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The Wallace Foundation

Annual Giving
$61.4M
Grant Range
$1K - $1.9M

The Wallace Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $61.4 million
  • Total Assets: Over $1.4 billion
  • Decision Time: Extended timeline due to interdisciplinary review process
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $1,900,000
  • Average Grant: $400,000 over 2.8 years
  • Geographic Focus: National, with concentration in major urban centers (District of Columbia, New York, California)

Contact Details

Address: 140 Broadway, 49th Floor, New York, NY 10005

Phone: (212) 251-9700

Website: https://wallacefoundation.org

Email: Available through website contact forms

Overview

The Wallace Foundation traces its origins to DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace, co-founders of Reader's Digest. The earliest predecessor fund was established in 1965, with the current foundation formed in 2002 through the merger of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. With over $1.4 billion in assets and annual giving of approximately $61.4 million through 214 grants, Wallace is among the 50 largest private foundations in the United States. The foundation's mission is to "help all communities build a more vibrant and just future by fostering advances in the arts, education leadership, and youth development." Wallace distinguishes itself through "impact philanthropy," using an evidence-based approach that combines grantmaking with rigorous research and communications to generate insights that benefit the broader field. In 2025, Jean S. Desravines became president, succeeding Will Miller who led the foundation for over 11 years.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Wallace Foundation operates primarily through invitation-only grantmaking across three focus areas:

Arts (276 grants)

  • Arts education programming for young people
  • Building arts audiences and organizational capacity
  • Arts organization management and leadership
  • Grant range: $5,000 to $1,850,000
  • Example: National Public Radio received $1,850,000 for education and arts coverage (October 2025)
  • Example: Strada Collaborative LLC received $800,000 for a documentary about youth arts programs and career pathways (October 2025)

Education Leadership (262 grants)

  • Principal pipeline development
  • School leadership training and support
  • Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative in eight large school districts
  • Culturally responsive school leadership
  • Example: University of Maryland received $250,000 for School Improvement Leadership Academy (November 2025)

Youth Development (234 grants)

  • Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs
  • Summer learning and expanded learning opportunities
  • After-school program quality and access
  • Out-of-school time learning initiatives

Service to the Sector (146 grants)

  • Research organizations building knowledge in Wallace's focus areas
  • Policy and practice advancement
  • Professional learning communities

Application Method: Primarily invitation-only with occasional open RFPs posted on the website

Priority Areas

The foundation operates according to three core values that shape all funding decisions:

  • Equity: Embedding fairness within societal structures so all individuals can achieve their potential, with approaches tailored to local contexts
  • Evidence: Using data to drive meaningful change, with the philosophy "we say more only as we know more"
  • Partnership: Close working relationships with grantees to generate both local benefits and national insights

Geographic priorities include major urban centers, particularly District of Columbia (213 grants), New York (188 grants), California (104 grants), and Virginia (75 grants), with selective grants to underserved and rural areas.

What They Don't Fund

The Wallace Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals or "over-the-transom" requests. They proactively identify and invite organizations rather than responding to general applications.

While not explicitly stated, the foundation's focused strategy means they do not fund outside their three core areas of arts, education leadership, and youth development.

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

Mary Beth West - Board Chair

Board Members:

  • Jean S. Desravines (President)
  • Anne Dinneen
  • Richard L. Kauffman
  • Kent McGuire
  • Kim Nelson
  • Jorge Ruiz de Velasco
  • Amor H. Towles
  • Kelly Ungerman
  • Daniel H. Weiss
  • Kevin Young

Senior Leadership Team

Jean S. Desravines - President (joined 2025) Former President Will Miller praised Desravines for bringing "a spirit of humility and collaborative leadership."

Vice Presidents:

  • Bahia Ramos - Vice President, Arts
  • Rotunda Floyd-Cooper - Vice President, Education Leadership
  • Gigi Antoni - Vice President, Youth Development
  • Bronwyn Bevan - Vice President, Research
  • Robin V. Harris - Vice President, Communications

Executive Officers:

  • Ingrid Rasmussen - Chief Financial Officer
  • Talia Shaull - Chief Human Resources Officer
  • Jennifer Maimone-Medwick - General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
  • Brian O'Neil - Interim Chief Investment Officer

The foundation employs approximately 60 team members across program, research, communications, and administrative functions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

IMPORTANT: The Wallace Foundation does not have a public application process for most grants.

The foundation states clearly: "We do not fund over-the-transom requests for grants." Instead, Wallace proactively identifies prospective grantees and invites them to submit proposals through "requests for proposals" or other careful screening processes.

Open Opportunities: The foundation occasionally posts open Requests for Proposals (RFPs) on their website for both community-based organizations and researchers. These open calls are the only way to apply without an invitation. Check https://wallacefoundation.org/requests-proposals for current opportunities.

Three Categories of Grantees:

  1. Organizations developing and testing solutions to public problems
  2. Researchers commissioned to build sector knowledge
  3. Organizations that advance policy and practice changes

Decision Timeline

The decision timeline is notably longer than many peer foundations due to Wallace's interdisciplinary approach. Members from three units (program, research, and communications) gather together to make decisions based on programmatic priorities, requiring extensive review and coordination.

Organizations invited to submit proposals should expect:

  • Detailed planning phases with multi-institutional cooperation
  • Regular data collection and progress reporting requirements
  • Participation in formal research and evaluation
  • Involvement in "professional learning communities" for peer learning
  • Consultant support for unfamiliar tasks
  • Emphasis on candid communication and course corrections throughout the grant period

Reapplication Policy

Given the invitation-only model, traditional reapplication policies do not apply. Organizations are not restricted from future consideration if a previous proposal is unsuccessful. Wallace values learning from all partnerships and maintains ongoing relationships with organizations in their fields of interest. The best approach is to:

  • Monitor the website for occasional open RFPs
  • Build visibility and leadership in the relevant sector
  • Develop strong evidence of impact in arts, education leadership, or youth development

Application Success Factors

Alignment with Wallace's Theory of Change: Wallace seeks to create broader policy and practice improvements beyond individual grantee sustainability. They prioritize projects that can inspire long-term systemic changes and generate insights applicable across the field. Organizations should demonstrate how their work contributes to sector-wide learning, not just organizational benefit.

Evidence and Research Readiness: Wallace emphasizes that grantees should anticipate "detailed planning and multi-institutional cooperation" and "regular data collection and progress reports." Organizations must be prepared to participate in formal research and evaluation. The foundation operates on the principle "we say more only as we know more," so commitment to rigorous evidence-gathering is essential.

Commitment to Equity: The foundation explicitly embeds equity in all work, defining it as "fairness in social structures that allows people to reach their full potential." Recent initiatives include the Equity-Centered Pipeline Initiative focusing on principals who can "advance educational equity and lift student learning." Applications should demonstrate culturally responsive approaches tailored to local contexts.

Scale and Duration: Wallace grants average $400,000 over 2.8 years, substantially larger and longer than typical foundation grants ($150,000 over 2.3 years at peer foundations). Organizations must be prepared for multi-year commitments and the infrastructure to manage substantial funding, complex partnerships, and intensive evaluation requirements.

Focus on "Comprehensive" and "Aligned" Approaches: In education leadership, Wallace emphasizes that principal pipelines should be both "comprehensive" (covering a range of district actions) and "aligned" (actions reinforce one another). This systems-thinking approach applies across all program areas—Wallace looks for integrated strategies rather than isolated interventions.

Collaborative Mindset: Invited grantees participate in "professional learning communities" for peer exchange and receive consultant support for unfamiliar tasks. Organizations should demonstrate openness to collaboration, learning from peers, and willingness to share both successes and challenges candidly with the foundation and other grantees.

Communication and Course Correction: Wallace emphasizes "candid communication and course corrections" throughout grant periods. The foundation values honest reporting about challenges and adaptive approaches rather than predetermined rigid implementation plans.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Don't submit unsolicited proposals - Wallace uses an invitation-only model. Monitor their website for rare open RFPs or focus on building visibility in your field to potentially be identified and invited.

  • Think systems change, not just organizational sustainability - Wallace seeks to generate insights and inspire policy/practice changes that benefit entire fields, not just fund individual programs. Frame your work's contribution to broader sectoral learning.

  • Be prepared for intensive partnership requirements - Wallace grants demand significant infrastructure for multi-year partnerships, detailed planning, regular data collection, formal evaluation, and participation in learning communities. Ensure organizational capacity before pursuing Wallace funding.

  • Equity must be central and explicit - This isn't a peripheral consideration. Wallace embeds equity in all work and increasingly focuses on culturally responsive, justice-oriented approaches. Demonstrate how your work advances equity in concrete, measurable ways.

  • Evidence orientation is non-negotiable - If your organization isn't comfortable with rigorous research, evaluation, and public sharing of results (including lessons from failures), Wallace isn't the right funder. They operate on "we say more only as we know more."

  • Focus on the three core areas - Unless your work clearly advances arts, education leadership, or youth development (particularly their intersections), you won't align with Wallace's tightly focused strategy.

  • Geographic concentration matters - While national in scope, Wallace concentrates grants in major urban centers (DC, New York, California, Virginia). Organizations in these areas or working at national scale have stronger alignment.

References

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