Wells Family Foundation
Wells Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Its 2024 filing reports contributions to charitable organizations in Mississippi and Louisiana, including organizations working in education, community support, health, youth activities, and other areas.
Wells Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Wells Family Foundation gave $77K across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $8K), mostly in Mississippi. 90% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $76,500
- +7.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $7,650
- +7.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $4,512
- +109.9% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 90% first-time grantees (9 of 10, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Mississippi (98% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Wells Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. It states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1022 Highland Colony Pkwy 303, Ridgeland, MS 39157
Phone: (601) 749-1589
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Wells Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Frist Presbyserian Church ($25K). Together the top 10 received $77K.
Grant Size Distribution
28 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 28 grants of 28 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Mississippi and 2% to recipients in Louisiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Wells Family Foundation open to new grantees?
90%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 9 of 10 grantees (90%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 10% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2022–2024). 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 2022 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $71K (2023) to $77K (2024). In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $77K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Frist Presbyserian Church Madsion, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in promoting spiritual, educational and relational growth for the surrounding community | $25,000 |
| Mississippi Center for Police Raymond, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in supporting local and state police | $15,000 |
| Make a Wish Ridgeland, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in its mission of creating better health outcomes for kids fighting critical illnesses. | $10,000 |
| Sale of Junior Champions Jackson, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in supporting 4h and ffa clubs | $10,000 |
| First Pres Day School Jackson, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in providing education to kids. | $5,000 |
| Magnolia Speech School Madison, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in support of creating a vibrant community for language and hearing challenged children and their families. | $5,000 |
| ACS Golf Classic Jackson, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in supporting acs golf tournament. | $2,500 |
| Harper and Morgan Rodeo Companies Iowa, LA | The contribution was made to assist the organization in supporting professional rodeo performances | $1,500 |
| King of Spring Jackson, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization support children with special needs. | $1,500 |
| William Cliff Heaton Foundation Clarkdale, MS | The contribution was made to assist the organization in providing resources to people and families who have loved ones who stuggle with addiction. | $1,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,512 | $84,459 | $82,097 | $76,500 | 10 | $76,500 | $718 |
| 2023 | $2,150 | $71,632 | $71,848 | $71,176 | 10 | $71,176 | $185 |
| 2022 | $2,366 | $84,610 | $82,244 | $75,900 | 8 | $75,900 | $55 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wells Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $718 for 2024 — 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 2024 grants included support for education, police, children’s health, youth programs, and community organizations. Magnolia Speech School, which received $5,000, says its mission is to help children with communication disorders develop their potential through spoken language and literacy.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $76,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $25,000, with a median grant of $5,000.
The largest reported grants were $25,000 to Frist Presbyterian Church for spiritual, educational, and relational growth in the surrounding community; $15,000 to Mississippi Center for Police to support local and state police; $10,000 to Make-A-Wish for its work on health outcomes for children with critical illnesses; and $10,000 to Sale of Junior Champions to support 4-H and FFA clubs. Other grants included $5,000 to First Pres Day School and $5,000 to Magnolia Speech School.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Katherine Patrick Wells as president and Sally Wells Byram and Anna Wells Cowles as vice-presidents.
Wells Family Foundation is led by Katherine Patrick Wells, President on every filing since 2023; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Katherine Patrick Wells
President
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anna Wells Cowles
Vice President
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Sally Wells Byram
Vice President
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: T. Calvin Wells Jr. (2022) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2024. "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 Wells Family Foundation
How much does Wells Family Foundation give each year?
Wells Family Foundation gave $77K across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $71K across 10 grants.
What is Wells Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Wells Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $7,650, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wells Family Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does Wells Family Foundation give grants?
Wells Family Foundation gives mostly in Mississippi: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Jackson, MS (4 grants).
Does Wells Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Wells Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Wells Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Wells Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Frist Presbyserian Church ($25,000), Mississippi Center for Police ($15,000) and Make a Wish ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Wells Family Foundation?
Wells Family Foundation reported $5K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $77K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $718 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Wells Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants included support for education, police, children’s health, youth programs, and community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wells Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Wells Family Foundation's EIN?
Wells Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 88-3206261. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2024.
Does Wells 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Live grants for the work Wells Family Foundation funds
Crime & Legal Related Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Wells Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wells Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wells-family-foundation-morg_504681c22b7b47c6a7c86aeae6c9bda2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_883206261_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wells Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wells-family-foundation-morg_504681c22b7b47c6a7c86aeae6c9bda2},
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 Wells 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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