Betty Wold Johnson Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- This foundation funds a broad range of fields, including education, environment, public health, institutions and cultural centres, and community enrichment, so many types of nonprofit could in principle fit, though no geographic focus is stated.
- However, it only accepts applications by invitation and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity should not send in a speculative application; any approach would need to come through an existing connection.
- If invited, aim realistic expectations: about eight in ten of its 22 grants to organisations fall between $50,000 and $5,000,000, with a median grant of $250,000, so a mid-sized request in that region would be typical, though it has also made grants as large as $20,000,000.
- The very low repeat-giving share (under 1% of grant dollars to organisations also funded in the prior two filings) suggests it moves between different grantees rather than renewing the same relationships, so being funded once is no guarantee of being funded again, and a first approach is as plausible as a repeat one.
Overview
Betty Wold Johnson Foundation is a US private foundation based in West Palm Beach, FL.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation describes its purpose as cultivating initiatives that improve the American experience. Its published grantee list groups organisations under Education, Environment, Public Health, Institutions and Cultural Centers, and Community Enrichment. These stated headings show a broad portfolio spanning educational, environmental, public-health, institutional and cultural, and community-enrichment work. The foundation presents these as fields represented among its funded organisations; it does not set out a narrower single cause or a defined beneficiary group. Its materials do not describe geographic restrictions or the characteristics an organisation must meet to qualify.
Themes
- Education
- Environment
- Public health
- Institutions and cultural centres
- Community enrichment
Geographic Focus
No geographic focus is stated; the filings show grants mainly in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, less than 1% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 22 grants to organisations were $250,000 or less.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
5 other states: 2%
- The largest single recipient received 41% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, <1% of grant dollars went to organisations Betty Wold Johnson Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 6% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 19 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $300k (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Success Academy · General support$10,000,0002024 tax year
- Central Park Conservancy · General support$5,000,0002024 tax year
- Deerfield Academy · General support$5,000,0002024 tax year
- National Philanthropic Trust · General support$2,525,0002024 tax year
- Grounds for Sculpture · General support$2,000,0002024 tax year
- Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee · General support$1,000,0002024 tax year
- NRDC · General support$830,0002024 tax year
- Johnson Center for Child Health and Development · General support$800,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Lauren Howard — Secretary
- Theresa Altobelli — Treasurer
- Robert W Johnson IV — Co-President
- Christopher W Johnson — Co-President
- Ira Akselrad — President
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $21,068,604 | $20,000,000 | $474,689,467 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $978,650 | $306,000 | $741,310,866 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $29,532,560 | $28,886,000 | $855,779,268 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Betty Wold Johnson Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- lhoward@bwjf.org
- West Palm Beach, FL
- bwjf.org
Applying to Betty Wold Johnson Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- lhoward@bwjf.org
- West Palm Beach, FL
- bwjf.org