William D James Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Saint Louis, MO EIN: 94-6057272

The William D James Foundation is a private foundation based in Saint Louis, Missouri. Its 2025 filing reports scholarship grants to students through educational institutions in California.

William D James Foundation at a glance

In short: William D James Foundation gave $60K across 24 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$60,000
+0.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
24
+0.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$2,500
+0.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$2,000
Total assets
$909,430
-2.2% vs 2024
Primary geography
California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.

How to apply to William D James Foundation

How to Apply

The foundation’s 2023 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It lists Wells Fargo as the contact and directs readers to a federal footnote for details about application materials and award restrictions.

Contact

Application contact: Wells Fargo
Mailing address: 100 N Main St Fl 5D4001-052, Wintsonsalem, NC 27101
Phone: (888) 730-4933

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who William D James Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

109 grants across all recorded years

109<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 109 grants of 109 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in California.

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 24 itemized grants.

States

Cities

SacramentoOaklandLong BeachStocktonLos Angeles

How William D James Foundation gives

  • Giving grew 25% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 109% 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

$0$20K$40K$60K3 grants2019 16 grants2020 17 grants2021 19 grants2022 25 grants2023 24 grants2024 24 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $48K (2020) to $60K (2025). In 2025 it made 24 grants totaling $60K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
24 individual scholarships Recipients not named —$60,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$909,430$57,223$79,054$60,00024$64,952$43,019$59,666
2024$929,732$50,228$80,476$60,00024$65,905$37,503$54,654
2023$958,787$94,878$77,355$60,00025$65,103$82,425$53,197
2022$941,233$41,974$67,201$48,00219$53,439$32,191$58,738
2021$966,177$92,562$71,096$48,00017—$78,714$60,562
2020$944,763$113,427$65,548$48,00016—$100,989$50,922
2019$897,276$43,981$68,073$50,0003—$31,625$52,088

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, William D James Foundation reported a distributable amount of $60K 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

The available grant records show support for scholarships. No separate mission statement is provided.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $60,000 through 24 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $5,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest grants were four $5,000 scholarships through UC Davis School of Medicine, for Ahmed, Simon, Maxim, and Maya. The filing also lists $2,000 scholarships through California State University, Sacramento, including awards for Nikita Akhum, Madaline Her, Anna Khaimov, Kelly Khuu, Genesis Lara, Savinna Pras, Chyloe Stewa, and Jay Tolentin.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Wells Fargo Bank N.A. as trustee.

William D James Foundation's only listed officer is Wells Fargo Bank N A, Trustee on every filing since 2020 (compensated).

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Wells Fargo Bank N A

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    $16K (2020) → $14K (2025)

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Wells Fargo Bank NA (2019) — Trustee

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

Wells Fargo Bank N a — Trustee: $14KWells Fargo Bank N aTrustee$14K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $14K, to Wells Fargo Bank N a (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about William D James Foundation

How much does William D James Foundation give each year?

William D James Foundation gave $60K across 24 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $60K across 24 grants.

What is William D James Foundation's typical grant size?

William D James Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,500, across 24 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Where does William D James Foundation give grants?

William D James Foundation gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.

Does William D James Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 24 grants with a stated purpose on William D James Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (24 grants).

How large is William D James Foundation?

William D James Foundation reported $909K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $65K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $60K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does William D James Foundation fund?

The available grant records show support for scholarships. No separate mission statement is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from William D James Foundation?

The foundation’s 2023 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is William D James Foundation's EIN?

William D James Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-6057272. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 2, 2026)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 20, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 27, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 7, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 7, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 6, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 9, 2020)

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from William D James 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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