Joan M Wismer Foundation Grant

Joan M Wismer Foundation Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Joan M Wismer Foundation
Amount: US $2,500 - US $25,000
Last Updated: February 18, 2026

Summary

The Joan M. Wismer Foundation, established in 2001, honors the legacy of Joan Marilynn Wismer, who was dedicated to charitable work and community service. The foundation focuses on improving lives through education, youth development, safety, humanitarian services, and medical research. It primarily supports IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) organizations, schools, and churches, while emphasizing the importance of sustainable funding and effective financial management in its grant-making process.

Overview

About “Joan Marilynn Wismer was born on January 18, 1940, in Oakland, California, the only child of Preston and Hilda Davis. When she was young, the family moved to Los Angeles, where her father was general counsel of United Parcel Service during its formative years. Joan graduated from Hamilton High School in 1957 and attended the University of Southern California, joining the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. Joan learned the value of service and charity from her parents, who believed that generosity is its own reward and a generous person is twice blessed. A forty-year resident of North Hollywood, she was an active member of many charitable organizations, including USC Trojan League Associates of the Valleys, Rotary Club of North Hollywood, Daughters of the Nile (Mokattam Temple No. 12), Order of the Eastern Star (Van Nuys Chapter No. 338), and Las Floristas. In 2001, Joan established the Joan M. Wismer Foundation. She loved finding worthy programs, making grants, and meeting new friends. During Joan’s lifetime, the Joan M. Wismer Foundation supported education, projects assisting children, medical research, international relief, and the training and placement of ordnance-sniffing dogs for service in war-torn countries. Joan passed away on March 12, 2015, and the Foundation is proud to honor her legacy.” Mission Statement The Joan M. Wismer Foundation is dedicated to improving and enriching the lives of youth and adults in the United States and abroad. The foundation supports programs that focus on education and youth development, safety and humanitarian services, medical and scientific research, culture and the arts.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Only organizations actively recognized by the IRS as 501(c)(3) non-profits can be considered.Only schools, state governments and churches will be allowed to apply without a valid 501(c)(3) status.The applicant must have an active board of directors with policy-making authority.The board should demonstrate competence in the sound financial management of the organization.

Ineligibility

The foundation generally will not provide grants to the following: Organizations not determined to be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue CodeOrganizations within their first three years of operation as an IRS-approved 501(c)(3).IndividualsGeneral fundraising drivesEndowmentsGovernment agenciesOrganizations that subsist mainly on third-party funding and have demonstrated no ability or expended little effort to attract private funding.The foundation may not allow any funds to be earmarked for indirect costs or institutional overhead in cases where the grant relationship was developed independent of that institution’s direct development efforts.