Wolff Family Foundation
Wolff Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois. Its 2025 grants supported organizations working in areas including social services, health, education, housing, disaster relief, civil liberties, and the environment.
Wolff Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Wolff Family Foundation gave $156K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), top state New York. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $156,000
- +4.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- +8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,000
- -4.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,764,593
- -2.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (5 of 26, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (23% 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 Wolff Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 585 Bank Lane 3000, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Phone: (847) 234-5000
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Wolff Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish Family Service of the Desert ($20K). Together the top 10 received $98K.
Grant Size Distribution
129 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 129 grants of 129 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, the largest shares of grant dollars went to recipients in New York (23%), Illinois (18%), California (16%), Virginia (9%), and Missouri (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Wolff Family Foundation open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 26 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 90% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $135K (2020) to $168K (2022). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $156K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Family Service of the Desert Palm Springs, CA | Operating Fund | $20,000 |
| Doctors Without Borders New York, NY | Operating Fund | $12,500 |
| Citizens of the World Charter School Kansas City, MO | Operating Fund | $10,000 |
| Michael J Fox Foundation Hagerstown, MD | Operating Fund | $10,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Americus, GA | Operating Fund | $9,500 |
| Alzheimer's Association Chicago, IL | Operating Fund | $9,000 |
| American Red Cross Fairfax, VA | Operating Fund | $7,500 |
| Boulder Shelter for the Homeless Boulder, CO | Operating Fund | $7,500 |
| American Civil Liberties Union New York, NY | Operating Fund | $6,000 |
| National Resource Defense Council New York, NY | Operating Fund | $6,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Wolff Family 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,764,593 | $156,446 | $205,029 | $156,000 | 26 | $156,000 | $107,953 | $172,945 |
| 2024 | $1,813,176 | $115,301 | $199,843 | $150,000 | 24 | $150,000 | $67,360 | $162,394 |
| 2023 | $1,897,718 | $151,572 | $195,025 | $150,000 | 24 | $150,000 | $108,071 | $145,569 |
| 2022 | $1,941,171 | $121,571 | $209,334 | $168,000 | 28 | $168,000 | $80,851 | $147,957 |
| 2021 | $2,028,934 | $92,811 | $176,649 | $135,000 | 27 | $135,000 | $51,401 | $166,270 |
| 2020 | $2,112,772 | $86,448 | $158,952 | $135,000 | 29 | — | $62,874 | $135,480 |
| 2019 | $2,185,276 | $102,294 | $159,228 | $144,000 | 24 | — | $86,338 | $139,382 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wolff Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $173K 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 foundation’s own mission is not stated. Its grantees’ missions illustrate the range of work it has supported: Jewish Family Service of the Desert says it serves the social-service needs of the Jewish and general communities in the Coachella Valley; Habitat for Humanity says it seeks to address poverty housing and promote decent shelter; and Boulder Shelter for the Homeless says it creates pathways to stable housing for homeless adults.
Other supported organizations describe work in human rights, civil liberties, mental health, food access, and reproductive and sexual health care. These are the grantees’ missions, not stated priorities of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 26 grants totaling $156,000. Individual grants ranged from $1,000 to $20,000, with a median of $5,000. All listed purposes for the largest grants were “operating fund.” Among the largest awards were $20,000 to Jewish Family Service of the Desert, $12,500 to Doctors Without Borders, $10,000 each to Citizens of the World Charter School and the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and $9,500 to Habitat for Humanity.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Linda Wexler as president and director, and Peggy Gutterman and Robert Wolff as directors.
Wolff Family Foundation is led by Linda Wexler, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Linda Wexler
President & Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Peggy Gutterman
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Wolff
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about Wolff Family Foundation
How much does Wolff Family Foundation give each year?
Wolff Family Foundation gave $156K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $150K across 24 grants.
What is Wolff Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Wolff Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $6,000, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wolff Family Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Wolff Family Foundation give grants?
Wolff Family Foundation's top state is New York, with 23% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Illinois (18%) and California (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were New York, NY (6 grants), Chicago, IL (5 grants), Glencoe, IL (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Wolff Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Wolff Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (26 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Wolff Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Wolff Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish Family Service of the Desert ($20,000), Doctors Without Borders ($12,500) and Citizens of the World Charter School ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Wolff Family Foundation?
Wolff Family Foundation reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $156K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $173K (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 Wolff Family Foundation fund?
The foundation’s own mission is not stated. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wolff Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Wolff Family Foundation's EIN?
Wolff Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3489719. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Wolff Family 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 14, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wolff Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wolff-family-foundation-morg_8ea224c88d4e4a6e857b6adc3ea9deec
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_363489719_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wolff Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wolff-family-foundation-morg_8ea224c88d4e4a6e857b6adc3ea9deec},
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 Wolff Family 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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