William a Cooke Foundation
The William A Cooke Foundation is a private foundation based in Louisa, Virginia. It supports scholarships for qualified graduating high school students from Louisa and Orange counties and grants for local public purposes benefiting residents of those counties.
William a Cooke Foundation at a glance
In short: William a Cooke Foundation gave $1.4M across 85 grants in 2024 (avg $16K), mostly in Virginia. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,382,036
- +55.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 85
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $16,259
- +55.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $15,604,576
- +3.7% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Virginia (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.
How to apply to William a Cooke Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2024 filing directs applicants to contact Randall L Tingler and says guidelines and applications are attached. It states that grants are limited to Louisa and Orange counties in Virginia.
- Review Cycle
- See attached applications; no specific date is stated in the filing.
- Deadline
- See attached applications; no specific date is stated in the filing.
- Contact
Application contact: Randall L Tingler
Mailing address: William A Cooke Foundation, PO Box 462, Louisa, VA 23093
Phone: (540) 967-0881
Website: https://wacookefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from William a Cooke Foundation
Who William a Cooke Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Louisa County Little League ($750K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Organizations only. It also paid 70 individual scholarships ($166,594), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
452 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 444 grants of 452 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s stated mission and application restrictions center on Louisa and Orange counties, Virginia. In 2024, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Virginia and 2% to recipients in South Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 85 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How William a Cooke Foundation gives
- Giving grew 127% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 183% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $593K (2020) to $1.4M (2024). In 2024 it made 85 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Louisa County Little League Mineral, VA | GRANT 2021 | $750,000 |
| Industrial Development Authority Louisa, VA | Economic Development | $351,942 |
| Shriners Hospital for Children Greenville, SC | Grant General Operations | $25,000 |
| Louisa County Rescue Squad Louisa, VA | Acquisition of Cardiac Monitoring | $20,000 |
| Louisa County Public Schools Mineral, VA | Our Team LCPS MVP Award | $10,000 |
| Orange Co Childrens Toybox Mineral, VA | GRANT | $10,000 |
| Santa Council of Louisa Mineral, VA | GRANT | $10,000 |
| Lake Anna Emergency Services Louisa, VA | Grant- Fire Pup for New Rescue Boat | $7,500 |
| Louisa Arts Center Louisa, VA | Grant- Lighting System | $7,500 |
| 36 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $134,094 |
Ready to take the next step with William a Cooke 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 | $15,604,576 | $2,345,369 | $1,575,483 | $1,382,036 | 85 | $1,439,971 | $1,453,170 | $785,130 |
| 2023 | $15,051,408 | $2,344,665 | $993,086 | $889,255 | 85 | $939,954 | $519,420 | $712,668 |
| 2022 | $13,995,270 | $1,246,133 | $1,112,923 | $661,379 | 98 | $707,858 | $512,638 | $693,856 |
| 2021 | $13,844,190 | $2,321,427 | $2,037,029 | $608,816 | 87 | $653,373 | $1,231,558 | $626,916 |
| 2020 | $12,540,704 | $1,868,897 | $1,012,649 | $592,941 | 97 | — | $479,035 | $653,092 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, William a Cooke Foundation reported a distributable amount of $785K 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 states that it provides scholarships for qualified graduating high school students from Louisa and Orange counties to attend college. It reported awarding 44 scholarships in 2024. Its grant program describes support for local public projects and community welfare.
In 2024, the foundation supported organizations serving a range of local needs. Louisa County Rescue Squad described its mission as providing emergency medical assistance throughout the county. Louisa County Resource Council described its work as providing food programs, medical outreach, and referral services for needy families in Louisa County.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 85 grants totaling $1,382,036. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $750,000, with a median of $2,500. The largest awards included $750,000 to Louisa County Little League for “Grant 2021” and $351,942 to the Industrial Development Authority in Louisa for economic development. Other grants included $25,000 to Shriners Hospital for Children for general operations and $20,000 to Louisa County Rescue Squad for cardiac monitoring acquisition. The filing also lists grants for public schools, children’s programs, emergency services, arts, and scholarships.
The foundation says its board evaluates project requests impartially and discourages potential recipients from soliciting individual board members about specific requests. Its grant program prioritizes projects involving governmental units or 501(c)(3) organizations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Randall L Tingler as chairman; Rebecca B Cavanaugh as vice president; and Linda Parker, J Douglas Straley, George D Yancey, and Deborah Pettit as directors.
William a Cooke Foundation is led by Rebecca B. Cavanaugh, V.president on every filing since 2020; 5 of 6 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Rebecca B. Cavanaugh
V.president
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$300 (2022) → $2K (2024)
Randall L. Tingler
Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Pettit
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$900 (2020) → $1K (2024)
George D. Yancey
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$800 (2020) → $1K (2024)
J. Douglas Straley
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $2K (2024)
Linda Parker
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$1K (2020) → $1K (2024)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $2K, to Rebecca B Cavanaugh (V.president/). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about William a Cooke Foundation
How much does William a Cooke Foundation give each year?
William a Cooke Foundation gave $1.4M across 85 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $889K across 85 grants.
What is William a Cooke Foundation's typical grant size?
William a Cooke Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,500, and its average grant was $16,259, across 85 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does William a Cooke Foundation give grants?
William a Cooke Foundation gives mostly in Virginia: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Mineral, VA (7 grants) and Louisa, VA (7 grants).
Does William a Cooke Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 1% of William a Cooke Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 85) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (69 grants) and "Grant" (5 grants).
Who are William a Cooke Foundation's largest grantees?
William a Cooke Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Louisa County Little League ($750,000), Industrial Development Authority ($351,942) and Shriners Hospital for Children ($25,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 70 individual scholarships ($166,594), which are not listed by name. Together they received 82% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is William a Cooke Foundation?
William a Cooke Foundation reported $15.6M 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 $785K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does William a Cooke Foundation fund?
The foundation states that it provides scholarships for qualified graduating high school students from Louisa and Orange counties to attend college. It reported awarding 44 scholarships in 2024. Its grant program describes support for local public projects and community welfare. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from William a Cooke Foundation?
The 2024 filing directs applicants to contact Randall L Tingler and says guidelines and applications are attached. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is William a Cooke Foundation's EIN?
William a Cooke Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-2012726. 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
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). William a Cooke Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/william-a-cooke-foundation-morg_1cef144a3d6346bf973dea5087f3db5d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_542012726_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{William a Cooke Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/william-a-cooke-foundation-morg_1cef144a3d6346bf973dea5087f3db5d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 William a Cooke 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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