William & Florence Wheeler Foundation
Bakersfield, CA · EIN 88-0233486. Reported 84 grants totalling $1,127,229 to 53 organizations across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. William & Florence Wheeler Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,500 and $16,450; the smallest was $500 and the largest $117,500. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Reigning Horse Association | Temecula, CA | $117,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Kern County | Bakersfield, CA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Garces Memorial High School | Bakersfield, CA | $75,463 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Alano Pintado Equine Health Foundation | Los Olivos, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Calm | Bakersfield, CA | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Mendiburu Magic Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Kern County Museum | Bakersfield, CA | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| California 4H Foundation | Davis, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Heritage Foundation | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Cmsf Heritage Foundation | Paso Robles, CA | $45,191 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Surfing for Hope | San Luis Obispo, CA | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Hoffmann Hospice | Bakersfield, CA | $36,500 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Jack's Helping Hand | San Luis Obispo, CA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| City Serve | Bakersfield, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bakersfield Museum of Art | Bakersfield, CA | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The Regents of the University of Calif | Santa Monica, CA | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Redwings Horse Sanctuary | Paso Robles, CA | $17,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Boy Scouts of America | Bakersfield, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Healing Futures | Bakersfield, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Reflections for Women Inc | Bakersfield, CA | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The African American Network of Kc | Bakersfield, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| California Reining Horse Association | Temecula, CA | $12,875 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| California Mid-State Fair Heritage | Paso Robles, CA | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bakersfield College Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Junior League of Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Blessing Corner Ministries | Bakersfield, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Regents of the University of California | Virginia Beach, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Frontier Ag Boosters Inc | Bakersfield, CA | $8,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Jim Burke Education Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $7,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Bakersfield Angels | Bakersfield, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters | San Diego, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| BSA Southern Sierra Council | Bakersfield, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cal Poly Animal Science | San Luis Obispo, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Careity | Forth Worth, TX | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Kathy's Legacy Foundation | Carlsbad, CA | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Saint Vincent De Paul | Bakersfield, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Tunnel to Towers Foundation | Staten Island, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Villagers Inc | Shafter, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Wounded Warriors Family Support | Omaha, CA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Woods Humane Society | San Luis Obispo, CA | $4,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Fresno Pacific University | Fresno, CA | $4,200 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Francis School Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $3,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| San Diego Youth Services | San Diego, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Stars Theatre | Bakersfield, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Plank Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Wesley House Student Residence Inc | San Diego, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Zoo to You | Paso Robles, CA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Juvenile Diabetes Foundation | Bakersfield, CA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Aqua-Nut Divers Inc | Boulder, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce | Bass Lake, CA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kern Around the Clock | Bakersfield, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Readyland Pre-School | Bakersfield, CA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
17 of 53 (32%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 39%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- California Reigning Horse Association
TO ADVANCE THE SPORT OF REINING WITH DEDICATION AND PASSION. - Calm
TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE WONDERS OF OUR LOCAL HABITAT. - Alano Pintado Equine Health Foundation
TO RESEARCH, DISCOVER AND SHARE ADVANCEMENTS IN EQUINE VETERINARY MEDICINE THAT WILL DIRECTLY IMPACT THE HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE OF THE HORSE. - Kern County Museum
TO SUPPORT OPERATIONS OF THE MUSEUM AND PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS, DOCUMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, STRUCTURES, COLLECTIONS AND OTHER SUCH ITEMS. - California 4H Foundation
TO ENGAGE YOUTH IN REACHING THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL WHILE ADVANCING THE FIELD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. - Cmsf Heritage Foundation
TO PRESERVE AND ENRICH THE HERITAGE OF THE 16TH DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION AND SHOWCASE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES TO THE COMMUNITY; TO OFFER SUPPORT TO THE 4-H AND FFA PROJECTS AND CREATE AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES; MAINTAIN A STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE IN THE FACILITIES AND CREATE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND TO SERVE AS AN ARM OF THE CALIFORNIA MID-STATE FAIR THAT CAN ACCEPT CHARITABLE DONATIONS.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 46 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 22 | $285,500 | $10,000 |
| 2021 | 18 | $246,633 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 18 | $270,455 | $5,000 |
| 2023 | 26 | $324,641 | $6,250 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 94% of this one's giving went to organizations in California. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in California.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from William & Florence Wheeler Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 5060 California Ave 800, Bakersfield, CA, 93309. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 88-0233486 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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