The Wilhelm Family Foundation supports non-profit arts organizations with the goal of helping improve the quality of life of artists and creative communities nationwide.
We will announce our 2025 Grantees, and the dates of our 2026 grant cycle, at the end of February.
A note regarding the future of our Foundation, from ED, Cascade Wilhelm:
As all of you reading this well know, the current administration’s gutting of the NEA has completely destabilized the arts and cultural landscape. The fallout from these inhumane policies was fast and far-reaching, and reflected in the sheer number of applications we received during our 2025 grant cycle: 422 organizations applied from 45 states, 3 countries, and working across every discipline. (For context, we received 167 applications in 2024, and 130 in 2023).
In response to these policies, and to try to meet the profound needs of the creative community, we are doubling our annual distributions this year (2025), and for almost every year remaining in this administration. This accelerated rate of asset expenditure will dramatically shorten the Foundation’s lifespan, and sadly, 2027 will be our last year as an operational, grantmaking organization.
I could not be more proud of the impact the Foundation’s work has had in the 12+ years that we’ve been operational. While it is a profound shift to sunset the Foundation on this accelerated timeline, nothing is more important than trying to meet the needs of our community during this strenuous time. Sending love and strength to all, and looking forward to being in touch over the coming years.
