About Wake Forest University
Pro Humanitate — to use our ideas, knowledge, talents and compassion on behalf of all humanity; commitment to academic excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, community engagement, and research that benefits society.
Focus Areas
Higher educationStudent scholarshipsAcademic researchLeadership developmentCommunity engagement
Who They Fund
researchers / academic institutionslocal communities (economic development recipients)students / educational programslow-income homebuyers / Habitat housing recipients
Funding Style
research subcontractingoperations support
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University’s recent grantmaking is shaped by research subcontracting and pass-through funding tied to its academic and community-engagement mission. The largest grant in the current file was $1,253,361 to Wake Forest Univ Health Sciences for a research subcontract, and the next tier includes $884,000 and $663,356 to Reynolda House Inc for operations support. Those awards show a funder that uses university-linked entities and affiliated institutions to move money into research, operations, and program support. The pattern extends beyond campus affiliates. Wake Forest University also made a $306,822 research subcontract to UNC Chapel Hill and a $254,411 research subcontract to Carnegie Mellon University, indicating that its giving reaches external academic partners as part of collaborative work. Other recent awards include support for Interfaith Youth Core, Interfaith America, and the American Forensic Association, alongside grants to community-oriented groups in North Carolina. Across the file, the foundation gives at a scale that includes six-figure awards and a broader set of mid-sized grants, while maintaining a regional scope centered on higher education, research, and community engagement.
What Wake Forest University Funds
Higher education and research are central to Wake Forest University’s grantmaking. It gave $1,253,361 to Wake Forest Univ Health Sciences for a research subcontract and $306,822 to UNC Chapel Hill for a research subcontract, showing support for academic collaboration inside and outside the university. The foundation also funds institutional operations tied to campus culture and public access. It provided $884,000 to Reynolda House Inc for operations support and later another $663,356 for the same purpose. Community-facing work appears in grants such as $100,000 to Winston-Salem Foundation for support related to local economic and education development. In the faith-and-civic space, the funder made a $200,000 research subcontract to Interfaith Youth Core and a $150,000 research subcontract to Interfaith America. Student support is built into active programs through Signature Scholars and Scholarships for Continuing Students, including merit-based scholarship opportunities for Wake Forest students.
How Wake Forest University Gives
Grant sizes cluster around the middle six figures, with a p25 of $19,941, a median of $47,164, and a p75 of $100,000. That spread suggests a mix of smaller awards and larger institutional grants, including multiple six-figure subcontracts and support payments. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund and does not make program-related investments. Recipients repeat across years, including Wake Forest Univ Health Sciences and Reynolda House Inc, which appear more than once in the recent-grants file. Funding modes include research subcontract, pass-through grant, operations support, and charitable contribution.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$17.2M
Total Assets
$3B
Total Revenue
$843.2M
Total Expenses
$786.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $20K and $100K, with a median of $47K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$47K
75th Percentile
$100K
Geographic Reach
Regional23 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Susan R Wente PhD
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