William G. Irwin Charity Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- This foundation funds capital projects only, in California and Hawaii, with priority given to the Greater Bay Area and rarely anything in Southern California, so a grant writer should check that their need is a durable capital project such as building improvements, vehicles, programme equipment or technology, not operating or programme support, endowment drives, events, annual appeals, scholarships, medical research, planning or needs assessments, soft costs, staff time, software or website development, or items like insurance, gas, advertising wraps or warranties, all of which are excluded.
- It prioritises organisations providing basic needs such as shelter and food, medical facilities and private schools.
- Grant requests should generally fall under $200,000, particularly for first-time applicants, and across recent filings half of its grants to organisations were $100,000 or less, so a modest request fits best; only a fifth of its grant dollars went to organisations it had also funded in the prior two filings, suggesting it is open to new grantees rather than purely relationship-led.
- Applications are made online through the grants portal when the submission window is open, timed roughly four to six weeks before board meetings held about every three months, so plan ahead; the Foundation expects applicants to have raised about 75% of project funds before applying (or to be close to that by the board meeting or soon after), prefers at least one other funder to be supporting the capital project, favours equipment that will be used by or mostly benefit programme participants, and may delay funding until any lawsuits are resolved.
- If an application advances, expect a Trustee to arrange a phone call or site visit, and successful grantees must report at the end of the grant period with invoices, receipts or a financial statement plus two brief narrative responses.
Overview
William G. Irwin Charity Foundation is a US private foundation based in San Francisco, CA.
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 William G. Irwin Charity Foundation makes capital grants exclusively in California and Hawaii for durable capital projects. Examples include building improvements, vehicle requests, program equipment and technology needs. It prioritises organisations providing basic needs such as shelter and food, medical facilities and private schools, and primarily funds organisations serving the Bay Area and Hawaii. Most grants go to organisations serving the Greater Bay Area and Hawaii, while the Foundation rarely funds in Southern California. Eligible applicants are public charities with IRS 501(c)(3) status or organisations fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3). The Foundation does not provide operating or program support.
Themes
- Basic needs
- Medical facilities
- Private schools
Geographic Focus
California; Hawaii. Priority: Greater Bay Area.
What They Don't Fund
- Operating or program support
- Endowment drives
- Events
- General operating expenses
- Programmatic support
- Annual appeals
- Videos
- Medical research
- Scholarships
- Planning or needs assessments for capital projects
- Soft costs
- Staff time for project management
- Software or consultants to build out software projects
- Website development projects or software
- Insurance, gas, advertising on van (wrap-around printing), and warranties
How to apply
Apply online through the grants portal; new applications can be started only when the submission window is open.
Deadlines: Applications are due approximately four to six weeks before board meetings, which are held approximately every three months.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 20% 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 285 grants to organisations were $100,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- Applicants should raise 75% of project funds before applying; if they expect to reach that mark by the board meeting or soon after, they may apply then.
- The Foundation prefers organisations to have at least one additional funder supporting the capital project.
- Grant requests should generally fall under $200K, particularly for organisations that have never received a grant from the Foundation.
- The Foundation prioritises organisations providing basic needs, medical facilities and private schools.
- The Foundation prefers lawsuits to be resolved before approving funding and may delay an application until they are resolved.
- Equipment requests are prioritised when the equipment will be used by or mostly benefit programme participants.
- If an application advances, a Trustee will arrange a phone call or site visit to discuss the project.
- Grantees must report at the end of the grant period, including invoices or receipts or a financial statement and two brief narrative responses.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 3% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 20% of grant dollars went to organisations William G. Irwin Charity 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
How much do they typically give?
Share of 117 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Lumen Christi Academies of the Roman Catholic Diocese · Improvements to the plant to ensure safety and security at st. elizabeth school$400,0002024 tax year
- Children's Day School · Building dreams together: the campaign for childrens day school$300,0002024 tax year
- Saint Mary's Medical Center Foundation · Smmc adolescent behavioral health anti-ligature project$275,0002024 tax year
- San Francisco University High School · University high school california street campus$250,0002024 tax year
- Dynamic Community Solutions · 200 dwelling units - puuhonua o waianae capital campaign$250,0002024 tax year
- Ceres Community Project · The center for food, youth & community$250,0002024 tax year
- San Francisco University High School · University high school california street campus$250,0002024 tax year
- Child Start · Vallejo early learning center$200,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Michelle Sauger — Treasurer
- James F Zanze — Vice President
- Anthony O Zanze — President
- William L Olds III — Audit Committee Chair
- Jane Olds Bogart — Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $16,479,469 | $10,033,594 | $109,869,635 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $14,575,206 | $12,501,725 | $111,448,347 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $14,569,918 | $10,840,417 | $115,150,685 | 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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Applying to William G. Irwin Charity Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required