About Wyss Foundation
The Wyss Foundation makes very large, concentrated charitable contributions delivered through an intermediary or consolidated payee (listed as “SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULE”). Grant language is generic (“charitable contribution”), indicating the foundation places unrestricted or pass-through funding and documents detailed sub-recipients separately rather than on individual grant lines. From the available records it prioritizes large-scale, institutional funding over many small, program-specific grants.
Focus Areas
Large institutional/organizational endowments or multi-recipient pass-through grants (details listed on an attached schedule)Unrestricted charitable support and general operating funding delivered to intermediariesStrategic, high-dollar philanthropy rather than numerous small/local grants
Who They Fund
unspecified/undesignated beneficiariesgeneral public/community-at-large
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: a very small number of very large grants all paid to a single consolidated payee (with sub-recipients referenced on an attached schedule). Grants are broad-purpose/charitable contributions rather than program-specific awards.
Funding Style
About Wyss Foundation
Wyss Foundation’s recent filings are dominated by three very large charitable contributions to “See Attached Schedule,” each recorded in Washington, DC and each described in the same broad terms. That pattern points to a funder that moves sizable resources through consolidated or intermediary grants rather than through many small line-item awards. The foundation’s public grantmaking also shows a clear conservation identity: the Wyss Scholars Program supports graduate education for future U.S. land-conservation leaders, while its campaign-related work backs large-scale efforts to protect land and ocean systems and strengthen conservation policy. Alongside those major conservation commitments, the foundation’s program descriptions include grants for economic opportunity, scientific discovery, and community services. The structure of the recent grants suggests the foundation often documents detailed sub-recipients elsewhere, while the public record on its own shows only the top-level payee and generic charitable-contribution language. Molly McCusick serves as president and director.
What Wyss Foundation Funds
Land and wildlife conservation is a core theme. The Wyss Foundation’s campaign for nature work focuses on protecting 30% of the planet by 2030, and its program descriptions describe support for locally led conservation projects, science, and policy efforts. The foundation also backs conservation training. Through the Wyss Scholars Program, it supports graduate-level education for emerging U.S. land conservation leaders, including tuition and expense support for master’s or law degrees, plus qualifying internships and later employment in land management or conservation advocacy. Beyond conservation, the foundation’s stated program areas include economic opportunity, scientific discovery and research, and community services. Those themes appear in its general grantmaking descriptions, which frame support broadly across nonprofits and institutions.
How Wyss Foundation Gives
The typical grant size is extremely large: p25 is $152,834,200, the median is $156,335,665, and p75 is $159,837,130. The recent grant record also shows three six- and nine-figure awards, all classified as charitable contributions to a consolidated recipient. That pattern is consistent with one-off, high-value institutional giving rather than small repeat awards. The available records point to a regular funder structure, not a donor-advised fund, and the foundation does not fund individuals directly. One active program, the Wyss Scholars Program, is open to unsolicited applications; the larger general and campaign grantmaking programs are not.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$222.6M
Total Assets
$1.7B
Total Revenue
$243.9M
Total Expenses
$242.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $152.8M and $159.8M, with a median of $156.3M.
25th Percentile
$152.8M
Median
$156.3M
75th Percentile
$159.8M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MOLLY MCUSIC
PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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