former: Alan Whittemore (2020) — Board Manager
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.
Frequently asked questions about Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc
How much does Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc give each year?
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc gave $28K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $49K across 18 grants.
What is Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc's typical grant size?
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc's median grant in 2025 was $1,478, and its average grant was $1,659, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc that year got $2K on average.
Where does Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc give grants?
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc gives mostly in District of Columbia: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (17 grants).
Does Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 17 grants with a stated purpose on Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc's largest grantees?
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Conkin and Mann ($4,292), Wen Talavera ($3,560) and Newtoff ($3,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 38% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc?
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc reported $437K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $32K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $40K (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 Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc fund?
The Club describes its purpose as studying and promoting the study of biology in the Washington, DC area. Its annual research awards support field-based work on Mid-Atlantic natural history, including research in natural history, systematics, biodiversity, ecology, and environmental studies. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc?
The 2026 competition materials invite proposals from qualified individuals. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc's EIN?
Washington Biologists' Field Club Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 52-6043487. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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