Wendell Family Foundation

Foundation · Grantmaker San Ramon, CA EIN: 94-3374830

The Wendell Family Foundation is a family foundation established in 2001 and based in San Ramon, California. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with no paid staff.

Key facts about Wendell Family Foundation

EIN
94-3374830
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$886,581
Grants made (2024)
40
Average grant
$22,165
Median grant
$3,250
New grantees (estimate)
30% first-time grantees (12 of 40, 2024)
Total assets
$2,418,108
Primary geography
California (43% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

Who Wendell Family Foundation funds

By grant dollars, the top recipient states for Wendell Family Foundation's 40 itemized 2024 grants were California (43%), New Jersey (29%) and Massachusetts (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Francisco, CA (9 grants), Princeton, NJ (8 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Boston, MA (2 grants). 100% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.

Is Wendell Family Foundation open to new grantees?

30%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 12 of 40 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $28K. How we count

Medians: $4K first-time, $3K repeat.

  • 60% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 35% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 466% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

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Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$2.4M

-5.8% YoY

Annual Giving

$887K

+22.9% YoY

Grant Count

40

-28.6% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$22K

+72.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wendell Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $190K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Grantmaking

Based on the most recent tax filings, the foundation demonstrates active grantmaking:

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation is located in San Ramon, California and appears to fund organizations across multiple geographic areas based on its grant distribution patterns.

Grant Distribution by State

23states

Share of all 40 itemized 2024 grant dollars.

Cities

San FranciscoPrincetonNew YorkBostonAtlantaCambridgePalo AltoWashingtonBerkeleyHanoverLowellNeedhamNovatoOaklandBedfordHoustonMiamiSanta RosaSparksStanford

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

  • Total assets (2024): $2,418,108
  • Total assets (2023): $3,900,000
  • EIN: 94-3374830
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$521K$1M$2M$2M20202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$2,418,108$2,566,424$2,393,911
Revenue$744,162$924,277$1,893,312
Expenses$892,478$751,764$803,161
Qualifying Distributions$886,581$721,627$795,546
Net Investment Income$742,062$778,277$1,347,990
Distributable Amount$190,338$160,027$181,575

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$222K$443K$665K$887K87 grants202076 grants202166 grants202256 grants202340 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy: $225KGolden Gate National ParksConservancy$225KPrinceton University: $209KPrinceton University$209KJohns Hopkins University: $100KJohns Hopkins University$100KSt Paul's Episcopal Church: $79KSt Paul's Episcopal Church$79KChronicle Season of Sharing Fund: $50KChronicle Season of SharingFund$50KUcsf Foundation: $50KUcsf Foundation$50KHarvard Business School: $25KHarvard Business School$25KThe Exploratorium: $25KThe Exploratorium$25KPratham USA: $20KPratham USA$20KTrustees of Princeton University: $15KTrustees of PrincetonUniversity$15K

Grant Size Distribution

325 grants across all recorded years

307<$50K10$50–100K5$100–250K3$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest recipients include Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ($225,000), Princeton University ($209,334), Johns Hopkins University ($100,000).

RecipientPurposeAmount
GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVANCY San Francisco, CAGENERAL PURPOSES$225,000
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Princeton, NJGENERAL PURPOSES$209,334
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Baltimore, MDGENERAL PURPOSES$100,000
ST PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH Bedford, MAGENERAL PURPOSES$78,500
CHRONICLE SEASON OF SHARING FUND San Francisco, CAGENERAL PURPOSES$50,000
UCSF FOUNDATION San Francisco, CAGENERAL PURPOSES$50,000
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL Boston, MAGENERAL PURPOSES$25,000
THE EXPLORATORIUM San Francisco, CAGENERAL PURPOSES$25,000
PRATHAM USA Houston, TXGENERAL PURPOSES$20,000
TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Princeton, NJGENERAL PURPOSES$15,000

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation is led by a board of directors composed primarily of family members:

  • Peter Wendell — President, Director, Secretary
  • Lynn Wendell — Director
  • Christopher Wendell — Director
  • Brian Wendell — Director
  • Jennifer Lentz — Director
  • Emily Wendell — Director
  • Patrick Wendell — Director
  • Carolyn A. Wendell — Director

Compensation Overview

No officer or director reported compensation in the available filings.

From 2024 IRS filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
Peter WendellPresident, Director, Secy4—
Lynn WendellDirector2—
Christopher WendellDirector0.25—
Brian WendellDirector0.25—
Jennifer LentzDirector0.25—
Emily WendellDirector0.25—
Patrick WendellDirector0.25—
Carolyn a WendellDirector0.25—

Contact Information

  • Address: 830 Sutter Creek Lane, San Ramon, CA 94583-2671
  • Telephone: 650-854-1000

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Based on the most recent tax filings, the foundation demonstrates active grantmaking: • **Total giving (2024):** $886,581 • **Total distributions (2023):** $722,000 • **Grant median:** $2,000 • **Grant maximum:** $385,000 • **Number of grants (2023):** 56 grants awarded The foundation makes grants across a range of sizes, indicating support for both smaller grassroots organizations and larger initiatives.

Where does Wendell Family Foundation make grants?

The foundation is located in San Ramon, California and appears to fund organizations across multiple geographic areas based on its grant distribution patterns.

What size grants does Wendell Family Foundation award?

In 2024, Wendell Family Foundation awarded 40 grants totaling $887K — an average of about $22K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is Wendell Family Foundation required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Wendell Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $190K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is Wendell Family Foundation's EIN?

Wendell Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3374830. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.

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