About Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
Grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness and create life-changing wishes that strengthen children and families.
Focus Areas
Children with critical illnessesHealth & medical supportFamily support and well‑being
Funding Style
general operating supportunrestricted/core fundingoperations fundingorganizational sustainability
Topics
general support for nonprofit operationscore administrative capacityoverhead and infrastructure fundingshort-term liquidity / working capital
About Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
Make-a-wish Foundation of America funds a nationwide network built around granting wishes for children diagnosed with critical illnesses. The recent grant record shows repeated, large operating and general-support awards to local Make-A-Wish affiliates, which points to a structure focused on sustaining chapter capacity rather than project-by-project awards. Among the largest recent grants, Mawf Southern Florida received $3,099,154 for operations in 2023, while Mawf Metro New York and Western New York received $2,859,036 for operations in both 2024 and 2025. Those awards sit alongside similarly sized support for affiliates in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, Illinois, New Jersey, and other regions. The foundation’s stated purpose is to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness and to create life-changing wishes that strengthen children and families. That mission is reflected in the way its giving is routed through local affiliates across the country. Recent grants also include general support to Mawf Greater Los Angeles, Mawf Colorado, and Mawf Central and Northern Florida, showing that the foundation backs both core operations and broader organizational needs at scale. With annual grants of more than $207 million and a 2025 filing on record, it operates as a major national grantmaker within the Make-A-Wish network.
What Make-A-Wish Foundation of America Funds
Children with critical illnesses are the central focus. The foundation gave $2,859,036 to Mawf Metro New York and Western New York for operations in 2025, and a similar amount in 2024, indicating sustained support for affiliate infrastructure serving that population. Operational strength is another clear theme. Mawf Illinois received $2,604,206 for general support in 2025 and $2,427,781 for funding for operations in the same year, showing that the foundation uses both unrestricted support and operating support to sustain chapter activity. Family support and well-being appear in the mission itself and in the way grants are structured around affiliates. Mawf North Texas received $1,865,497 for general support in 2025, while Mawf Southern Florida received $1,890,000 for general support in 2025, suggesting that local chapters are funded to maintain the services that support children and families. Health and medical support is reflected in the underlying purpose rather than a separate program line: the foundation’s grants are tied to granting wishes for children diagnosed with critical illness.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$105.1M
Total Assets
$116.7M
Total Revenue
$131M
Total Expenses
$125.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $360K and $1.2M, with a median of $725K.
25th Percentile
$360K
Median
$725K
75th Percentile
$1.2M
Geographic Reach
National42 states funded
About 3% of grants go to recipients in OR.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
LESLIE MOTTER
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