The Wheelers concentrate their giving on direct operational support for education in East Africa, primarily funding a boarding secondary school program in Tanzania through the Tanzanian Children's Fund, alongside a sizable general-purpose grant to a U.S.-based foundation. Their giving emphasizes sustaining day-to-day school operations, boarding program costs, and school leadership rather than broad philanthropy or many small projects.
The William R Wheeler & Sandra L Wheeler Charitable Foundation Inc is defined by a single large commitment to daily school operations in Tanzania: a 2025 grant of $302,402 to Tanzanian Children's Fund for Oldean Secondary School daily operations, the Oldeani Secondary School boarding program, and school and program leadership. That award is much larger than the rest of its recent giving and shows a strong preference for direct operating support over scattered project grants. Beyond East Africa, the foundation has also backed education and student support in the U.S. through grants to Stratton Foudation and South Plains College. Those awards include support for a first-to-college impact scholarship, a first-in-family scholarship, and a mental health program at Burr and Burton Academy. The pattern suggests a mix of international school support, scholarship funding, and targeted help for student services. Its grant history also includes emergency relief, shelter renovation, varsity sailing support, and epilepsy-related research and services. The foundation’s recent grants therefore reach across schooling, student well-being, disaster response, and health-related support, while remaining centered on direct, practical funding.
A central cause area is secondary-school operations in Tanzania. In 2025, the foundation gave $302,402 to Tanzanian Children's Fund for Oldean Secondary School daily operations, Oldeani Secondary School boarding program operations, and school and program leadership. Education support in the U.S. appears in several forms. The foundation awarded $24,000 to South Plains College for the Wheeler Foundation First to College Impact Scholarship and $15,000 to Stratton Foudation for the Wheeler First in Family Scholarship. Student well-being is another theme. A 2025 grant of $35,000 to Stratton Foudation supported Nathan's Corner, a mental health program at Burr and Burton Academy. The foundation also gave $8,000 to Brighter Tomorrows for renovations to shelter and counseling rooms with Suffolk Community College. Health and emergency response show up as smaller but clear priorities. The foundation supported World Central Kitchen Inc with $50,000 for Hurricane Helene relief efforts and gave $2,500 to New York University School of Medicine for Finding a Cure for Epilepsy & Seizures.
$720K
$6.1M
$542K
$777K
Most grants fall between $14K and $50K, with a median of $22K.
25th Percentile
$14K
Median
$22K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 25% of grants go to recipients in VT.
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants with a dominant grantee receiving the majority of funds; emphasis on program/operations support rather than broad multi-year portfolios or many small awards.
Notable grantees: Tanzanian Children's Fund (support for Oldeani/Oldean Secondary School operations and boarding), Stratton Foundation, Oldeani/Oldean Secondary School (as the direct beneficiary of the Tanzanian Children's Fund grant)
Typical grants cluster at a fairly wide range, with p25 at $14,250, median at $22,000, and p75 at $50,000. The recent record is weighted toward larger, practical awards rather than many small gifts, and the largest grant is far above the median. The foundation’s latest 990 year is 2025, and the recent list shows grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with some recipients appearing more than once across those years, including Stratton Foudation and South Plains College. It funds individuals, and it does not make program-related investments.
The foundation gives across the U.S., with all recent grants landing in American recipient locations. Vermont is the top state by grant count, driven by multiple awards to Stratton Mountain, VT. New York also appears repeatedly, including Bayshore, Shirley, and New York, NY. Other recent recipient locations include Cambridge, MA; Washington, DC; Scottsdale, AZ; and Levelland, TX. The recipient map shows a regional pattern rather than a single-city focus.
Its largest recent commitment supports education in Tanzania, especially Oldean Secondary School daily operations and the boarding program through Tanzanian Children's Fund. Other recurring areas include scholarships, school mental health support, disaster relief, and epilepsy-related research and services.
The grant-size distribution centers around mid-sized awards: p25 is $14,250, the median is $22,000, and p75 is $50,000. Recent grants range from $2,500 to $302,402, showing a mix of smaller targeted awards and one much larger operating grant.
Yes. Stratton Foudation appears multiple times across 2023, 2024, and 2025, including general support, a mental health program at Burr and Burton Academy, and the Wheeler First in Family Scholarship. South Plains College also appears in both 2023 and 2025.
Vermont is the top state by grant count, and multiple grants go to Stratton Mountain, VT. New York is also a frequent recipient location, with grants to Bayshore, Shirley, and New York, NY. All recent grants in the dataset are to U.S. recipients.
It funds individuals as well as organizations. The foundation is marked as funding individuals, and the recent grants list shows organizational awards across education, health, emergency relief, and school support.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCNT1 EPILEPSY FOUNDATION | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $324,000 | 2026 | SYDNEY'S HOPE FUND |
| TANZANIAN CHILDREN'S FUND | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $300,426 | 2026 | THE OLDEANI SECONDARY SCHOOL DAILY OPERATIONS, THE OLDEANI SECONDARY SCHOOL BOARDING PROGRAM OPERATIONS, AND BOARDING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT |
| BRIGHTER TOMORROWS | SHIRLEY, NY | $50,000 | 2026 | BETTER TOGETHER PILOT PROGRAM |
| BRIGHTER TOMORROWS | SHIRLEY, NY | $25,000 | 2026 | TO EXPAND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES |
| STRATTON COMMUNITY FOUDATION | STRATTON MOUNTAIN, VT | $15,000 | 2026 | WHEELER FOUNDATION FIRST IN FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP |
| LEVELLAND WALLACE THEATER | LEVELLAND, TX | $5,984 | 2026 | RENOVATIONS OF WALLACE THEATER |
| TANZANIAN CHILDREN'S FUND | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $302,402 | 2025 | OLDEAN SECONDARY SCHOOL DAILY OPERATIONS, OLDEANI SECONDARY SCHOOL BOARDING PROGRAM OPERATIONS, SCHOOL AND PROGRAM LEADERSHIP |
| WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC | WASHINGTON, DC | $50,000 | 2025 | HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS |
| KCNT1 EPILEPSY FOUNDATION | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $50,000 | 2025 | SYDNEY'S HOPE FUND |
| STRATTON FOUDATION | STRATTON MOUNTAIN, VT | $35,000 | 2025 | NATHAN'S CORNER, A MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM AT BURR AND BURTON ACADEMY |
| SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE | LEVELLAND, TX | $24,000 | 2025 | FOR THE WHEELER FOUNDATION FIRST TO COLLEGE IMPACT SCHOLARSHIP |
| STRATTON FOUDATION | STRATTON MOUNTAIN, VT | $15,000 | 2025 | FOR THE WHEELER FIRST IN FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP |
| BRIGHTER TOMORROWS | SHIRLEY, NY | $8,000 | 2025 | RENOVATIONS TO SHELTER AND COUNSELING ROOMS W/ SUFFOLK COMMUNITY COLLEGE |
| NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,500 | 2025 | (FACES) FINDING A CURE FOR EPILEPSY & SEIZURES |
| STRATTON FOUDATION | STRATTON MOUNTAIN, VT | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| BAY SHORE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT | BAYSHORE, NY | $20,000 | 2023 | BAY SHORE VARSITY SAILING TEAM BOATS |
| STRATTON FOUDATION | STRATTON MOUNTAIN, VT | $15,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
| SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE | LEVELLAND, TX | $12,000 | 2023 | GENERAL |
KCNT1 EPILEPSY FOUNDATION
$324,000SYDNEY'S HOPE FUND
THE OLDEANI SECONDARY SCHOOL DAILY OPERATIONS, THE OLDEANI SECONDARY SCHOOL BOARDING PROGRAM OPERATIONS, AND BOARDING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
BRIGHTER TOMORROWS
$50,000BETTER TOGETHER PILOT PROGRAM
BRIGHTER TOMORROWS
$25,000TO EXPAND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES
STRATTON COMMUNITY FOUDATION
$15,000WHEELER FOUNDATION FIRST IN FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
RENOVATIONS OF WALLACE THEATER
OLDEAN SECONDARY SCHOOL DAILY OPERATIONS, OLDEANI SECONDARY SCHOOL BOARDING PROGRAM OPERATIONS, SCHOOL AND PROGRAM LEADERSHIP
WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN INC
$50,000HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS
KCNT1 EPILEPSY FOUNDATION
$50,000SYDNEY'S HOPE FUND
STRATTON FOUDATION
$35,000NATHAN'S CORNER, A MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM AT BURR AND BURTON ACADEMY
SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE
$24,000FOR THE WHEELER FOUNDATION FIRST TO COLLEGE IMPACT SCHOLARSHIP
STRATTON FOUDATION
$15,000FOR THE WHEELER FIRST IN FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP
BRIGHTER TOMORROWS
$8,000RENOVATIONS TO SHELTER AND COUNSELING ROOMS W/ SUFFOLK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
$2,500(FACES) FINDING A CURE FOR EPILEPSY & SEIZURES
STRATTON FOUDATION
$100,000GENERAL
BAY SHORE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
$20,000BAY SHORE VARSITY SAILING TEAM BOATS
STRATTON FOUDATION
$15,000GENERAL
SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE
$12,000GENERAL