Wilson Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 84-3582646 · since 2020wilsonfdn.org·Rochester·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$1.1M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$10,000 to $100k

Grant range

From the funder's website

$40,000

Typical grant (median)

26 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Foundation's stated geographic focus is Rochester, NY, and its themes are housing stability, trauma-informed practices, and racial equity and justice, so work with a systems-change approach in those areas is the best fit.
Most of its grants are modest: half of its 80 grants to organisations across the filings were $40,000 or less, and its grants have ranged from $10,000 to $100,000, so a request near the lower end, agreed with the Executive Director, is realistic.
Start by contacting the Executive Director, as the Foundation invites, because a code from that person is needed to open a written or video proposal on the online grants portal, and check when the application process is open, which is once or twice a year.
The Foundation builds relationships with organisations and gives repeat funding: 61% of its grant dollars to organisations in the latest filing went to groups it had funded in the two filings before, which is a share of dollars, not of grants, so newer applicants should still expect a relationship-led process.
The Foundation does not fund individuals, partisan political organisations, or lobbying as IRS rules define it, so those should not apply.

Overview

Wilson Foundation is a US private foundation based in Rochester, NY.

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 Wilson Foundation aims to affect poverty and support upward mobility for young people and families in Rochester, New York, by increasing housing stability and trauma-informed practices. It funds eligible non-profit organisations working in Rochester and supports work that uses capacity building, collaboration, prevention or advocacy to change inequitable and unjust systems. Its strategic grants seek to build power for marginalised groups, including through relationships with collective action groups and grassroots organisations, and by listening to individuals and families focused on or affected by poverty. The Foundation also identifies racial equity and justice as an emphasis in its community investments. Its work centres on helping families stabilise and secure and maintain housing.

Themes

Housing stability
Trauma-informed practices
Racial equity and justice

Geographic Focus

Rochester, NY.

What They Don't Fund

Individuals
Partisan political organizations
Lobbying as defined by IRS rules

How to apply

Written or video proposals are submitted through the online grants portal; a code from the Executive Director is required to initiate a proposal.

Deadlines: The application process opens once or twice per year.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 61% 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 80 grants to organisations were $40,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

Applicants should verify that their organisation aligns with the mission and uses the Foundation’s systems-change approaches.
Prospective applicants are invited to contact the Executive Director to discuss their work in greater detail.
Applicants should discuss their requested grant amount with the Executive Director, who knows the remaining budget and recently recommended grant sizes.
The Foundation builds relationships with organisations committed to building power for marginalised groups and listens closely to grassroots and collective action groups and people affected by poverty.
Recipients must keep accurate expenditure records and are often required to submit a progress report around one year after a grant starts.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

New York100%

The largest single recipient received 7% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 61% of grant dollars went to organisations Wilson Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
<1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

26 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $40,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 26 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$10k–$25k12%

$25k–$50k58%

$50k–$100k27%

$100k–$250k4%

Median $40,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Connected Communities · Beechwood family apartments
$100,0052024 tax year
Empire Justice Center · Affordable housing and lending advoc
$80,0052024 tax year
Hope585 · General operating expenses
$80,0002024 tax year
Commonground Health · Healer's village
$65,0002024 tax year
Multi-Craft Apprenticeship Preparation Program · Utr ministries comm vanguard prog
$60,0502024 tax year
House of Mercy · General operating expenses
$60,0002024 tax year
Ywca Of Rochester & Monroe County · Housing program
$50,0002024 tax year
Person Centered Housing · Housing first & care mgt program
$50,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Isabelle Tabah — Director
Rachel Sherman — Executor Director
Emma Donahue — Director
Chris Kling — Director
Emily Wilson — Director
Samantha Wilson — Director
Deirdre Garton — Director
Deirdre Hart Wilson — Director
Alexandra Wilson — Director
Olivia Tabah — Director
Joseph Robert Wilson — Director
Benjamin Tabah — Director
Joan Donahue — Secretary
Taylor Ensign — Director
Elenore Garton — Treasurer
Marie Mimi Tabah — Director
R Scott Wilson — Chairperson
Jessa Mcintosh — Director

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$1,572,139	$1,057,055	$20,229,551	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$1,395,438	$945,055	$21,463,381	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$1,573,852	$1,105,075	$22,485,392	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.