The Wana Brands Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on advancing scientific research into cannabis and cannabinoids, with a clear emphasis on clinical and psychiatric applications. Their sole reported grant supports a leading academic medical center’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, indicating a preference for rigorous, university-based research partnerships over broad community or service funding.
The Wana Brands Foundation’s largest reported grant in 2025 went to Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for cannabis and cannabinoid research. That award sits alongside a second Johns Hopkins grant for psychedelic research, showing a clear preference for academic medical research over broad service funding. The foundation’s reported giving is centered on Colorado and is tied to a small set of issue areas that blend scientific study with community support. Recent grants also show support for Colorado-based organizations working on belonging, leadership, and direct services. CCD Foundation received funding for scholarships, belonging, leadership, and support services, while Unlimited Sciences received general operating support in Colorado Springs. Other grants in the recent list include support for mental health, homelessness response, food access, and advocacy organizations, but the research relationship remains the most distinctive thread in the foundation’s public record. The foundation is a private foundation with annual grants of $4,509,075 and total assets of $55,766,283 on file for 2025. Its grantmaking appears local in scope, with all reported grants going to recipients in Colorado.
In cannabis and cannabinoid research, the foundation gave $400,000 to Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences for support of cannabis and cannabinoid research. A separate $200,000 grant to the same department supported psychedelic research, indicating a strong academic-research orientation. Its community-facing giving includes $200,000 to CCD Foundation for scholarships, belonging, leadership, and support services. That suggests interest in leadership development and educational support alongside research. The foundation also funded general operating needs for nonprofit partners, including $100,000 to The Delores Project and $75,000 to Sensible Colorado. Those grants place housing-related support and cannabis policy work within the same broader portfolio. A further $87,500 capital campaign grant to We Don’t Waste Inc shows some support for organizational infrastructure as well as program delivery.
The reported grant sizes cluster around mid-six-figure and low-six-figure awards, with the largest at $400,000 and several grants at $200,000, $150,000, and $100,000. The foundation is a private foundation and a regular funder, not a DAF. Its recent record shows repeated support for the same Johns Hopkins department across two separate 2025 grants, pointing to ongoing institutional relationships rather than one-off awards. Public materials do not show an unsolicited application process, and the listed active programs also indicate no public application route.
$4.5M
$55.8M
-$3.7M
$5M
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Highly concentrated giving: a single large grant to a top-tier academic institution, suggesting strategic, targeted investments in scholarly research rather than many small or distributed awards.
Notable grantees: Johns Hopkins University (Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences)
Giving is concentrated in Colorado, which accounts for 100% of reported grants and is the top state by grant count. Denver appears often in the recent list, alongside Boulder and Colorado Springs. Outside Colorado, the recent recipient cities include Baltimore, Tulsa, Brooklyn, Pontiac, Washington, Los Angeles, Reston, Jersey City, Chicago, Durham, New York, and Boston. No non-U.S. recipient countries appear in the grant record.
The clearest pattern is support for cannabis and cannabinoid research, especially through academic psychiatry. The recent record also includes psychedelic research, scholarships and leadership support, general operating grants for nonprofits, and some capital campaign funding.
No reported grants go outside Colorado: the recipient country distribution is 100% U.S., and 100% of grants are to recipients in Colorado. The recent list still shows some Colorado recipients in different cities, including Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs.
Recent grants range from $44,000 to $400,000. Several awards are at $100,000 or above, including multiple $150,000 and $200,000 grants, which suggests a preference for substantial institutional grants.
The active program listings do not show a public application process, and they are marked as not accepting unsolicited requests. The foundation’s recent record also looks relationship-based, with repeated support for the same academic department.
The recent list includes general operating support, capital campaign support, scholarships and leadership support services, and research grants. The research awards went to Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, while other grants supported nonprofit operating needs and organizational infrastructure.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University 2024 | Baltimore, MD | $400,000 | 2025 | To benefit the Department of Pyschiatry and Behaviorial Sciences in support of cannabis and cannabinoid research |
| 4MyCiTy Inc | Baltimore, MD | $200,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Oasis Fresh Foundation | Tulsa, OK | $200,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| CCD Foundation | Denver, CO | $200,000 | 2025 | Scholarships, Belonging, Leadership and Support Services |
| Johns Hopkins University 2024 | Baltimore, MD | $200,000 | 2025 | To benefit the Department of Pyschiatry and Behaviorial Sciences in support of psychedelic research |
| Boulder Pride dba Out Boulder County | Boulder, CO | $150,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| The Loveland Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $150,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| One Colorado Education Fund | Denver, CO | $150,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| South Oakland Shelter dba Lighthouse MI | Pontiac, MI | $150,000 | 2025 | Capital Campaign |
| Colorado Nonprofit Development Center FBO Man Therapy | Denver, CO | $140,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Unlimited Sciences | Colorado Springs, CO | $112,500 | 2025 | General Operating |
| The Delores Project | Denver, CO | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| National Breast Cancer Coalition | Washington, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Friends of Levitt Pavilion Denver | Denver, CO | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Our Academy | Los Angeles, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| FAST Blackfeet | Browning, MT | $100,000 | 2025 | Capital Campaign |
| Healthcare Without Harm | Reston, VA | $100,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| We Don't Waste Inc | Denver, CO | $87,500 | 2025 | Capital Campaign |
| Southern Vision Alliance | Durham, NC | $75,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| ReFED Inc | Chicago, IL | $75,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Coalition for Food and Health Equity | Jersey City, NJ | $75,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Sensible Colorado | Denver, CO | $75,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence | Boulder, CO | $65,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| NY Community Fridge Corp DBA Grassroots Grocery | New York, NY | $60,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Accelerate Change | Boston, MA | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Youth on Record | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Colorado Nonprofit Development Center FBO Backpack Dreams | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| The Blue Bench | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Ardent Grove Foundation | Denver, CO | $50,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Outdoor Alliance | Washington, DC | $44,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Denver Film Society | Denver, CO | $35,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Youth Seen | Denver, CO | $35,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Essential Partners Inc | Gloucester, MA | $31,250 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Growing Home | Chicago, IL | $30,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Arvada Community Food Bank (Community Table) | Arvada, CO | $30,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Waste Not | Scottsdale, AZ | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| The Chanda Center for Health | Lakewood, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Covered Colorado | Aurora, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Expunge Colorado | Lakewood, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Realm of Caring Foundation | Colorado Springs, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Protect Our Winters | Boulder, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| The Chanda Center for Health | Lakewood, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Last Prisoner Project | Denver, CO | $25,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Stout Street Foundation | Commerce City, CO | $23,500 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Evergreen Christian Outreach (EChO) | Evergreen, CO | $20,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Arizona Food Bank Network | Phoenix, AZ | $20,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| The Montana Community Foundation | Helena, MT | $20,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
| Medicine Horse Program | Longmont, CO | $20,000 | 2025 | In support of youth substance abuse program and space heaters for outdoor programming |
| Oasis Fresh Foundation | Tulsa, OK | $20,000 | 2025 | Capital Campaign |
| HG Alliance | Reno, NV | $20,000 | 2025 | General Operating |
Johns Hopkins University 2024
$400,000To benefit the Department of Pyschiatry and Behaviorial Sciences in support of cannabis and cannabinoid research
4MyCiTy Inc
$200,000General Operating
Oasis Fresh Foundation
$200,000General Operating
CCD Foundation
$200,000Scholarships, Belonging, Leadership and Support Services
Johns Hopkins University 2024
$200,000To benefit the Department of Pyschiatry and Behaviorial Sciences in support of psychedelic research
Boulder Pride dba Out Boulder County
$150,000General Operating
The Loveland Foundation
$150,000General Operating
One Colorado Education Fund
$150,000General Operating
South Oakland Shelter dba Lighthouse MI
$150,000Capital Campaign
Colorado Nonprofit Development Center FBO Man Therapy
$140,000General Operating
Unlimited Sciences
$112,500General Operating
The Delores Project
$100,000General Operating
National Breast Cancer Coalition
$100,000General Operating
Friends of Levitt Pavilion Denver
$100,000General Operating
Our Academy
$100,000General Operating
FAST Blackfeet
$100,000Capital Campaign
Healthcare Without Harm
$100,000General Operating
We Don't Waste Inc
$87,500Capital Campaign
Southern Vision Alliance
$75,000General Operating
ReFED Inc
$75,000General Operating
Coalition for Food and Health Equity
$75,000General Operating
Sensible Colorado
$75,000General Operating
Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence
$65,000General Operating
NY Community Fridge Corp DBA Grassroots Grocery
$60,000General Operating
Accelerate Change
$50,000General Operating
Youth on Record
$50,000General Operating
Colorado Nonprofit Development Center FBO Backpack Dreams
$50,000General Operating
The Blue Bench
$50,000General Operating
Ardent Grove Foundation
$50,000General Operating
Outdoor Alliance
$44,000General Operating
Denver Film Society
$35,000General Operating
Youth Seen
$35,000General Operating
Essential Partners Inc
$31,250General Operating
Growing Home
$30,000General Operating
Arvada Community Food Bank (Community Table)
$30,000General Operating
Waste Not
$25,000General Operating
The Chanda Center for Health
$25,000General Operating
Covered Colorado
$25,000General Operating
Expunge Colorado
$25,000General Operating
Realm of Caring Foundation
$25,000General Operating
Protect Our Winters
$25,000General Operating
The Chanda Center for Health
$25,000General Operating
Last Prisoner Project
$25,000General Operating
Stout Street Foundation
$23,500General Operating
Evergreen Christian Outreach (EChO)
$20,000General Operating
Arizona Food Bank Network
$20,000General Operating
The Montana Community Foundation
$20,000General Operating
Medicine Horse Program
$20,000In support of youth substance abuse program and space heaters for outdoor programming
Oasis Fresh Foundation
$20,000Capital Campaign
HG Alliance
$20,000General Operating