The Helen and Will Webster Foundation concentrates its grants on higher education and health/medical institutions, supplemented by place-based conservation in the Santa Cruz region. It makes relatively large, targeted gifts—often multimillion-dollar awards—and shows repeat support for a small set of core beneficiaries, including university endowments, major hospitals, and regional land‑trusts. The mix of grantees suggests a blend of national education/medical philanthropy and local environmental stewardship.
A defining feature of the Helen and Will Webster Foundation is its repeated use of seven-figure grants for higher education and health care, alongside place-based conservation in the Santa Cruz region. In the recent grants list, the foundation gave $3,920,000 to the University of Oklahoma Foundation for education, and it made another $2,239,000 award to UC Santa Cruz Foundation in 2025 after a $2,833,000 grant to the same recipient in 2023. That pattern points to a funder willing to make large, targeted commitments rather than broad, scattered awards. Health and medical institutions also sit near the center of the portfolio. Recent gifts include $1,000,000 each to Huntington Memorial Hospital and Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation, plus another $1,000,000 grant to the American Heart Association in 2025 after a separate $1,000,000 gift in 2023. Conservation appears as a parallel theme through major support for Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Land Trust of Santa Cruz County. The overall mix shows education, medical giving, and local environmental stewardship operating together in a small set of recurring relationships.
Higher education is one of the clearest lanes in the Helen and Will Webster Foundation’s recent giving. It awarded $732,646 to UC Santa Barbara Foundation in 2025 and $550,000 in 2023, while UC Santa Cruz Foundation received $2,239,000 in 2025 after a $2,833,000 grant in 2023. Health care is another major category. The foundation gave $1,000,000 to Huntington Memorial Hospital in 2025 and a separate $1,000,000 in 2023, and it also supported Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation with $1,000,000 in 2025. Public health philanthropy appears through two $1,000,000 grants to the American Heart Association, one in 2023 and one in 2025. Local community and cultural support show up as well. Pasadena Playhouse received $250,000 in 2025 after a $250,000 grant in 2023, and Pasadena Educational Foundation received $300,000 in 2025.
Typical grants are relatively large: the p25 is $10,000, the median is $45,000, and the p75 is $142,730. Recent awards show that the foundation can also make much larger commitments well above that range, including seven-figure grants. The same recipients appear in multiple years, which indicates recurring support rather than one-time funding; UC Santa Cruz Foundation, Huntington Memorial Hospital, the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena, Alliance College-ready Psf, Pasadena Playhouse, and Focusing Philanthropy all received grants across 2023 and 2025. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The available data does not show an application process.
$16.6M
$226.6M
$20.9M
$18.5M
Most grants fall between $10K and $143K, with a median of $45K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$45K
75th Percentile
$143K
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Highly concentrated giving: few, large grants (multimillion-dollar awards) with repeat funding to several core grantees rather than many small or one-off gifts. Combines national-scale university and medical philanthropy with targeted local environmental investments.
Notable grantees: UC Santa Cruz Foundation, University of Oklahoma Foundation, American Heart Association, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Elkhorn Slough Foundation
Giving is heavily concentrated in California: 90% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and California is also the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients include Santa Cruz, Pasadena, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Altadena, and La Canada. Outside California, the clearest recipient location is Norman, Oklahoma, through University of Oklahoma Foundation. The recipient-country distribution is entirely domestic, with all grants going to U.S. organizations.
Recent grants center on higher education, health and medical institutions, and Santa Cruz-area conservation. The list includes large awards to university foundations, hospitals, the American Heart Association, and land trusts or wildlife preservation groups.
Yes. California accounts for 90% of grants, and it is also the top state by grant count. Recent California recipients include organizations in Santa Cruz, Pasadena, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Altadena, and La Canada.
The p25 is $10,000, the median grant is $45,000, and the p75 is $142,730. The foundation also makes much larger awards, including multiple seven-figure grants in the recent list.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2025, including UC Santa Cruz Foundation, Huntington Memorial Hospital, the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena, Alliance College-ready Psf, Pasadena Playhouse, and Focusing Philanthropy.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA FOUNDATION | NORMAN, OK | $3,920,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UC SANTA CRUZ FOUNDATION | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $2,239,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| ELKHORN SLOUGH FOUNDATION | MOSS LANDING, CA | $1,505,000 | 2025 | WILDLIFE PRESERVATION |
| HUNTINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | PASADENA, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL |
| AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION | DALLAS, TX | $1,000,000 | 2025 | HEALTH CARE |
| RADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | SAN DIEGO, CA | $1,000,000 | 2025 | HEALTH CARE |
| UC SANTA BARBARA FOUNDATION | SANTA BARBARA, CA | $732,646 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| PASADENA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC | PASADENA, CA | $575,000 | 2025 | CONSERVANCYCONSERVATORYCONSERVATORY |
| ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PSF | LOS ANGELES, CA | $500,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| FOCUSING PHILANTHROPY | LOS ANGELES, CA | $375,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF PASADENA | PASADENA, CA | $305,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION AND HEALTH |
| PASADENA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | PASADENA, CA | $300,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| PASADENA PLAYHOUSE | PASADENA, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| FLINTRIDGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL | LA CANADA, CA | $250,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| STARS ILLUMINATEEDUCATEADVO | PASADENA, CA | $225,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| PUBLIC WORKS GROUP | PASADENA, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| LAND TRUST OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY | AZUSA, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| ACCESS BOOKS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $158,800 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| MOTHER JONES | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $140,000 | 2025 | JOURNALISM |
| PINEHURST BIOMEDICAL FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $140,000 | 2025 | MEDICAL RESEARCH |
| UCLA FOUNDATION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $125,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| COLLEGE ACCESS PLAN | PASADENA, CA | $102,500 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| DIENTES COMTY DENTAL CLINIC | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | PROVIDES BASIC DENTAL CARE AND EDUCATION TO LOW INCO |
| GILDER LEHRMAN INST OF AMERICAN | NEW YORK CITY, NY | $100,000 | 2025 | HAMILTON EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| HEALTHY SMILES FOR KIDS OF OC | IRVINE, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| PASADENA EDUCATION NETWORK | PASADENA, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| ARROYOS & FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY | ALTADENA, CA | $65,000 | 2025 | WILDLIFE PRESERVATION |
| PASADENA SYMPHONY AND POPS | PASADENA, CA | $60,000 | 2025 | ARTS |
| LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | ART & CULTURE |
| CORP OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUM | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | ART & CULTURE |
| LE BONHEUR FOUNDATION | MEMPHIS, TN | $50,000 | 2025 | CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL |
| LA METROPOLITAN DEBATE COMMISSION | LOS ANGELES, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| A NOISE WITHIN | PASADENA, CA | $43,710 | 2025 | THE ARTS AND EDUCATION |
| CLIMATE CENTRAL | PRINCETON, NJ | $40,000 | 2025 | CLIMATE |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB SANTA CRUZ CO | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION AND HEALTH |
| COASTAL WATERSHED COUNCIL | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $35,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| INTERACTIONS FOR PEACE | CHULA VISTA, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| SANTA CRUZ MUSEUM OF ART & HISTORY | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | ART & CULTURE |
| FRIENDS SANTA CRUZ PUBLIC LIBRARY | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $20,000 | 2025 | LIBRARY |
| FOOD FINDERS INC | LOS ALAMITOS, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | FOOD PROGRAM |
| SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS TRAIL STEW | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENT |
| PIE RANCH | PESCADERO, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | FOOD EDUCATION |
| HOSPICE OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY | SCOTTS VALLEY, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | HEALTH |
| MEALS ON WHEELS FOR SANTA CRUZ CO | WATSONVILLE, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | FOOD PROGRAM |
| FOOD WHAT | SANTA CRUZ, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | FEED THE POOR |
| THE PASO ROBLES LIBRARY FOUNDATION | PASO ROBLES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | LIBRARY |
| EL PASO DE ROBLES AREA HISTORIC | PASO ROBLES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | LIBRARY |
| FRIENDS OF THE INYO | BISHOP, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | ENVIRONMENT |
HUNTINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
$1,000,000MEDICAL
RADY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
$1,000,000HEALTH CARE
ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PSF
$500,000EDUCATION
FOCUSING PHILANTHROPY
$375,000EDUCATION
PASADENA PLAYHOUSE
$250,000EDUCATION
STARS ILLUMINATEEDUCATEADVO
$225,000EDUCATION
PUBLIC WORKS GROUP
$200,000EDUCATION
AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
$200,000EDUCATION
MOTHER JONES
$140,000JOURNALISM
PINEHURST BIOMEDICAL FOUNDATION
$140,000MEDICAL RESEARCH
DIENTES COMTY DENTAL CLINIC
$100,000PROVIDES BASIC DENTAL CARE AND EDUCATION TO LOW INCO
HEALTHY SMILES FOR KIDS OF OC
$100,000HEALTH
PASADENA EDUCATION NETWORK
$100,000EDUCATION
PASADENA SYMPHONY AND POPS
$60,000ARTS
LA METROPOLITAN DEBATE COMMISSION
$50,000EDUCATION
INTERACTIONS FOR PEACE
$30,000EDUCATION
FRIENDS SANTA CRUZ PUBLIC LIBRARY
$20,000LIBRARY
MEALS ON WHEELS FOR SANTA CRUZ CO
$10,000FOOD PROGRAM
THE PASO ROBLES LIBRARY FOUNDATION
$5,000LIBRARY
EL PASO DE ROBLES AREA HISTORIC
$5,000LIBRARY