Watling Foundation
The Watling Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Barbara, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations in several states, including California and Connecticut, for purposes such as religious, medical, educational, human services, and preservation-related work.
Watling Foundation at a glance
In short: Watling Foundation gave $70K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), top state California. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $70,000
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 24
- -4.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,917
- +4.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $488,351
- -10.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 8% first-time grantees (2 of 24, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (40% 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 Watling Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2023 filing lists no required form or materials, deadline, or restrictions on awards. It names the Watling Foundation as the contact and states that giving is not restricted to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Watling Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 4133, Santa Barbara, CA 93140
Phone: (805) 962-7616
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Watling Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Christ Church Greenwich ($15K). Together the top 10 received $46K.
Grant Size Distribution
125 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 125 grants of 125 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars were distributed among recipients in California (40%), Connecticut (39%), Washington, DC (9%), Michigan (5%), and New York (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Watling Foundation open to new grantees?
8%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 24 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 24 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+0%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 75% 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 $70K (2020) to $70K (2025). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $70K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Christ Church Greenwich Greenwich, CT | Religious | $15,000 |
| Greenwich Hospital Foundation Cos Cob, CT | Medical | $5,000 |
| Bruce Museum Greenwich, CT | Educational | $5,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation Washington, DC | Human Services | $4,000 |
| PBS Cocal Whittier, CA | Education | $3,750 |
| Foodbank of Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | Food Bank | $3,500 |
| Ganna Walska Lotusland Fo Santa Barbara, CA | Preservation/Educational | $2,500 |
| Friends of Greenwich Library Greenwich, CT | Educational | $2,500 |
| Los Angeles Conservancy Los Angeles, CA | Preservation/Educational | $2,500 |
| Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, NY | Educational | $2,500 |
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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 | $488,351 | $35,565 | $92,522 | $70,000 | 24 | $70,000 | $35,565 | $93,107 |
| 2024 | $545,308 | $31,346 | $90,022 | $70,000 | 25 | $70,000 | $27,774 | $81,866 |
| 2023 | $603,984 | $27,660 | $87,781 | $70,000 | 27 | $70,000 | $27,660 | $69,545 |
| 2022 | $664,105 | $45,358 | $88,607 | $70,000 | 25 | $70,000 | $22,987 | $75,432 |
| 2021 | $707,354 | $35,791 | $91,889 | $70,000 | 24 | — | $559 | $171,870 |
| 2020 | $763,745 | $-3,811 | $87,938 | $70,000 | 24 | — | $11,263 | $144,739 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Watling Foundation reported a distributable amount of $93K 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 whose work includes a range of activities. For example, the Bruce Museum says it engages audiences through art and science; Transition House says it works to address family homelessness in Santa Barbara; and the Los Angeles Conservancy says it uses education and advocacy to preserve and revitalize historic architectural and cultural resources.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 24 grants totaling $70,000. Grant amounts ranged from $750 to $15,000, with a median grant of $2,500. Among the listed recipients were Christ Church Greenwich ($15,000), Greenwich Hospital Foundation ($5,000), Bruce Museum ($5,000), Planned Parenthood Federation ($4,000), PBS Cocal ($3,750), and Foodbank of Santa Barbara ($3,500). Other listed grants included $2,500 to Transition House, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Los Angeles Conservancy.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John Watling III as president; Beverly Watling as director; Sallie R Watling Coughlin as vice preside; and Thomas C Coughlin as director.
Watling Foundation is led by John Watling III, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Watling III
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Beverly Watling
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Thomas C. Coughlin
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Sallie R. Watling Coughlin
Vice President
On filings since 2020
$3K (2020) → $0 (2025)
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 2021 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2021 filing was $3K, to Sallie R Watling Coughlin (Vice Preside).
Frequently asked questions about Watling Foundation
How much does Watling Foundation give each year?
Watling Foundation gave $70K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $70K across 25 grants.
What is Watling Foundation's typical grant size?
Watling Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $2,917, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Watling Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Watling Foundation give grants?
Watling Foundation's top state is California, with 40% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Connecticut (39%) and District of Columbia (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Santa Barbara, CA (12 grants), Greenwich, CT (3 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Watling Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on Watling Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Human Services" (6 grants), "Educational" (4 grants) and "Preservation" (3 grants).
Who are Watling Foundation's largest grantees?
Watling Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Christ Church Greenwich ($15,000), Greenwich Hospital Foundation ($5,000) and Bruce Museum ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Watling Foundation?
Watling Foundation reported $488K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $70K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $93K (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 Watling Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations whose work includes a range of activities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Watling Foundation?
The 2023 filing lists no required form or materials, deadline, or restrictions on awards. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Watling Foundation's EIN?
Watling Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-6056458. 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 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 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 20, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 4, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 2, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Watling Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Watling Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/watling-foundation-morg_b86e19fdc97f4a13abf9cb5cf8393619
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_386056458_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Watling Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/watling-foundation-morg_b86e19fdc97f4a13abf9cb5cf8393619},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Watling 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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