William a Stern Foundation
The William A Stern Foundation is a private foundation based in Greensboro, North Carolina. It makes grants to charitable organizations; its 2025 filing lists 59 grants totaling $131,800, most of them to recipients in North Carolina.
William a Stern Foundation at a glance
In short: William a Stern Foundation gave $132K across 59 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in North Carolina. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $131,800
- -6.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 59
- -6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,234
- -0.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,064,423
- +4.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (6 of 59, 2025)
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (96% 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 William a Stern 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: P O Box 9755, Greensboro, NC 27429
Phone: (336) 274-4129
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who William a Stern Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cone Health ($15K). Together the top 10 received $62K.
Grant Size Distribution
307 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 307 grants of 307 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Carolina. The reported shares for other recipient states were New York 2%, Massachusetts 2%, Georgia 1%, and California 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 59 itemized grants.
Cities
Is William a Stern Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 59 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 88% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+18%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $106K (2020) to $141K (2024). In 2025 it made 59 grants totaling $132K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cone Health Greensboro, NC | Support | $15,000 |
| Church World Services Greensboro Greensboro, NC | Support | $12,000 |
| Communities in School Wilmington, NC | Support | $5,000 |
| Cone Health Philanthropy Greensboro, NC | Support | $5,000 |
| Greensboro Jewish Federation Greensboro, NC | Support | $5,000 |
| Greensboro Urban Ministry Greensboro, NC | Support | $5,000 |
| Junior League of High Point High Point, NC | Support | $5,000 |
| Westchester Country Day School High Point, NC | Support | $4,000 |
| Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC | Support | $3,000 |
| Childrens Home Society of NC Greensboro, NC | Support | $3,000 |
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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 | $2,064,423 | $160,750 | $156,192 | $131,800 | 59 | $131,800 | $136,358 | $136,140 |
| 2024 | $1,977,182 | $155,195 | $162,358 | $141,364 | 63 | $141,364 | $134,201 | $127,401 |
| 2023 | $2,048,804 | $-121,614 | $135,927 | $115,260 | 60 | $115,260 | $23,714 | $117,083 |
| 2022 | $1,484,485 | $41,493 | $113,840 | $111,260 | 59 | $111,260 | $38,913 | $119,354 |
| 2021 | $1,512,400 | $62,171 | $130,810 | $128,000 | 66 | $128,000 | $59,659 | $137,534 |
| 2020 | $1,611,284 | $173,213 | $137,273 | $106,000 | 52 | — | $144,351 | $109,108 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, William a Stern Foundation reported a distributable amount of $136K 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 went to organizations working in varied areas. For example, Greensboro Urban Ministry describes its mission as offering food, shelter, and solutions to neighbors in need. Cape Fear Community College says it provides scholarships and supports college programs. Greensboro Jewish Federation says it builds community among Jewish people in Greensboro and promotes their welfare locally, in Israel, and worldwide. These are the grantees’ own descriptions of their work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 59 grants totaling $131,800. Grants ranged from $300 to $15,000, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest listed grants were $15,000 to Cone Health and $12,000 to Church World Services Greensboro, both for support. Other listed recipients included Communities in School ($5,000), Cone Health Philanthropy ($5,000), Greensboro Jewish Federation ($5,000), Greensboro Urban Ministry ($5,000), and Junior League of High Point ($5,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Susan G Stern as vice president, Katherine S Weaver as president, and Sidney J Stern III as vice president.
William a Stern Foundation is led by Katherine O. Stern Weaver, President & T since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Katherine O. Stern Weaver
President & T
Vice President → Vice President & T, 2021
Vice President & T → President & T, 2025
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Sidney J. Stern III
Vice President
Assistant Treasurer → Vice President, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Susan G. Stern
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Brinton D. Wright (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Katherine G. Stern (2020–2024) — President, Treasurer & D
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 William a Stern Foundation
How much does William a Stern Foundation give each year?
William a Stern Foundation gave $132K across 59 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $141K across 63 grants.
What is William a Stern Foundation's typical grant size?
William a Stern Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,234, across 59 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from William a Stern Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does William a Stern Foundation give grants?
William a Stern Foundation gives mostly in North Carolina: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Greensboro, NC (31 grants), Wilmington, NC (6 grants), Chapel Hill, NC (6 grants) and Danbury, NC (4 grants).
Does William a Stern Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 59 grants with a stated purpose on William a Stern Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support" (59 grants).
Who are William a Stern Foundation's largest grantees?
William a Stern Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Cone Health ($15,000), Church World Services Greensboro ($12,000) and Communities in School ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is William a Stern Foundation?
William a Stern Foundation reported $2.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $132K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $136K (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 William a Stern Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in varied areas. For example, Greensboro Urban Ministry describes its mission as offering food, shelter, and solutions to neighbors in need. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from William a Stern 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 William a Stern Foundation's EIN?
William a Stern Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 56-1841856. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does William a Stern 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 19, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in William a Stern Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). William a Stern Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/william-a-stern-foundation-morg_ef627f0114104047a2d0f06ed5e0064b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_561841856_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{William a Stern Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/william-a-stern-foundation-morg_ef627f0114104047a2d0f06ed5e0064b},
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 William a Stern 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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