The Warren Foundation

The Warren Foundation is a Portland, Oregon-based family private foundation governed exclusively by members of the Warren family — Elizabeth Warren, Wendy Warren, Catharine Warren, Wendy Burden Warren, and Robert Warren Jr. — all serving as unpaid directors averaging just 0.5 hours per week. The foundation's most critical operational characteristic is one that applicants must internalize before investing any time: it does not accept unsolicited grant requests. All funding goes exclusively to charitable organizations the board has preselected. This is confirmed by Grantmakers.io and IRS filings and is non-negotiable.

This invitation-only model reflects a mature family philanthropy structure built around sustained, multi-year relationships with a curated grantee portfolio. The grantee data reveals that the foundation functions more like a circle of trusted partnerships than a competitive grant program. Top grantees appear in three to four consecutive grant cycles: Portland Art Museum has received four grants totaling $1,074,000; Oregon Humane Society has received four grants totaling $345,000+; Oregon Ballet Theatre and OHSU Foundation appear four times each. The board renews commitments to established partners rather than rotating among new applicants.

The path to funding is relational. Organizations best positioned for consideration share several characteristics: strong Portland or Oregon identity, an established presence in arts, animal welfare, education, or environmental conservation, and credibility within Portland's civic and philanthropic networks. The family demonstrates personal engagement with the institutions they fund — this is not arms-length grantmaking but rather the philanthropy of direct participants.

Practical entry strategies include cultivating visibility through current Warren grantees. Portland Art Museum, Catlin Gabel School, Oregon Humane Society, and Friends of the Columbia Gorge all operate within overlapping donor and board networks. A shared board member, co-sponsored event, or trusted mutual contact represents the only realistic path to the Warren family's awareness. Oregon-based conservation organizations with Columbia River Gorge connections — or Southwest Utah ties, where the foundation also gives (Zion National Park, Conserve SW Utah) — are well-positioned for alignment with the family's personal interests.

A secondary geography worth pursuing: the foundation's Florida grantees (Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Society of the Four Arts, The Lords Place) indicate a seasonal Palm Beach presence. Organizations in Palm Beach County may find a secondary relationship-building avenue there. The formal contact for any inquiry is % Jack B. Schwartz at (503) 481-6314.

Annual grants paid by The Warren Foundation have ranged from $331,674 (FY2011) to $1,350,000 (FY2020), with recent years landing between $815,000 (FY2022) and $1,264,475 (FY2024). The FY2024 total is among the foundation's highest on record, distributed across 48–63 grants.

Grant size dynamics: Across 167 grants in the historical database, total giving reached $3,728,500 — an average of $22,326 per grant. However, the median is $10,000, reflecting a bimodal portfolio of many small community gifts and occasional transformative commitments. In FY2024, the largest awards were $240,875 to Oregon Humane Society and $225,000 to Catlin Gabel School. Historical maximums include an estimated $250,000–$400,000+ in a single year to Portland Art Museum for an art installation and capital contribution (cumulative four-grant total: $1,074,000). The grant range spans from $1,000 at the floor to over $1M in cumulative relationships.

Estimated program area breakdown (by cumulative dollar volume): - Arts & Culture: ~38% — Portland Art Museum ($1,074,000), Oregon Ballet Theatre ($80,000), Norton Museum of Art ($95,000), Body Vox ($20,000), Oregon Society of Artists ($15,000), Literary Arts ($100,000 in FY2024) - Animal Welfare: ~16% — Oregon Humane Society ($345,000+), Schwarzman Animal Medical Center ($80,000), Animal Medical Center ($50,000), Pandrillus Foundation ($75,000) - Education: ~15% — De La Salle Catholic High School ($130,000), Catlin Gabel School ($120,000 historical + $225,000 in FY2024), Rosemary Anderson High School ($40,000), Community Transition School ($17,000) - Environmental Conservation: ~9% — Portland Audubon Society ($76,000), Friends of the Columbia Gorge ($33,000 historical + $100,000 in FY2024), Ecotrust ($40,000), Oregon Zoo Foundation ($15,000), Conserve SW Utah ($20,000) - Social Services: ~8% — Home Share Oregon ($80,000), William Temple House ($60,000), Bybee Lakes Hope Center ($40,000), Raphael House of Portland ($27,000) - Religion/Capital Campaigns: ~6% — St Thomas More Catholic Church ($200,000) - Health: ~5% — OHSU Foundation ($70,000), Mount Sinai Health System ($70,000) - International/Humanitarian: ~3% — Mercy Corps ($72,000), UNICEF ($30,000), World Central Kitchen ($30,000)

Geography: Oregon dominates at 65% of grants by count (108 of 167 tracked). New York receives 8% (national animal welfare and health institutions), Utah 7% (Zion/St. George area), Florida 5% (Palm Beach), Washington 4%, Virginia 3%, California 2%.

Assets grew from $10.8M (FY2020) to $23.4M (FY2023) after a transformative $11.47M contribution received in FY2022, settling to $22.8M (FY2024) as distributions outpaced investment returns of $867K.

The Warren Foundation occupies the mid-tier of Oregon's private foundation landscape — large enough to make meaningful multi-year commitments but operating at a fraction of the scale of Oregon's major institutional grantmakers. It is distinguished by its purely family-governed, invitation-only model with zero paid staff and no public application cycle. Figures for peer foundations below are approximate from most recent available public 990 data.

These comparisons clarify The Warren Foundation's market position. Its $10,000 median grant is notably lower than Collins or Meyer minimums, reflecting a portfolio that combines small community gifts with occasional flagship investments. Unlike Collins or Meyer — both of which publish open RFPs and review schedules — The Warren Foundation's grantee relationships develop through personal networks rather than institutional processes. Organizations that receive Collins Foundation or Meyer Memorial Trust funding in Portland's arts and environmental sectors have a demonstrably overlapping profile with current Warren grantees, making those funders natural stepping stones toward eventual Warren consideration. The inclusion of the George Washington Foundation (a current Warren grantee at $165,000 cumulative) confirms that the foundation does extend modest support to a small number of nationally-focused historical or civic institutions outside Oregon.

The most recent Form 990-PF (FY2024) was received by the IRS on May 12, 2025, with grant-making data updated in public databases by June 2025. The FY2024 filing reveals several meaningful shifts from prior years:

Landmark 2024 grants: Catlin Gabel School received $225,000 — the foundation's largest education grant on record and nearly triple its prior annual giving to this school. Oregon Humane Society received $240,875, a record single-year award and up from the $50,000–$90,000 range seen in earlier years. Friends of the Columbia Gorge received $100,000 (up from cumulative prior total of ~$33,000 across three grants). Literary Arts Inc. received $100,000 — a new grantee relationship not seen in prior filed data.

Leadership: No leadership changes have been reported. All five Warren family directors — Elizabeth Warren, Wendy Warren, Catharine Warren, Wendy Burden Warren, and Robert Warren Jr. — continued serving with no compensation. Prior filings through 2015 showed $50,000 in officer compensation that was subsequently eliminated, reflecting a shift to a fully volunteer-governed model.

Financial snapshot: Net assets declined from $23.4M (FY2023) to $22.8M (FY2024). FY2024 revenue of $867,207 consisted 90.5% of dividends and 9.1% from asset sales; the foundation holds zero liabilities and maintains conservative allocations in corporate bonds, equities, and government obligations.

Website: The foundation's website (thewarrenfoundation.org) returned a 403 Forbidden error during this research, suggesting it is password-protected or inactive — consistent with a foundation that actively avoids solicitation.

Because The Warren Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, conventional grant-writing strategies are largely irrelevant. The following tips are specific to how organizations can realistically position themselves for consideration by this family funder:

Understand the model before investing time. IRS filings, Grantmakers.io, and ProPublica all confirm this foundation is preselect-only. Do not spend staff or consultant resources crafting a proposal without first establishing genuine contact with the Warren family or their advisor, Jack B. Schwartz. An unsolicited proposal will not be reviewed.

Map your network to theirs. Review the foundation's grantee list publicly available through ProPublica (EIN 93-1083078). Identify board members, major donors, or advisors in your own organization who have connections to the Warren family or who serve current Warren grantees (Portland Art Museum, Oregon Humane Society, Catlin Gabel School, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Ecotrust, OHSU Foundation). A warm introduction from a mutual contact is the only realistic entry point.

Align your program area precisely. The foundation funds arts & culture (~38%), animal welfare (~16%), education (~15%), and environmental conservation (~9%) as its four primary areas. Organizations working in advocacy, workforce development, housing construction, or policy have minimal representation in the grantee record. Health and social services appear at smaller scale and appear linked to personal relationships rather than open categories.

Be geographically deliberate. Oregon — and specifically Portland — accounts for 65% of grants. Utah (Zion/St. George area) and Palm Beach, Florida are secondary geographies linked to the family's personal connections. Organizations headquartered elsewhere with programs in these geographies may still qualify if the mission aligns strongly.

Build presence at aligned institutions before approaching directly. Attend Portland Art Museum events, Oregon Humane Society galas, Friends of the Columbia Gorge conservation activities, or Oregon Ballet Theatre performances. Build genuine organizational visibility in these networks — the Warren family engages with these institutions personally, not just financially.

Aim small for first consideration. Multiple grantees show a clear ramp pattern — Raphael House of Portland built from $5,000 to $27,000 across four grants. A first-time award of $5,000–$15,000 is a gateway, not a ceiling. Excellent stewardship and relationship maintenance are what drive increases.

For formal outreach: Send a brief letter of inquiry (one page maximum) to % Jack B. Schwartz, 2365 SW Madison St, Portland, OR 97205, or call (503) 481-6314. Lead with mission alignment, Portland-area impact, and any specific connection to the Warren family's documented interests. Do not send a full proposal unsolicited.