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Candace King Weir Foundation

Annual Giving
$4.3M
Grant Range
$0K - $1.0M

Candace King Weir Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $4,251,400 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $68,322,944
  • Grant Range: $200 - $1,000,000
  • Median Grant: $5,000
  • Number of Grants: 142 (2023)
  • Geographic Focus: New York, Rhode Island, District of Columbia
  • Application Method: Invitation only - does not accept unsolicited applications

Contact Details

Address: C/o CL King Associates Inc, 9 Elk Street, Albany, NY 12207

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests and only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

The Candace King Weir Foundation (also known as the David and Candace Weir Foundation) is a private family foundation established in 1994 and granted tax-exempt status in December of that year. With assets exceeding $68 million and annual giving of approximately $4.2 million, the foundation supports a diverse portfolio of charitable organizations across education, arts and culture, environment, health, religion, and human services. The foundation is managed by three trustees—Candace K. Weir, Meredith Prime, and Amelia F. Weir—all of whom serve without compensation. The foundation operates on a trustee-discretion model, proactively identifying and selecting organizations to support rather than accepting applications from the public. Founder Candace King Weir is President and Chief Investment Officer of Paradigm Capital Management, Inc. in Albany, NY, and has been a leader in institutional money management since founding the firm in 1994.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs but makes discretionary grants across multiple focus areas. Grant amounts range from $200 to $1,000,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Awards are made throughout the year based on trustee decisions.

Priority Areas

The foundation supports organizations in the following areas:

  • Education: Including colleges, universities, and educational institutions (e.g., Vassar College - $250,000 in 2023)
  • Environment and Conservation: Land trusts and environmental organizations (e.g., Adirondack Land Trust - $800,000; Nature Conservancy, Block Island - $530,000 in 2023)
  • Arts and Culture: Museums and cultural institutions (e.g., Museum of Modern Art)
  • Public Broadcasting: Educational media organizations (e.g., WNET - $260,000; WETA - $250,000 in 2023)
  • Human Services: Organizations serving community needs
  • Health: Hospitals and healthcare organizations
  • Religion: Religious institutions and organizations
  • Philanthropy and Voluntarism: Grantmaking foundations and volunteer organizations

The foundation demonstrates particular interest in significant conservation projects, higher education, and public broadcasting, with some grants reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for these priorities.

What They Don't Fund

As a private foundation that only funds preselected organizations, the foundation does not consider unsolicited proposals from organizations with which the trustees do not already have a relationship.

Governance and Leadership

The foundation is governed by three trustees who serve without compensation:

  • Candace K. Weir: Founder and President. Ms. Weir is President and Chief Investment Officer of Paradigm Capital Management, Inc., an institutional money management firm she founded in 1994, and has been President and Director of CL King & Associates, Inc. since 1972. She was one of the first women to open her own institutional research firm focused on small companies. She holds a BA from Vassar College and serves on the boards of several non-profit cultural, healthcare, and public interest organizations. Ms. Weir is a recognized donor to organizations such as WETA's Inkwell Society, which supports programming by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

  • Meredith Prime: Trustee serving without compensation.

  • Amelia F. Weir: Trustee serving without compensation. Ms. Weir joined her mother in the investment management business and together they form one of the few mother-daughter fund management teams in the industry.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are made at the discretion of the trustees to organizations they have proactively identified and selected. The foundation operates on an invitation-only model typical of private family foundations.

Decision Timeline

As the foundation does not accept applications, there are no published decision timelines. Grants appear to be awarded throughout the year based on trustee meetings and decisions.

Success Rates

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Since this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, reviewing their grantmaking patterns reveals the following about their philanthropic approach:

  • Scale of Impact: The foundation makes grants ranging from small ($200) to very large ($1,000,000), suggesting they support both grassroots efforts and major institutional initiatives.

  • Environmental Conservation: Recent large grants to the Adirondack Land Trust ($800,000) and Nature Conservancy Block Island ($530,000) indicate a strong commitment to land conservation and environmental protection, particularly in the Northeast.

  • Educational Excellence: Support for Vassar College ($250,000) reflects a connection to Ms. Weir's alma mater and an interest in higher education institutions.

  • Cultural and Media Literacy: Significant grants to public broadcasting (WNET, WETA - each $250,000+) and museums (Museum of Modern Art) demonstrate commitment to cultural enrichment and educational media.

  • Geographic Focus: While the foundation supports organizations nationally, there is clear emphasis on New York, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia.

  • Diverse Portfolio: With 142 grants made in 2023, the foundation maintains a broad portfolio, supporting many organizations rather than concentrating funds on a few recipients.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Public Application Process: This foundation cannot be approached through traditional grant applications. They only fund preselected organizations.

  • Trustee-Driven Giving: All funding decisions are made proactively by the three trustees based on their interests and relationships.

  • Significant Assets: With over $68 million in assets and $4+ million in annual giving, this is a substantial funder when they choose to support an organization.

  • Wide Grant Range: Grants range from $200 to $1,000,000 with a median of $5,000, showing flexibility in grant sizes based on project and organizational needs.

  • Strong Environmental Focus: Recent large grants suggest conservation and land preservation are priority areas, particularly in the Northeast.

  • Education and Culture: Higher education and cultural institutions, especially public broadcasting and museums, receive significant support.

  • Personal Connections: Review of the trustees' backgrounds suggests that personal connections (such as Ms. Weir's Vassar College connection) may influence funding decisions.

  • Not Worth Cold Outreach: Organizations should not invest time in unsolicited proposals to this foundation, as they explicitly do not accept them.

References

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