WF Foundation
WF Foundation is a private foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. In 2025, it reported 33 grants totaling $345,000 to charitable organizations, including organizations working in health, education, housing, culture, and legal advocacy.
WF Foundation at a glance
In short: WF Foundation gave $345K across 33 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), top state California. 27% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $345,000
- +8.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 33
- +17.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $10,455
- -7.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $6,670,118
- +0.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 27% first-time grantees (9 of 33, 2025)
- 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 WF Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 950 N Michigan Ave 4205, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 498-3213
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who WF Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was UCSF Foundation ($50K). Together the top 10 received $214K.
Grant Size Distribution
111 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 105 grants of 111 (95%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, California received 40% of grant dollars, South Carolina 21%, Illinois 16%, Oklahoma 6%, and Ohio 3%. These were the largest reported recipient-state shares.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 33 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is WF Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 9 of 33 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $11K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 67% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 85% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $82K (2019) to $345K (2025). In 2025 it made 33 grants totaling $345K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UCSF Foundation San Francisco, CA | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $50,000 |
| Meadow Club Foundation Fairfax, CA | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $40,000 |
| Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Foundation Chicago, IL | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $25,000 |
| Musc Foundation Charleston, SC | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $25,000 |
| Folds of Honor Foundation Owasso, OK | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $20,000 |
| Denison University Granville, OH | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $12,000 |
| Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $12,000 |
| 626 Landmark Foundation Chicago, IL | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $10,000 |
| Adopt a Family of Marin San Rafael, CA | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $10,000 |
| Charleston Literary Festival Charleston, SC | To Further the Mission of the Donee | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with WF 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $6,670,118 | $472,939 | $381,987 | $345,000 | 33 | $345,000 | $447,482 | $370,049 |
| 2024 | $6,633,141 | $477,026 | $344,501 | $317,000 | 28 | $317,000 | $466,973 | $344,401 |
| 2023 | $6,497,662 | $276,066 | $330,469 | $323,000 | 24 | $323,000 | $290,763 | $317,988 |
| 2022 | $6,552,065 | $231,797 | $250,638 | $186,500 | 12 | $186,500 | $204,113 | $323,750 |
| 2021 | $6,570,906 | $5,063,114 | $160,402 | $143,000 | 14 | $143,000 | $1,026,676 | $194,172 |
| 2020 | $1,668,194 | $59,825 | $186,487 | $146,500 | 14 | — | $36,388 | $134,651 |
| 2019 | $1,794,856 | $338,879 | $106,361 | $82,480 | 19 | — | $317,485 | $117,776 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, WF Foundation reported a distributable amount of $370K 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 included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Folds of Honor Foundation says it provides educational scholarships to qualifying spouses and dependent children of military service members and first responders killed or disabled while serving. Adopt A Family of Marin says it works to prevent and end family homelessness in Marin County. The Prostate Cancer Foundation says it funds research on prostate cancer biology and treatment.
Other 2025 recipients included Southern Methodist University, whose stated mission centers on education through research and teaching; Charleston Literary Festival, which produces an annual program of literary events; and Pacific Legal Foundation, which says it litigates nationwide to secure individual rights.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 33 grants totaling $345,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest grants included $50,000 to UCSF Foundation, $40,000 to Meadow Club Foundation, and $25,000 each to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation and MUSC Foundation. Other grants included $20,000 to Folds of Honor Foundation and $12,000 each to Denison University and Southern Methodist University. Grant descriptions stated that the gifts were “to further the mission of the donee.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Brian J White as president and treasurer and Blair W White as secretary.
WF Foundation is led by Brian J. White, President & Treasurer since 2020 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 2 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Brian J. White
President & Treasurer
Treasurer → President & Treasurer, 2020
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
$19K (2019) → $21K (2025)
Blair W. White
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Joan V. White (2019) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $21K, to Brian J White (President / Treasurer).
Frequently asked questions about WF Foundation
How much does WF Foundation give each year?
WF Foundation gave $345K across 33 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $317K across 28 grants.
What is WF Foundation's typical grant size?
WF Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $10,455, across 33 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from WF Foundation that year got $8K on average.
Where does WF Foundation give grants?
WF 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 South Carolina (21%) and Illinois (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Charleston, SC (8 grants), Chicago, IL (5 grants), San Francisco, CA (3 grants) and San Rafael, CA (2 grants).
Does WF Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 33 grants with a stated purpose on WF Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Further the Mission of the Donee" (33 grants).
Who are WF Foundation's largest grantees?
WF Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include UCSF Foundation ($50,000), Meadow Club Foundation ($40,000) and Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Foundation ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is WF Foundation?
WF Foundation reported $6.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $345K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $370K (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 WF Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from WF Foundation?
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is WF Foundation's EIN?
WF Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-4189166. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does WF 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 9, 2022)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 24, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS June 2, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in WF Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). WF Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wf-foundation-morg_a0a56e3d53db4eacb222047ed4c398df
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_364189166_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{WF Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wf-foundation-morg_a0a56e3d53db4eacb222047ed4c398df},
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 WF 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.
WF Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?