Wallace H Coulter Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $16,364,150 (2023, per 990-PF)
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly available
• Grant Range: Varies widely; recent grants from $500,000 to $1,200,000 (per secondary sources)
• Geographic Focus: National (United States)
• Application Method: No public application process - invitation only/trustee discretion

Contact Details

Address: 790 NW 107th Avenue, Suite 215, Miami, FL 33172-3158
Phone: (305) 559-2991
Website: None specific to the Trust (associated with Wallace H. Coulter Foundation at whcf.org)

Note: The Trust does not accept unsolicited proposals or applications.

Overview

Note: The Trust's 2024 990-PF filing (filed November 2025, per ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer) reports $0 in net assets, indicating that the Trust has concluded its grant-making operations. The profile below is preserved for reference.

The Wallace H Coulter Trust was established in 1999 as a private foundation funded by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. The Trust operated as a distinct grant-making entity with approximately $12.9 million in assets (2023). Led by President and CEO Sue Van, the Trust focused exclusively on supporting Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) civic engagement organisations, as well as immigrant rights and social justice initiatives across the United States. The Trust awarded grants totalling $16,364,150 in fiscal year 2023 (per the 990-PF filing), making it a significant funder in the civic engagement and immigrant rights space. The Trust operated with no full-time employees and was funded by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, which was established from the estate of biomedical inventor Wallace H. Coulter (1913-1998).

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The Trust did not have formalised grant programmes with specific names or tiers. Instead, grants were awarded at the discretion of trustees to organisations aligned with the Trust's mission. Recent grant amounts included:

• Large-scale grants: $500,000 - $1,200,000 (for major national advocacy organisations)
• Grant distribution: Rolling/ongoing based on trustee decisions
• Application method: Invitation only - no public application process

Priority Areas

Civic Engagement for Underrepresented Communities:

• Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) civic engagement and voter participation
• American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) civic engagement initiatives
• Building capacity for grassroots organising in AAPI and AIAN communities

Immigrant Rights and Social Justice:

• Immigrant rights advocacy organisations
• Refugee rights and support
• Legal defence and education for immigrant communities
• Organisations working to "give voice" to Asian American communities

Community Capacity Building:

• Infrastructure and capacity building for underrepresented community organisations
• Supporting organisations that are "under-resourced, under-represented, and under-recognised"
• Collaboration and partnership building among AAPI and AIAN organisations

What They Don't Fund

The Trust did not fund:

• Biomedical research or translational research (this is the domain of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation)
• Higher education institutions
• Organisations outside the AAPI, AIAN, and immigrant rights focus areas
• International programmes
• Individual scholarships or fellowships

Governance and Leadership

Key Personnel

Sue Van - President and CEO
Sue Van served as the only president of both the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and the associated Trust since their establishment. Van worked for the Coulter Corporation since 1975 and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Coulter Corporation by 1997. She was initially hired in 1975 to manage Wallace Coulter's personal and business assets. Wallace Coulter placed extraordinary trust in her, leaving no further instruction regarding the disposition of his estate beyond saying, "Sue will know what to do."

Under Van's leadership, the Trust's grant strategy was clear: "Every grant from the Foundation was designed to support groups that were under-resourced, under-represented, and under-recognised."

Other Leadership:

• Wayne Barlin - Vice President, General Counsel (worked full-time without compensation)
• Susan Racher - Vice President, CFO (worked full-time without compensation)
• Susie Sands - Vice President, Asian Programmes (worked full-time without compensation)

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Wallace H Coulter Trust did not have a public application process. The Trust did not accept unsolicited proposals or applications for funding. Grants were awarded through trustee discretion to organisations with which the Trust maintained ongoing relationships or organisations identified by trustees and the parent Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

Grants appear to have been awarded based on:

• Pre-existing relationships with the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation
• Organisations identified through the Foundation's networks in AAPI and AIAN communities
• Trustee discretion and strategic alignment with the Trust's mission

Getting on Their Radar

Networking with Past Grantees:
According to Inside Philanthropy, "civic organisations that focus on Asian American immigrant communities may want to network with past grantees to get on Coulter's radar." Known grantees include:

• Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote
• National Urban Indian Family Coalition
• Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
• Asian Law Caucus of San Francisco
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Chicago and other locations)
• Asian American Federation
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center of San Francisco

Wallace H. Coulter Foundation Programmes:
The Trust was funded by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, which developed programmes like the "Coulter Conveners Program" that emphasised direct investment in states with AAPI populations, including states with small but growing communities. Organisations selected for such programmes may have had opportunities to develop relationships that could lead to Trust funding.

Decision Timeline

No public information is available about decision timelines, as the Trust did not accept applications. Grants appear to have been made on a rolling basis at trustee discretion.

Success Rates

Not applicable - the Trust did not accept unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the Trust did not accept unsolicited applications. Organisations appear to have received ongoing support through multi-year relationships rather than discrete application cycles.

Application Success Factors

Since the Trust did not accept public applications, traditional "success factors" do not apply. However, understanding what the Trust valued can help organisations position themselves with similar funders:

Organisations That Aligned With the Trust's Values:

• Underrepresented and under-resourced: The Trust explicitly sought to support "groups that were under-resourced, under-represented, and under-recognised"
• AAPI and AIAN focus: Organisations working specifically with Asian American/Pacific Islander or American Indian/Alaska Native communities
• Civic engagement orientation: Organisations that helped communities "participate in the democratic process in America through civic engagement"
• Comprehensive community support: Organisations that helped communities "reach out to their members and encourage them to become citizens, attend school, achieve post-secondary education, have a career or start a business to support their families"

Characteristics of Recent Grantees:

• National or multi-state reach in AAPI/AIAN communities
• Focus on voter engagement and civic participation
• Legal advocacy and defence for immigrant communities
• Capacity-building and infrastructure development
• Collaborative approaches and coalition-building

Wallace Coulter's Vision: The Trust reflected "the founder's interest in Asian cultures and a commitment to 'give voice' to Asian American communities across the U.S." Organisations that embodied this vision of amplifying underrepresented voices were most aligned with the Trust's mission.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• The Trust has concluded operations - The 2024 990-PF filing (filed November 2025, per ProPublica) shows $0 in net assets; the Trust is no longer making grants
• No public application process existed - The Trust awarded grants through trustee discretion and pre-existing relationships only
• Networking was essential - Building relationships with past grantees and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation was the primary pathway to potential funding
• Focus areas were specific - AAPI civic engagement, AIAN civic engagement, and immigrant rights were the core focus areas; organisations outside these areas would not be considered
• Grant amounts were substantial - Recent grants ranged from $500,000 to over $1 million, indicating the Trust made significant investments in aligned organisations
• Trust was connected to larger Foundation - The Wallace H Coulter Trust was funded by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation; understanding the Foundation's broader programmes (particularly "Sharing the American Dream") provides context for the Trust's priorities
• Limited life foundation - The parent Wallace H. Coulter Foundation operated as a limited life foundation with "a sense of urgency to create impactful grant programmes"; the Trust has now concluded its operations

References

• Wallace H Coulter Trust profile, Cause IQ: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/wallace-h-coulter-trust,656310670/ (Accessed January 2026)
• Wallace H. Coulter Foundation official website: https://www.whcf.org/ (Accessed January 2026)
• "Wallace H. Coulter Foundation," Inside Philanthropy: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-c/wallace-h-coulter-foundation (Accessed January 2026)
• Wallace H Coulter Trust, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/656310670 (Accessed January 2026)
• Wallace H Coulter Foundation, InfluenceWatch: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/wallace-h-coulter-foundation/ (Accessed January 2026)
• Wallace H. Coulter Trust, InfluenceWatch: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/wallace-h-coulter-trust/ (Accessed January 2026)
• "Sue Van, President of Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, Becomes A Committee of 100 Member," Committee of 100: https://www.committee100.org/media-center/sue-van-president-of-wallace-h-coulter-foundation-becomes-a-committee-of-100-member/ (Accessed January 2026)
• Wallace H Coulter Foundation, Candid Foundation Directory: https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?collection=grantmakers&key=COUL010 (Accessed January 2026)