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William T and Frances A Little Foundation

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William T and Frances A Little Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Minimal/Variable (2023: $0 in grants; historical years varied)
  • Assets: $261.8 million (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not available
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: Not established - varies by year
  • Geographic Focus: No specific geographic limitations disclosed

Contact Details

Mailing Address:
501 Silverside Road
Wilmington, DE

Note: No website, phone number, or public email address is available for this foundation.

Overview

The William T and Frances A Little Foundation is a private non-operating foundation established in July 1999. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, with operational connections to Kalamazoo, Michigan, the foundation holds substantial assets of approximately $261.8 million as of 2024. The foundation is governed by a board of trustees led by Frances A. Little as President/Secretary. Despite significant assets and investment income, the foundation's grant-making activity has been minimal in recent years, with zero grants distributed in 2023. The foundation experienced a major influx of assets in 2024, receiving contributions of approximately $238 million, suggesting a significant estate transfer or major donation. The foundation's mission and strategic priorities are not publicly documented, making it challenging to identify specific focus areas or funding priorities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs or named funding streams. Grant-making appears to be discretionary and determined by the board of trustees on a case-by-case basis.

Important Note: The foundation made no grants in 2023, despite holding assets of nearly $24 million. Grant-making activity in prior years has been inconsistent and not publicly documented in detail.

Priority Areas

No specific priority areas or funding sectors have been publicly disclosed. The foundation has not published guidelines indicating subject matter preferences, geographic priorities, or organizational types they prefer to support.

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals: The foundation explicitly states that individuals are ineligible to receive grants or loans
  • No other specific exclusions are documented

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

  • Frances A Little - President, Secretary, and Trustee
  • Virginia S Little - Vice President and Trustee
  • James G Thompson - Treasurer and Trustee
  • James M Elsworth - Trustee
  • Joel W Weisman - Trustee
  • Andrew J Weisman - Trustee
  • Mark Donovan - Trustee
  • Shirley L Palmer - Honorary Trustee

Trustees receive minimal compensation (typically $500-$1,500 annually), indicating a family foundation structure with limited professional staffing.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a well-established public application process. While Form 990-PF filings indicate that applications should include "a brief description and budget for program that grant is intended to fund," there are no submission deadlines, online portals, or standardized application forms.

Given the foundation's dormant or minimal grant-making activity in recent years (zero grants in 2023) and lack of public contact information, it appears the foundation may operate primarily on an invitation-only basis or make grants at the discretion of trustees based on their personal knowledge of organizations.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly disclosed. Given the absence of formal application cycles or deadlines, decision timelines cannot be estimated.

Success Rates

Success rate data is not available. With zero grants made in 2023 and limited grant activity documented in recent years, the likelihood of securing funding appears to be very low for organizations without pre-existing relationships with the trustees.

Reapplication Policy

No reapplication policies have been publicly documented.

Application Success Factors

Given the limited public information and minimal recent grant activity, it is difficult to identify specific success factors. However, based on the foundation's structure and operations:

  • Personal Connections: As a family foundation with no public contact mechanisms, grants likely flow to organizations known to trustees personally or through their professional networks
  • Clear Project Budgets: The foundation has indicated preference for applications that include "brief description and budget for program"
  • Organizational Focus: Since individuals are ineligible, applications must come from qualified 501(c)(3) organizations
  • Timing Uncertainty: With no active grant cycles and zero grants in 2023, timing of applications appears immaterial

Critical Note: Prospective applicants should be aware that this foundation has made no grants in 2023 despite substantial assets, suggesting either a strategic pause in grant-making or a fundamental shift in the foundation's operations.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Very limited grant activity: The foundation made zero grants in 2023 despite holding nearly $24 million in assets, indicating minimal or dormant grant-making operations
  • No public application infrastructure: Absence of website, contact information, formal guidelines, or application deadlines suggests this foundation does not actively solicit applications
  • Family foundation structure: Leadership composition and minimal trustee compensation indicate private family control with discretionary grant-making
  • Recent significant asset increase: 2024 saw a major influx of $238 million, which may signal future changes in grant-making strategy, though this is speculative
  • Asset preservation focus: Recent financial activity suggests the foundation prioritizes investment management and asset growth over active philanthropic distribution
  • Proceed with caution: Organizations seeking funding should be aware that the likelihood of success appears very low without pre-existing trustee relationships
  • Consider alternatives: Given the lack of transparency and grant activity, grant writers should prioritize other funders with active, documented grant programs

References

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