The Wimmer Family Foundation focuses its giving on Pittsburgh-area educational institutions and Jewish communal organizations, directing the bulk of its support to a small set of repeat grantees. Most dollars go to a private K–12 school and a local Catholic university, alongside significant gifts to Jewish federations, indicating a mix of private education and Jewish community support as priorities. Grants are large and concentrated rather than widely distributed, suggesting targeted institutional philanthropy.
The Phillip H Wimmer and Betty L Wimmer Family Foundation’s giving is centered on a small set of repeat Pittsburgh institutions, with Shady Side Academy and Duquesne University appearing across multiple years and taking some of the foundation’s largest recent awards. That pattern points to a highly concentrated local grantmaker rather than a broad, open-ended one. The foundation also makes substantial gifts to Jewish communal organizations in Pittsburgh, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and United Jewish Federation, which sit alongside its education support as a defining part of its portfolio. Recent grants show the foundation backing both core operations and institutional priorities. Shady Side Academy received $60,000 in 2023 and $50,000 in both 2024 and 2025. Duquesne University received $50,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Jewish community funding is also prominent, with $55,000 to United Jewish Federation in 2024 and $50,000 to Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in 2025. The overall picture is of a family foundation supporting established local organizations through repeated, sizable grants.
Education is a major theme in the Phillip H Wimmer and Betty L Wimmer Family Foundation’s portfolio. Shady Side Academy received $60,000 in 2023, then $50,000 in 2024 and 2025, showing sustained support for a private K–12 school. Duquesne University also received $50,000 in each of 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating repeated university support over several grant cycles. The foundation also funds Jewish communal life in Greater Pittsburgh. It gave $55,000 to United Jewish Federation in 2024 and $50,000 to Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in 2025. Beyond those core institutions, it has supported community-serving organizations such as Classrooms Without Borders with $20,000 in 2023, $15,000 in 2024, and $10,000 in 2025, and the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh with $12,500 in 2025.
Typical grants are modest to mid-sized by foundation standards: the 25th percentile is $1,000, the median is $2,500, and the 75th percentile is $8,125. The distribution suggests many smaller awards, even though the recent-grants list shows a handful of much larger, repeated gifts to core institutions. The pattern is clearly recurring rather than one-off: Duquesne University, Shady Side Academy, Classrooms Without Borders, Carnegie Mellon University, and National Ms Society Western PA each appear in multiple years. The foundation is a family foundation and does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
$264K
$4.3M
$250K
$338K
Most grants fall between $1K and $8K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$8K
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Concentrated giving: few, relatively large gifts with multiple repeat grants to the same local institutions rather than many small, diverse awards.
Notable grantees: Shady Side Academy, Duquesne University, United Jewish Federation, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
Giving is overwhelmingly local and concentrated in Pennsylvania. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, and 98% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s top giving state, PA. Pittsburgh is the main recipient city across the portfolio, including grants to Duquesne University, Shady Side Academy, United Jewish Federation, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh. Outside Pittsburgh, recent grants also reached Washington, PA, through the Timothy E Nettles Memorial Fund, and New York, NY, through Soho Playhouse.
Its recent grants favor Pittsburgh-area educational institutions and Jewish communal organizations. Shady Side Academy and Duquesne University recur across multiple years, while Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and United Jewish Federation also receive substantial support. Community-serving groups in Pittsburgh appear as smaller, supplemental grantees.
Yes. Several grantees appear in multiple years, including Duquesne University in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Shady Side Academy in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Classrooms Without Borders in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern shows a strong tendency toward recurring support.
The typical grant size is $1,000 at the 25th percentile, $2,500 at the median, and $8,125 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards include both smaller gifts and larger institutional grants, but the central tendency is a low-thousands range.
Its giving is local and heavily concentrated in Pennsylvania. 98% of grants go to recipients in PA, and the recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. Pittsburgh is the dominant recipient city, with occasional grants elsewhere in Pennsylvania and one recent New York, NY grant.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| SHADY SIDE ACADEMY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| CLASSROOMS WITHOUT BORDERS | PITTSBURGH, PA | $15,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| JCC OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $12,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| 412 GIVES BACK | WEXFORD, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| NATIONAL MS SOCIETY WESTERN PA | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| CARNEGIE MUSEUMS OF PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $6,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| PROJECT DESTINY INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| CITY OF ALIQUIPPA | ALIQUIPPA, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICE | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| MIAMI WATERKEEPER | CORAL GABLES, FL | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| POINT PARK UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| UPMC HILLMAN CANCER CENTER | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| FERN HOLLOW NATURE CENTER | SEWICKLEY, PA | $2,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| UPMC DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| THE BRANCH INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| THE LARIMER CONSENSUS GROUP | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| PARKINSON CHAPTER OF WESTERN PA | BELLEVUE, PA | $1,500 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| RODEF SHALOM CONGREGATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| NUCCI-FINNY SCHOLARSHIP FUND | MCKEES ROCKS, PA | $1,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| YESHIVA SCHOOLS OF PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,000 | 2026 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| SHADY SIDE ACADEMY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| NATIONAL MS SOCIETY WESTERN PA | PITTSBURGH, PA | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JCC OF GREATER PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $12,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CLASSROOMS WITHOUT BORDERS | PITTSBURGH, PA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| EASTERN ATLANTIC STATES REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS | PITTSBURGH, PA | $7,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MIAMI WATERKEEPER | CORAL GABLES, FL | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| PROJECT DESTINY INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MAKE A WISH GREATER PENNSYLVANIA AND WEST VIRGINIA INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICE | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UPMC HILLMAN CANCER CENTER | PITTSBURGH, PA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| PITTSBURGH ZOO AND AQUARIUM | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| FERN HOLLOW NATURE CENTER | SEWICKLEY, PA | $2,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UPMC DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE DISTRICT ASSOCIATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,250 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE BRANCH INC | PITTSBURGH, PA | $2,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| WOMEN'S COM CARNEGIE MUS OF ART | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| PARKINSON CHAPTER OF WESTERN PA | BELLEVUE, PA | $1,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RODEF SHALOM CONGREGATION | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| TREE OF LIFE PGH RRR CAMPAIGN | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE | PITTSBURGH, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| NUCCI-FINNY SCHOLARSHIP FUND | MCKEES ROCKS, PA | $1,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY
$50,000CHARITABLE
SHADY SIDE ACADEMY
$50,000CHARITABLE
CLASSROOMS WITHOUT BORDERS
$15,000CHARITABLE
JCC OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
$12,500CHARITABLE
412 GIVES BACK
$10,000CHARITABLE
NATIONAL MS SOCIETY WESTERN PA
$10,000CHARITABLE
CARNEGIE MUSEUMS OF PITTSBURGH
$6,000CHARITABLE
CITY OF ALIQUIPPA
$5,000CHARITABLE
POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
$5,000CHARITABLE
UPMC HILLMAN CANCER CENTER
$2,500CHARITABLE
FERN HOLLOW NATURE CENTER
$2,500CHARITABLE
UPMC DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY
$2,500CHARITABLE
THE BRANCH INC
$2,000CHARITABLE
THE LARIMER CONSENSUS GROUP
$1,500CHARITABLE
PARKINSON CHAPTER OF WESTERN PA
$1,500CHARITABLE
RODEF SHALOM CONGREGATION
$1,000CHARITABLE
NUCCI-FINNY SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$1,000CHARITABLE
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY
$50,000CHARITABLE
SHADY SIDE ACADEMY
$50,000CHARITABLE
NATIONAL MS SOCIETY WESTERN PA
$15,000CHARITABLE
JCC OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
$12,500CHARITABLE
CLASSROOMS WITHOUT BORDERS
$10,000CHARITABLE
EASTERN ATLANTIC STATES REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS
$7,500CHARITABLE
UPMC HILLMAN CANCER CENTER
$5,000CHARITABLE
PITTSBURGH ZOO AND AQUARIUM
$2,500CHARITABLE
FERN HOLLOW NATURE CENTER
$2,500CHARITABLE
UPMC DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY
$2,500CHARITABLE
THE DISTRICT ASSOCIATION
$2,250CHARITABLE
THE BRANCH INC
$2,000CHARITABLE
WOMEN'S COM CARNEGIE MUS OF ART
$1,500CHARITABLE
PARKINSON CHAPTER OF WESTERN PA
$1,500CHARITABLE
RODEF SHALOM CONGREGATION
$1,000CHARITABLE
TREE OF LIFE PGH RRR CAMPAIGN
$1,000CHARITABLE
FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE
$1,000CHARITABLE
NUCCI-FINNY SCHOLARSHIP FUND
$1,000CHARITABLE