George W Bowers Family Charitable Trust
Wheeling, WV · EIN 55-6140783. Reported 148 grants totalling $1,375,700 to 69 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. George W Bowers Family Charitable Trust did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $4,000 and $10,000; the smallest was $3,000 and the largest $50,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mannington Board of Parks and Recreation Committee | Mannington, WV | $170,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Oglebay Foundation Inc | Wheeling, WV | $130,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV | $92,000 | 23 | 4 | 2024 |
| Fairmont State University | Fairmont, WV | $52,000 | 13 | 4 | 2024 |
| Fairmont Community Youth Development | Fairmont, WV | $45,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Blackshere Elementary School | Mannington, WV | $44,100 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Crittenton Foundaton Inc | Wheeling, WV | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Marion County Senior Citizens Inc | Fairmont, WV | $40,000 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Morgantown Inc | Morgantown, WV | $40,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Youth Services System Inc | Wheeling, WV | $40,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| St Jude Park | Glen Dale, WV | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Elmhurst the House of Friendship | Wheeling, WV | $27,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Celebrate Recovery Mannington | Mannington, WV | $26,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Marion County Humane Society | Fairmont, WV | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Disability Action Center | Fairmont, WV | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| YWCA of Marion County | Fairmont, WV | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Connecting Link Inc | Fairmont, WV | $23,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Blessings From the Basement | Fairmont, WV | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Milan Puskar Health Right Inc | Morgantown, WV | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Bpoe #338 Mannington Elks Lodge | Mannington, WV | $18,100 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| East Fairmont High School | Fairmont, WV | $17,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mannington Main Street Inc | Mannington, WV | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College | Buckhannon, WV | $16,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| City of Wellsburg | Wellsburg, WV | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center Inc | Wheeling, WV | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Idamay Improvement Association | Idamay, WV | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Laughlin Community Center Inc | Wheeling, WV | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mannington Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund | Mannington, WV | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Marion County Public Library | Fairmont, WV | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Monongah Elementary School | Monongah, WV | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| North Wheeling Youth Center | Wheeling, WV | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| West Augusta Historical Society Inc | Mannington, WV | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Pricketts Fort Memorial Foundation | Fairmont, WV | $12,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| American Red Crosscent Appalachia | Charleston, WV | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| City of Fairmont | Fairmont, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Fairmont State Foundation Inc | Fairmont, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mannington Celebrate Recovery | Mannington, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Mannington Middle School | Mannington, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Marion County Commission | Fairmont, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Marion County Schools | Fairmont, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| North Marion High School | Farmington, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Town of Monongah | Monongah, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Town of Worthington | Worthington, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| West Virginia Botanic Garden | Morgantown, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| West Virginia Botanic Gardens Inc | Morgantown, WV | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mannington Lake Association | Mannington, WV | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Notre Dame | South Bend, IN | $8,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Winfield Community Improvement Association | Fairmont, WV | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Augusta Levy Learning Center | Wheeling, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brooke Cemetery Company | Wellsburg, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Fairview Food Bank | Fairview, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Homestead Farm Center | Grafton, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Jayenne Elementary School | Fairmont, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kings Daughters Child Care Center | Wheeling, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Learning Options Inc | Fairmont, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Main Street Fairmont Inc | Fairmont, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greater Pa and Wv | Pittsburgh, PA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mannington Womens Club | Mannington, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Marion County 4-H | Fairmont, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Marion County Beekeepers Association | Kingmont, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity | Morgantown, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pantry Plus More Inc | Morgantown, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Smithtown Community Association | Fairmont, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Matthews Episcopal Church | Wheeling, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Union Rescue Mission | Fairmont, WV | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Costal Carolina University Office of Student Accounts | Conway, SC | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Reset Incorporated | Fairmont, WV | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Tygart Valley United Way | Fairmont, WV | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Appalachian Outreach | Wheeling, WV | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
27 of 69 (39%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 45%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Oglebay Foundation Inc
WAY-FINDING SIGNAGE PROJECT - Marion County Humane Society
NEW FACILITY CONSTRUCTION - Crittenton Foundaton Inc
LAPTOP COMPUTERS AND SECURE - Mannington Board of Parks and Recreation Committee
RESURFACE THE POOL INTERIOR - Elmhurst the House of Friendship
DINING ROOM CHAIRS & WICKER - Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center Inc
MEDICAL CARE AND THERAPY TO
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 52 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45 | $350,200 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 35 | $379,500 | $7,500 |
| 2023 | 32 | $306,000 | $5,000 |
| 2024 | 36 | $340,000 | $5,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 99% of this one's giving went to organizations in West Virginia. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.
Find more foundations like George W Bowers Family Charitable Trust
We email you newly filed foundations whose giving matches your state and cause, as the IRS publishes them. Free.
No spam, unsubscribe in one click. We never sell or share your address.
Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in West Virginia.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from George W Bowers Family Charitable Trust's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 1 Bank Plaza, Wheeling, WV, 26003. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 55-6140783 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.