Wright Family Foundation Inc
The Wright Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Schenectady, New York. Established in 1997, it supports neighborhood revitalization, jobs and career support, education, and social needs, with a stated emphasis on creating opportunities for long-term, sustainable impact in Schenectady County.
Wright Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Wright Family Foundation Inc gave $1.2M across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $47K), mostly in New York. 52% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,185,914
- -61.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- -7.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $47,437
- -58.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $23,691,458
- +7.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 52% first-time grantees (13 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (98% 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 Wright Family Foundation Inc
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states on its 2023 filing that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Its website provides an Apply Now process for submitting a request through an account and states that applicants must be tax-exempt organizations under the listed Internal Revenue Code categories and provide an IRS tax-exemption letter or certificate. The website states that applicants must be located in Schenectady County, or meet an additional condition for organizations located outside the county; the available text does not provide the full condition.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 9607, Schenectady, NY 12309
Phone: (518) 605-8037
Website: https://wrightfamilyfoundation.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 Wright Family Foundation Inc
Who Wright Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Glens Falls Hospital ($300K). Together the top 10 received $1.0M.
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 81 grants of 114 (71%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s website identifies Schenectady County, New York, as its community focus. In 2025, 98% of reported grant dollars went to recipients in New York, with 1% each going to California and Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Wright Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
52%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 13 of 25 grantees (52%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $48K; repeat grants $47K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $20K repeat.
- 32% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 428% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 125% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $225K (2022) to $3.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Glens Falls Hospital Glens Falls, NY | Capital Improvements | $300,000 |
| Schenectady Day Nursery Schenectady, NY | Preschool Expansion Project | $150,000 |
| Rise High Inc Schenectady, NY | Rise High Program Safety and Support | $149,420 |
| Boys Girls Club of Schenectady Schenectady, NY | Camp Lovejoy Swimming Pool | $97,000 |
| Albany Barn Inc Albany, NY | Support of Electric City Barn & Artistry Studios | $79,500 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cap Albany, NY | High School Leadership Program Expansion | $50,000 |
| Center for Disability Services Inc Albany, NY | Infrastructure Improvements | $50,000 |
| Empire State Youth Orchestra Schenectady, NY | Music Education | $50,000 |
| 518 Elevated Albany, NY | Youth Pre-Employment & Exploration Exposure | $50,000 |
| Ellis Hospital Foundation Schenectady, NY | Funding for Capital Improvements | $34,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Wright Family Foundation Inc?
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 | $23,691,458 | $3,209,779 | $1,367,921 | $1,185,914 | 25 | $1,366,919 | $903,623 | $1,091,565 |
| 2024 | $22,046,199 | $4,881,762 | $3,241,010 | $3,082,384 | 27 | $1,983,059 | $1,368,723 | $990,465 |
| 2023 | $19,311,748 | $2,769,339 | $1,743,515 | $686,208 | 23 | $726,758 | $322,278 | $950,004 |
| 2022 | $17,430,907 | $-2,856,258 | $646,418 | $224,532 | 11 | $883,059 | $742,547 | $998,198 |
| 2021 | $21,356,578 | $4,282,079 | $2,015,740 | $2,703,986 | 28 | — | $1,128,446 | $1,009,187 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Wright Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation says it funds work in four areas: neighborhood revitalization, jobs and career support, education, and social needs. Its website describes neighborhood work as transforming distressed areas into neighborhoods of opportunity, and its education focus as supporting nonprofit educational and empowerment programs for urban youth.
Recent grantees illustrate the range of organizations supported. RISE HIGH describes its work as providing mentoring and STEM and enrichment programming for underserved youth. Albany Barn says it operates a creative arts incubator and community arts center. 518 Elevated describes programs, mentoring, professional guidance, and academic and financial support for qualifying high school students. Center for Disability Services says it provides services to people with developmental or neurological impairments, while Ellis Hospital Foundation says it raises and distributes funds to support healthcare at Ellis Medicine.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 25 grants totaling $1,185,914. Grants ranged from $2,325 to $300,000, with a median award of $20,000.
The largest reported 2025 grants included $300,000 to Glens Falls Hospital for capital improvements; $150,000 to Schenectady Day Nursery for a preschool expansion project; $149,420 to Rise High Inc for program safety and support; and $97,000 to Boys Girls Club of Schenectady for the Camp Lovejoy swimming pool. Other notable awards included $79,500 to Albany Barn Inc, $50,000 each to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cap, Center for Disability Services Inc, Empire State Youth Orchestra, and 518 Elevated, and $34,000 to Ellis Hospital Foundation for capital improvements.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Ashley G Palm as Treasurer, Heather M Ward as President, Linda Nizolek as Secretary, and Meghan Frazier as Vice President.
Wright Family Foundation Inc is led by Heather M Ward, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Heather M Ward
President
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ashley G Palm
Treasurer
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Linda Nizolek
Secretary
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Meghan Frazier
Vice President
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Lori Fowler (2021) — Executive Director
- Former: Robert D McQueen (2021) — Assistant Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Wright Family Foundation Inc
How much does Wright Family Foundation Inc give each year?
Wright Family Foundation Inc gave $1.2M across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $3.1M across 27 grants.
What is Wright Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Wright Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $47,437, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Wright Family Foundation Inc that year got $48K on average.
Where does Wright Family Foundation Inc give grants?
Wright Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Schenectady, NY (10 grants), Albany, NY (4 grants), Saratoga Springs, NY (2 grants) and Keeseville, NY (2 grants).
Does Wright Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 25 grants with a stated purpose on Wright Family Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Annual Trustee Choice Award" (7 grants) and "Contribution from Annual Trustee Choice Awards" (3 grants).
Who are Wright Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Wright Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Glens Falls Hospital ($300,000), Schenectady Day Nursery ($150,000) and Rise High Inc ($149,420), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 51% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Wright Family Foundation Inc?
Wright Family Foundation Inc reported $23.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Wright Family Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation says it funds work in four areas: neighborhood revitalization, jobs and career support, education, and social needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Wright Family Foundation Inc?
The foundation states on its 2023 filing that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and 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 Wright Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
Wright Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 14-1798255. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Wright Family Foundation Inc 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 29, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Wright Family Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Wright Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/wright-family-foundation-inc-morg_219308b426294f549b5ccbb333124eba
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_141798255_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Wright Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/wright-family-foundation-inc-morg_219308b426294f549b5ccbb333124eba},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Wright Family Foundation Inc'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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