The Confidence Foundation

The Confidence Foundation is a Pasadena-based private family foundation that has held its federal tax-exempt ruling since April 1977. Administered by Whittier Trust Company at 177 E Colorado Blvd, Suite 800, the foundation carries unmistakable family lineage — the Whittier name appears on the board (President Cheyenna Whittier, Vice President Kimberly A Whittier) and in at least one landmark grant: $900,000 to the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute for the Paul and Lucy Whittier Endowment for Diabetes Education and Research.

The single most critical fact for any organization considering this funder: The Confidence Foundation makes contributions exclusively to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited grant requests. There is no published application portal, no listed deadline, no LOI process, and no grants or "how to apply" page on the foundation's website. Regulatory filings record application instructions as "__none__." This is not an oversight — it is a deliberate policy that has been consistent throughout the foundation's documented history.

This reality does not make the foundation inaccessible; it makes it a pure relationship play. Every grantee in the foundation's portfolio reached that position through personal or institutional connections to board members — primarily the Whittier family network. The pathway is not a proposal; it is visibility, reputation, and alignment with causes board members personally care about.

The board is composed entirely of volunteer, uncompensated directors: Cheyenna Whittier (President/Director), Kimberly A Whittier (Vice President/Director), Linda J Blinkenberg (Vice President/Director), Michael J Casey (Vice President/Director), David A Dahl (CFO/Director), Arlo G Sorensen (Director), and Haley Kirk Dahl (Secretary). The presence of multiple Whittier and Dahl family members signals this is a tightly held family enterprise — decisions are made around a table of people who know each other well, not through committee review of blind proposals.

The grantee roster reveals a board with wide-ranging personal interests: aviation education in rural Idaho, marine mammal rescue in Orange County, dog rescue operations in multiple states, Waldorf school construction in Sandpoint, aerospace programs for high schoolers, and arts conservatory support. Winning organizations share demonstrable community impact in geographies where board members have personal connections — greater Los Angeles, Sandpoint ID, San Diego County, Hawaii, and the Seattle area.

First-time organizations should not cold-contact the foundation's Pasadena mailing address. Instead, map your board's existing networks to identify any existing connections to the Whittier family, Whittier Trust Company clients, or current grantees who might facilitate a warm introduction.

The Confidence Foundation's grantmaking has expanded substantially over the past decade. Annual total giving was $2.16M in 2019, climbed to $3.63M in 2020, reached $4.55M in 2021, and stabilized near $5.0M in 2022 ($5.0M) and 2023 ($4.97M). The 2024 990-PF shows charitable disbursements of approximately $5.11M — sustaining the elevated pace established as assets have grown to $106.5M.

The median individual grant is $5,000, but this is skewed by the volume of smaller recurring gifts. The average grant across 1,018 documented transactions is approximately $19,939. Single-payment grants range from roughly $1,000 to $386,500; however, multi-year cumulative giving to top recipients reveals the foundation's true capacity: Greater Horizons has accumulated $2.735M across 25 grants; Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute, $900,000 across 5 grants; Neuromuscular Disease Foundation, $695,000 across 6 grants; and Foss Waterway Seaport, $565,000 across 8 grants. Most top-tier relationships reflect $100,000–$400,000 in lifetime giving distributed over 4–11 grants.

Geographically, California dominates at approximately 69% of documented grants by count — Los Angeles County organizations lead, including those in the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, and South Bay. Washington State accounts for roughly 9% (led by Foss Waterway Seaport and Museum of Flight in the Seattle/Tacoma area), Hawaii 6%, Idaho 5% (concentrated in Sandpoint and the Panhandle region), and Nevada 4%.

By program area, education and scholarships constitute the largest identifiable cluster — at least 12 of the top 50 grantees are schools, scholarship funds, or universities, including Portal Schools, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Mount Saint Mary's University, Pepperdine University, and Caltech. Youth development is the second-largest cluster: Boy Scouts councils (Greater LA, Orange County, San Diego-Imperial), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Covenant House California, and the Armed Services YMCA at Camp Pendleton. Healthcare and medical research is third, spanning diabetes, neuromuscular disease, pediatrics (Children's Hospital LA), audiology (John Tracy Center), and cancer support (Cancer Support Community Pasadena). Arts and culture, environmental stewardship, animal welfare, veterans programs, and legal policy advocacy each receive smaller but consistent shares.

Multi-year relationships are overwhelmingly the norm: the top 50 grantees have each received between 2 and 25 separate grants, averaging 5 grants per relationship.

The Confidence Foundation occupies the mid-upper tier of California private family foundations, with $106.5M in assets and approximately $5M in annual giving. Four foundations identified as peers in public funder databases share key structural characteristics — family-governed boards, broad multi-cause portfolios, and by-invitation-only grantmaking. Note: peer asset figures are limited in public disclosures; annual giving estimates are derived from available 990 data.

The Confidence Foundation is the largest and most active grantmaker among its identified peer set, with peer annual giving estimated at $1.7M–$8.8M across the group. Unlike some peer foundations that concentrate in a single issue area (e.g., the Hawn Foundation's singular focus on social-emotional learning in schools), The Confidence Foundation funds across a remarkably wide thematic range — which reflects the breadth of the Whittier family's personal philanthropic interests rather than a program-driven strategy. All foundations in this peer group operate as closed grantmakers, making relationship access the common pathway for any prospective grantee regardless of funder size.

No press releases, media announcements, or leadership changes were publicly documented for The Confidence Foundation in 2025 or early 2026. The foundation does not appear to maintain an active public communications presence — its website does not publish a news page, grantee announcements, or annual reports. The Charity Navigator profile has not been claimed by the organization, and no social media accounts were identified in the foundation's public filings.

The most recent documented activity comes from 2024 990-PF data: 215 grants totaling approximately $4.5–$5.1M were made, with Greater Horizons ($300,000), Strength of Shadow Dog Rescue ($190,000), and Boys & Girls Club of Maui ($100,000) among named recipients. These gifts continue patterns visible in prior years rather than signaling new programmatic directions.

Financially, the foundation's asset base grew from $93.2M (2023) to $106.5M (2024) — a 14.3% increase — driven primarily by investment gains (sales of assets produced 88.6% of the 2024 revenue of $6.36M). The foundation received $0 in new contributions in 2023 and 2024, confirming this is a fully endowed foundation operating entirely on investment returns. Net investment income of $5.998M in 2023 comfortably covers annual giving of ~$5M, suggesting the payout capacity is sustainable.

The board composition has remained stable across multiple filing years, with Cheyenna Whittier serving continuously as President/Director and the core Whittier-Dahl-Blinkenberg-Casey-Sorensen leadership group maintaining consistent roles. No leadership transitions were identified in public records through the 2024 fiscal year.

The defining reality for any organization approaching The Confidence Foundation is that there is no application to submit. The foundation funds exclusively by internal selection — no portal, no LOI, no deadline, no form. Every dollar awarded has flowed through personal board-level relationships. This shapes every strategic recommendation below.

Map your network first. Before any outreach, audit your board, staff, major donors, and volunteer leaders for any existing connection to Cheyenna Whittier, Kimberly A Whittier, David A Dahl, Linda J Blinkenberg, Michael J Casey, Arlo G Sorensen, or Whittier Trust Company. A warm introduction from a current grantee or a trusted mutual contact is the only realistic entry point.

Identify grantee neighbors. Review the foundation's top 50 grantees (publicly available via ProPublica, Grantmakers.io, and CauseIQ). Organizations operating in adjacent spaces — particularly in Los Angeles education, San Diego youth services, Hawaii community programs, Sandpoint ID, or Pacific Northwest maritime/environmental work — may be positioned to make introductions to board members who fund their sector.

Align on geography and cause, not program priorities. The foundation does not publish thematic priorities. Organizations in the greater Los Angeles area, Idaho Panhandle, San Diego County, Hawaii, and Washington State have the strongest geographic alignment. Within those geographies, education, scholarships, youth development, healthcare access, medical research for underserved populations, environmental stewardship, and animal welfare all appear in the giving record.

Demonstrate cumulative impact, not a single project. The foundation's strongest grantee relationships involve multi-year, multi-grant support. When an introduction is made, focus the conversation on your organization's sustained track record — impact over time — rather than a single project budget.

Avoid the wrong "Confidence Foundation." Multiple organizations use this name. Ensure all research and correspondence references EIN 95-3500483 and the Pasadena, CA address (177 E Colorado Blvd, Suite 800, 91105) to avoid confusion with unrelated nonprofits.

Do not call or cold-email. The foundation's listed phone number ((626) 441-5188) routes to Whittier Trust Company's offices, not a program officer. Cold outreach will not advance a relationship and may create a negative impression.