The Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation concentrates its giving on a small slate of large gifts, with a clear emphasis on supporting Israel-focused institutions and Jewish higher education through endowments and U.S.-based friends’ organizations. Most grants are unrestricted or general charitable contributions to established nonprofits and philanthropic vehicles, and several recipients receive repeat support, indicating long-term relationships rather than one-off gifts.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a few institutions with repeat grants to the same organizations; primarily large, unrestricted charitable donations rather than many small grants.
A $950,500 charitable contribution to See Attachment A anchors the Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation’s recent grant record and shows the scale at which it operates. The foundation gives primarily through large charitable donations and often uses established nonprofit intermediaries or U.S.-based friends’ organizations connected to Israel-focused causes and Jewish higher education. Recent gifts include $540,000 to PEF Israel Endowment Funds and $200,000 to American Friends of Tel Aviv University, alongside additional support to the same recipients in other years. That pattern points to a small set of long-running relationships rather than broad, one-time dispersal. Smaller grants appear as well, including gifts to Jewish cultural, educational, and community organizations, but the overall shape of the portfolio is defined by a handful of substantial awards. Several recipients recur across 2024 and 2025, including PEF Israel Endowment Funds, American Friends of Tel Aviv University, Yiddish Book Center, Oshman Family Jcc, Kdfc, and Kqed, suggesting continuity in how the foundation allocates its philanthropy.
The foundation’s largest identifiable cause area is endowment and legacy support for Israel-focused philanthropy. It gave $540,000 to PEF Israel Endowment Funds in 2025 and $531,000 in 2024, showing repeated support at a high level. It also backs Israeli higher education through U.S.-based friends’ organizations, including $200,000 to American Friends of Tel Aviv University in 2025 and $100,000 in 2024. Beyond those core areas, the foundation made $50,000 to US Friends of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute in 2025 and $40,000 to Van Leer Jerusalem Institute in 2024, linking its giving to Jerusalem-based academic and policy work. It also gave $40,000 to Israel Democracy Fund in 2025, indicating support for civic and public-interest work connected to Israel.
Typical grant size is highly uneven: p25 is $875, median is $2,250, and p75 is $112,500, which reflects a mix of many small grants and a few very large ones. The recent record shows repeat support across years rather than isolated awards; multiple recipients appear in both 2024 and 2025, including PEF Israel Endowment Funds and American Friends of Tel Aviv University. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent gifts are charitable donations or charitable contributions, often to established nonprofits and philanthropic vehicles.
$1.1M
$26.2M
$749K
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $875 and $113K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$875
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$113K
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Notable grantees: PEF Israel Endowment Funds, American Friends of Tel Aviv University, The Good People Fund, See Attachment A (large multi-hundred-thousand-dollar recipient)
Giving is national, with all recent grants in the United States. New York is the top state by grant count, and 35% of grants went to recipients in California, the foundation’s headquarters state. Recipient cities that appear repeatedly include New York, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Other recipient locations include Arlington, Washington, Millburn, Amherst, Springfield, and Skokie, showing a broad U.S. footprint rather than a single metro focus.
Its recent grants center on Israel-focused institutions, Jewish higher education, and Jewish cultural or community organizations. Examples in the record include PEF Israel Endowment Funds, American Friends of Tel Aviv University, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Yiddish Book Center, Oshman Family Jcc, Jewishgen, Kdfc, and Kqed.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including PEF Israel Endowment Funds in 2024 and 2025, American Friends of Tel Aviv University in 2024 and 2025, Yiddish Book Center in 2024 and 2025, Oshman Family Jcc in 2024 and 2025, and Kdfc and Kqed in both years.
The grant-size distribution is uneven. The p25 grant is $875, the median is $2,250, and the p75 is $112,500. That pattern indicates many small gifts alongside a smaller number of much larger awards.
The foundation gives nationally, with all recent grants in the United States. New York is the top state by grant count, and 35% of grants went to recipients in California, the headquarters state. Recipient cities in the record include New York, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $710,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| US FRIENDS OF THE VAN LEER JERUSALEM INSTITUTE | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ISRAEL DEMOCRACY FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $80,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| CRARG | SPRINGFIELD, OH | $3,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| GEMACH HARABBONIM | SKOKIE, IL | $3,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| YIDDISH BOOK CENTER | AMHERST, MA | $1,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| OSHMAN FAMILY JCC | PALO ALTO, CA | $1,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| KDFC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $250 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250 | 2026 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $540,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $200,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| US FRIENDS OF THE VAN LEER JERUSALEM INSTITUTE | ARLINGTON, VA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| ISRAEL DEMOCRACY FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| YIDDISH BOOK CENTER | AMHERST, MA | $1,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| OSHMAN FAMILY JCC | PALO ALTO, CA | $1,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| JEWISHGEN | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| KDFC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $250 | 2025 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS | NEW YORK, NY | $531,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| THE GOOD PEOPLE FUND | MILLBURN, NJ | $150,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY | NEW YORK, NY | $100,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| VAN LEER JERUSALEM INSTITUTE | ARLINGTON, VA | $40,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| CRARG | SPRINGFIELD, OH | $2,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| LEV ZAHAV NFP | SKOKIE, IL | $2,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| YIDDISH BOOK CENTER | AMHERST, MA | $1,500 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| OSHMAN FAMILY JCC | PALO ALTO, CA | $1,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| KDFC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $250 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| KQED | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $250 | 2024 | CHARITABLE DONATION |
| SEE ATTACHMENT A | SEE ATTACHMENT A, CA | $950,500 | 2023 | CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION |
PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS
$710,000CHARITABLE DONATION
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
$200,000CHARITABLE DONATION
US FRIENDS OF THE VAN LEER JERUSALEM INSTITUTE
$100,000CHARITABLE DONATION
ISRAEL DEMOCRACY FUND
$80,000CHARITABLE DONATION
CRARG
$3,000CHARITABLE DONATION
GEMACH HARABBONIM
$3,000CHARITABLE DONATION
YIDDISH BOOK CENTER
$1,500CHARITABLE DONATION
OSHMAN FAMILY JCC
$1,000CHARITABLE DONATION
KDFC
$250CHARITABLE DONATION
KQED
$250CHARITABLE DONATION
PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS
$540,000CHARITABLE DONATION
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
$200,000CHARITABLE DONATION
US FRIENDS OF THE VAN LEER JERUSALEM INSTITUTE
$50,000CHARITABLE DONATION
ISRAEL DEMOCRACY FUND
$40,000CHARITABLE
YIDDISH BOOK CENTER
$1,500CHARITABLE DONATION
OSHMAN FAMILY JCC
$1,000CHARITABLE DONATION
JEWISHGEN
$500CHARITABLE DONATION
KQED
$250CHARITABLE DONATION
KDFC
$250CHARITABLE DONATION
PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS
$531,000CHARITABLE DONATION
THE GOOD PEOPLE FUND
$150,000CHARITABLE DONATION
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
$100,000CHARITABLE DONATION
VAN LEER JERUSALEM INSTITUTE
$40,000CHARITABLE DONATION
CRARG
$2,500CHARITABLE DONATION
LEV ZAHAV NFP
$2,000CHARITABLE DONATION
YIDDISH BOOK CENTER
$1,500CHARITABLE DONATION
OSHMAN FAMILY JCC
$1,000CHARITABLE DONATION
KDFC
$250CHARITABLE DONATION
KQED
$250CHARITABLE DONATION
SEE ATTACHMENT A
$950,500CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION