Westly Foundation
The Westly Foundation is a private foundation with a filing location in Wilmington, Delaware. It supports initiatives, ideas, and programs that enrich the lives of at-risk children in California, and describes its work as investing in high-impact nonprofits, emerging social entrepreneurs, and community-driven initiatives.
Westly Foundation at a glance
In short: Westly Foundation gave $1.2M across 55 grants in 2024 (avg $21K), mostly in California. 53% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,158,600
- +24.9% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 55
- +34.1% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $21,065
- -6.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $4,085,283
- -22.1% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (24 of 45, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (86% 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 Westly Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation’s filing lists Foundation Source as the contact and directs applicants to Westly.org for forms and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions. The filing states that the Foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Foundation Source
Mailing address: 55 Walls Drive Suite 302, Fairfield, CT 06824
Phone: (800) 839-1754
Website: https://westly.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Westly Foundation
Who Westly Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was University of California Berkeley Foundation ($200K). Together the top 10 received $590K.
Organizations only. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($120,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
218 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 198 grants of 218 (91%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s stated program focus includes children and youth in California. In filing year 2024, 86% of grant dollars went to recipients in California; the other listed recipient-state shares were 5% to DC and 2% each to Minnesota, Connecticut, and Maryland. The Foundation’s Westly Prize is for young social innovators in California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 55 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Westly Foundation open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 24 of 45 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $33K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 36% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 35% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 419% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $860K (2021) to $1.2M (2024). In 2024 it made 55 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of California Berkeley Foundation Berkeley, CA | General Purpose Grant for the Berkeley Basic Needs Fund | $200,000 |
| Kqed Inc San Francisco, CA | General & Unrestricted | $75,000 |
| Kind Inc Washington, DC | Staff Attorney position support at the Central Valley office | $50,000 |
| Second Harvest of Silicon Valley San Jose, CA | General & Unrestricted | $50,000 |
| Lucile Packard Foundation for Childrens Health Palo Alto, CA | Mobile Clinic Program via 2024 Summer Scamper | $40,000 |
| Beyond Barriers Athletic Foundation Redwood City, CA | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California Fresno, CA | Funding to Support Two "Little-Bigs" Programs | $25,000 |
| Breaking the Chains 23 Fresno, CA | Crisis intervention and support for trafficked juveniles | $25,000 |
| California Health Collaborative Fresno, CA | KITT PROJECT: Youth Testing & Treatment | $25,000 |
| Careervillage Inc Palo Alto, CA | General & Unrestricted | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Westly Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,085,283 | $253,697 | $1,414,374 | $1,158,600 | 55 | $1,350,346 | $223,265 | $322,478 |
| 2023 | $5,245,960 | $99,805 | $1,191,468 | $927,500 | 41 | $1,129,275 | $84,484 | $340,228 |
| 2022 | $6,337,623 | $604,101 | $1,316,041 | $1,053,769 | 44 | $1,222,736 | $597,385 | $366,067 |
| 2021 | $7,049,563 | $545,879 | $1,117,399 | $860,261 | 39 | $1,035,422 | $397,033 | $457,131 |
| 2020 | $7,621,083 | $624,032 | $1,311,483 | $1,047,712 | 39 | — | $406,747 | $423,946 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Westly Foundation reported a distributable amount of $322K 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
The Foundation says it seeks to help close the achievement gap, inspire a love of learning, and provide children with skills to succeed. Its stated areas of support include education; access to high-quality, affordable, and advanced health care for children and youth in California; youth mentoring, career training, financial literacy, and leadership development; and local, regional, and statewide community ecosystems.
The Foundation says it works with early- to mid-stage nonprofits taking innovative approaches to improving the lives of children at risk in California. It considers organizational leadership, program strength, and potential impact, and values clear goals, measurable results, and sharing lessons from successes and failures.
Examples of grantees’ own stated missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Second Harvest of Silicon Valley says it works toward a hunger-free community by providing more food, healthy food, and better access to food. Resource Area for Teaching says it aims to inspire joy through hands-on learning. SHINE Together says it partners with young mothers to advance education, life and career skills, and children’s development. KQED describes its work in community-supported media, arts, dialogue, and education.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the Foundation gave $1,158,600 through 55 grants. The grants ranged from $100 to $200,000, with a median of $25,000. The Foundation says its grants to organizations typically range from $15,000 to $40,000, and that it invests in 20–40 organizations each year.
Among the largest reported 2024 grants were $200,000 to the University of California Berkeley Foundation for the Berkeley Basic Needs Fund; $75,000 to KQED for general and unrestricted purposes; $50,000 to KIND for staff attorney position support at its Central Valley office; $50,000 to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for general and unrestricted purposes; and $40,000 to the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health for its Mobile Clinic Program via 2024 Summer Scamper.
The Westly Prize is a separate program for young social innovators in California. The Foundation says it has awarded prizes since 2012. The program supports early-stage innovators with novel solutions to community challenges; its listed eligible categories include areas such as education, health, civic engagement, technology, and youth development. The 2025 program announced three top awards of $40,000 each in unrestricted funding.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Steven P. Westly as Chairman, Director, and President, and Anita W. Yu as Secretary, Director, and Treasurer.
Westly Foundation is led by Steven P Westly, Chairman, Director & President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Steven P Westly
Chairman, Director & President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anita W Yu
Secretary, Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Westly Foundation
How much does Westly Foundation give each year?
Westly Foundation gave $1.2M across 55 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $928K across 41 grants.
What is Westly Foundation's typical grant size?
Westly Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $21,065, across 55 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Westly Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does Westly Foundation give grants?
Westly Foundation gives mostly in California: 86% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Palo Alto, CA (5 grants), Fresno, CA (4 grants), San Jose, CA (4 grants) and Richmond, CA (3 grants).
Does Westly Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 31% of Westly Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (17 of 55) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Grand Prize Winner" (11 grants).
Who are Westly Foundation's largest grantees?
Westly Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include University of California Berkeley Foundation ($200,000), Kqed Inc ($75,000) and Community Initiatives ($50,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 6 grants to individuals ($120,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Westly Foundation?
Westly Foundation reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $322K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Westly Foundation fund?
The Foundation says it seeks to help close the achievement gap, inspire a love of learning, and provide children with skills to succeed. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Westly Foundation?
The Foundation’s filing lists Foundation Source as the contact and directs applicants to Westly.org for forms and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Westly Foundation's EIN?
Westly Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3368338. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
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 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Westly Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/westly-foundation-morg_01ff0c83545d4dee91bb7f8c88001460
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_943368338_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Westly Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/westly-foundation-morg_01ff0c83545d4dee91bb7f8c88001460},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Westly 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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