Wolf Foundation
Wolf Foundation is a private foundation based in West Des Moines, Iowa. It gave $67,810 through 15 grants in 2024 to organizations in several states, including organizations supporting cancer research, Jewish community and Israel-related work, homelessness services, and food assistance.
Wolf Foundation at a glance
In short: Wolf Foundation gave $68K across 15 grants in 2024 (avg $5K), top state New York. 53% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $67,810
- +194.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 15
- +50.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $4,521
- +96.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $1,641,587
- +16.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 53% first-time grantees (8 of 15, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- New York (34% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Wolf Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s 2024 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Requests should include all necessary information about the reason for seeking funds, proof of exempt status, and the person or persons to contact regarding the request. The filing states that grants will be made to organizations exempt under Section 501(C)(J) and not private foundations as defined under Section 509(A).
- Review Cycle
- None stated.
- Deadline
- None stated.
- Contact
Application contact: Abe M Wolf
Mailing address: 4350 Westown Parkway Suite 100, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Phone: (515) 277-4000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Wolf Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was ASL Cancer Research Fund ($10K). Together the top 10 received $60K.
Grant Size Distribution
60 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 60 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in multiple states. The largest reported shares were New York (34%), Minnesota (15%), Iowa (13%), Colorado (12%), and California (11%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Wolf Foundation open to new grantees?
53%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 8 of 15 grantees (53%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $2K. How we count
Medians: $8K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 47% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 95% 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 (2019–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $23K (2023) to $68K (2024). In 2024 it made 15 grants totaling $68K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ASL Cancer Research Fund Golden Valley, MN | General | $10,000 |
| Chevra Simchas Shabbos V'yom T Brooklyn, NY | General | $10,000 |
| Friends of Asor Fund USA Colorado Srpings, CO | General | $8,000 |
| PEF Israel Endowment Funds New York, NY | General | $8,000 |
| Hidabroot Corp Encino, CA | General | $7,200 |
| United Hatzalah New York, NY | General | $5,000 |
| Gush Etzion Foundation Brookline, MA | General | $5,000 |
| Joppa Des Moines, IA | General | $3,000 |
| Jewish Federation of Broward CO Davie, FL | General | $2,200 |
| Chabad of Ames Ames, IA | General | $2,036 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,641,587 | $202,666 | $74,849 | $67,810 | 15 | $67,810 | $137,392 | $71,184 |
| 2023 | $1,406,018 | $179,476 | $27,224 | $23,031 | 10 | $23,031 | $18,359 | $56,440 |
| 2022 | $1,024,359 | $27,559 | $59,111 | $50,278 | 11 | $50,278 | $13,051 | $52,285 |
| 2021 | $1,217,654 | $183,990 | $59,833 | $54,257 | 8 | $54,257 | $183,990 | $50,954 |
| 2020 | $1,053,577 | $49,086 | $66,672 | $65,264 | 16 | — | $49,086 | $41,428 |
| 2019 | $803,257 | $333,168 | $47,446 | $45,566 | 17 | — | $24,491 | $23,549 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wolf Foundation reported a distributable amount of $71K 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
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, JOPPA describes its work as providing homeless services, housing, education, and thrift stores to help people survive and find housing. Food Bank of Iowa says it distributes salvageable food to member agencies serving ill, needy, and infant populations. PEF Israel Endowment Funds describes work that includes relief for people in need in Israel and support for hospitals, clinics, and educational and religious institutions. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Grantmaking
The foundation gave $67,810 in 2024 across 15 grants. Grants ranged from $974 to $10,000, with a median grant of $3,000. It gave $23,031 through 10 grants in 2023 and $50,278 through 11 grants in 2022.
Among its 2024 grants, the largest were $10,000 each to ASL Cancer Research Fund and Chevra Simchas Shabbos V’Yom T; $8,000 each to Friends of ASOR Fund USA and PEF Israel Endowment Funds; and $7,200 to Hidabroot Corp. Other listed grants included $5,000 to United Hatzalah, $5,000 to Gush Etzion Foundation, $3,000 to JOPPA, and $1,800 each to Chabad of South Beach and Food Bank of Iowa.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Abe Wolf as president and Ruth Wolf as vice president.
Wolf Foundation is led by Abe Wolf, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Abe Wolf
President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Ruth Wolf
Vice President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Wolf Foundation
How much does Wolf Foundation give each year?
Wolf Foundation gave $68K across 15 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $23K across 10 grants.
What is Wolf Foundation's typical grant size?
Wolf Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $3,000, and its average grant was $4,521, across 15 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wolf Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Wolf Foundation give grants?
Wolf Foundation's top state is New York, with 34% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Minnesota (15%) and Iowa (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (3 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Wolf Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Wolf Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 15) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Wolf Foundation's largest grantees?
Wolf Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include ASL Cancer Research Fund ($10,000), Chevra Simchas Shabbos V'yom T ($10,000) and Friends of Asor Fund USA ($8,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Wolf Foundation?
Wolf Foundation reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $68K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $71K (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 Wolf Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2024 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, JOPPA describes its work as providing homeless services, housing, education, and thrift stores to help people survive and find housing. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wolf Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 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 Wolf Foundation's EIN?
Wolf Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1869906. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 6, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 3, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wolf Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wolf-foundation-morg_1c85f1a78411481ebdb8e456e83c9833
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391869906_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wolf Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wolf-foundation-morg_1c85f1a78411481ebdb8e456e83c9833},
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 Wolf 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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