Whitaker Fund
Whitaker Fund is a private foundation based in San Diego, California. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, with the listed recipients located in Virginia and New York.
Whitaker Fund at a glance
In short: Whitaker Fund gave $1.4M across 13 grants in 2026 (avg $107K), mostly in Virginia. 0% of 2026 grantees were new. Source: 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2026)
- $1,384,572
- +2169.8% vs 2025
- Grants made (2026)
- 13
- +0.0% vs 2025
- Average grant
- $106,506
- +2169.8% vs 2025
- Median grant
- $56,745
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 13, 2026; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (87% of itemized 2026 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2026 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2026; updated November 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Whitaker Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 2266 Willow St, San Diego, CA 92106
Phone: (619) 322-5741
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Whitaker Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2026
The largest 2026 recipient was United Way of Roanoke Valley ($272K). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
68 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 58 grants of 68 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 87% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia and 13% to recipients in New York. Listed Virginia recipients included organizations in Roanoke, Ferrum, and Salem.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2026 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Whitaker Fund open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2026
In 2026, 0 of 13 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. How we count
- 100% of 2026 grantees were also funded in 2025. Method
- Giving grew 2115% from 2023 to 2026. Method
- In 2026 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2026). 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 2026, annual grant giving ranged from $61K (2025) to $1.4M (2026). In 2026 it made 13 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United Way of Roanoke Valley Roanoke, VA | General | $272,374 |
| Va Fnd for Independent Colleges Roanoke, VA | General | $226,979 |
| Leukemia Sociaty of VA Rye Brook, NY | General | $181,583 |
| Ferrum College Ferrum, VA | General | $147,536 |
| Va Western Comm College Roanoke, VA | General | $136,187 |
| American Cancer Society Roanoke, VA | General | $68,094 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Roanoke Valley Roanoke, VA | General | $56,745 |
| Bradley Free Clinic Roanoke, VA | General | $56,745 |
| Rescue Mission Roanoke, VA | General | $56,745 |
| Habitat for Humanity Roanoke Roanoke, VA | General | $56,745 |
Ready to take the next step with Whitaker Fund?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | $430,535 | $1,419,079 | $1,384,572 | 13 | $1,398,933 | $416,174 | $31,629 |
| 2025 | $1,205,260 | $119,811 | $83,638 | $61,000 | 13 | $71,596 | $109,087 | $55,429 |
| 2024 | $952,370 | $72,600 | $75,456 | $62,500 | 14 | $68,977 | $66,066 | $50,703 |
| 2023 | $955,226 | $51,241 | $70,649 | $62,500 | 14 | $66,573 | $47,129 | $48,093 |
| 2022 | $974,634 | $73,651 | $71,392 | $62,500 | 14 | $65,936 | $70,161 | $50,012 |
| 2021 | $972,375 | $79,977 | $69,166 | $62,500 | 14 | $68,856 | $69,461 | $52,882 |
| 2020 | $960,578 | $57,093 | $69,257 | $62,500 | 14 | — | $57,093 | $52,315 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Whitaker Fund reported a distributable amount of $32K for 2026 — 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 fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for colleges, food distribution, health-related organizations, and community service organizations. For example, Ferrum College describes its mission as fostering students’ personal growth, academic excellence, career-ready skills, and compassion for service. Feeding Southwest Virginia says it provides food and related products to member agencies for distribution to people in need, as well as distributing food directly. These are the grantees’ descriptions, not stated missions of the fund.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the fund gave $61,000 through 13 grants. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $12,000, with a median grant of $2,500. Larger grants included $12,000 to United Way of Roanoke Valley, $10,000 to Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, $8,000 to Leukemia Society of VA, $6,500 to Ferrum College, and $6,000 to Virginia Western Community College. The listed purposes were “GENERAL.” Its 2026 filing, the latest on this page, reports 13 grants totaling $1.4 million.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Fred C Whitaker Jr as President and Jonathan K Wright as Secretary/Treas.
Whitaker Fund is led by Fred C. Whitaker Jr., President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 2 officers listed in 2026 is compensated.
Officers on the 2026 filing
Fred C. Whitaker Jr.
President
President & Director → President, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan K. Wright
Secretary & Treasurer
Sectreary & Treasurer → Secretary & Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
$5K (2020) → $10K (2026)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2026. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2026 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2026 filing was $10K, to Jonathan K Wright (Secretary/Treas).
Frequently asked questions about Whitaker Fund
How much does Whitaker Fund give each year?
Whitaker Fund gave $1.4M across 13 grants in 2026, according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2025 it gave $61K across 13 grants.
What is Whitaker Fund's typical grant size?
Whitaker Fund's median grant in 2026 was $56,745, and its average grant was $106,506, across 13 grants on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Whitaker Fund give grants?
Whitaker Fund gives mostly in Virginia: 87% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Roanoke, VA (10 grants).
Does Whitaker Fund give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Whitaker Fund's 2026 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Whitaker Fund's largest grantees?
Whitaker Fund's largest 2026 grantees include United Way of Roanoke Valley ($272,374), Va Fnd for Independent Colleges ($226,979) and Leukemia Sociaty of VA ($181,583), according to its 2026 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2026 grant dollars.
What does Whitaker Fund fund?
No mission statement for the fund is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for colleges, food distribution, health-related organizations, and community service organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Whitaker Fund?
The foundation states that it 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 ↑
How much is Whitaker Fund required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2026, Whitaker Fund reported a distributable amount of $32K on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Whitaker Fund's EIN?
Whitaker Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7289515. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2026.
Does Whitaker Fund accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated November 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
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2026 (received by the IRS September 23, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 23, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 22, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Whitaker Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/whitaker-fund-morg_fc933d944fc64bba935786a9f5e97313
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_237289515_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Whitaker Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/whitaker-fund-morg_fc933d944fc64bba935786a9f5e97313},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-05. 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 Whitaker Fund'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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