The Wawa Foundation provides financial grants on a local, regional and national level ensuring that our commitment extends from the local communities Wawa serves to the regional footprint Wawa occupies in the mid-Atlantic and Florida. Only registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations operating in Wawa’s six-state area are eligible to apply. Organizations must fall into The Wawa Foundation’s three key areas of focus: Health, Hunger and Everyday Heroes. To learn more, review our Criteria for Success.

Types of Support

The Wawa Foundation and Wawa Community Care are committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with local communities and national partners. To achieve this, we provide focused financial and in-kind support for non-profit and community organizations, as well as event sponsorship and volunteerism.

In-Kind Support: Wawa Community Care

Wawa Community Care considers requests for in-kind donations to help community and youth organizations in our neighborhoods.

In-Kind Support will be available to qualifying organizations as long as budget for the applicable store/area/region has not been exhausted, and event date is not less than 4 weeks away: 

Product Donations: Wawa brand juices, teas or water. Wawa products must be picked up at a local store and cannot be resold at a program or event. (View Terms and Conditions of product/in-kind donations).

Wawa Gift Basket: Selection of Wawa gift items and coupons for silent auction or fund-raising event.

The Wawa Foundation provides financial grants on a local, regional and national level ensuring that our commitment extends from the local communities Wawa serves to the regional footprint Wawa occupies in the mid-Atlantic and Florida. Only registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations operating in Wawa’s six-state area are eligible to apply. Organizations must fall into The Wawa Foundation’s three key areas of focus: Health, Hunger and Everyday Heroes.

Wawa Local Connection Grants

Financial grants less than $2,500 are available to local non-profit organizations. After submitting an online inquiry, you should hear back from a representative from The Wawa Foundation within 4 weeks. Local connection grant inquiries are considered on an ongoing basis while budgeted funds last. Once the budget is reached, further inquiries will be declined for the current year and encouraged to re-apply for the following year.

Areas of Focus

The Wawa Foundation is committed to Building Stronger Communities by championing life-saving research and care for people in need, leading hunger relief efforts and supporting the heroes making a difference every day.

Health

The Wawa Foundation will provide funding to organizations committed to saving and improving lives in the communities Wawa serves. Specifically, The Wawa Foundation will support programs dedicated to Championing Life-saving Research & Care for People in Need by:

• Providing grants to hospitals with a focus on pediatric institutions
• Funding research
• Supporting care and comfort Initiatives

Wawa’s founding family, the Wood family, began the culture of giving back to its communities by supporting the growth and expansion of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia® and Riddle Memorial Hospital in the 1960s. Wawa leadership has continued the practice of serving and helping institutions that serve their communities.

Hunger

The Wawa Foundation will play a leading role in hunger relief in the communities Wawa serves. To achieve this, we will support programs that enable us to Lead Hunger Relief Efforts by:

• Providing food donations to local pantries daily through Wawa Share
• Improving access to food through financial grants
• Enabling Feeding America Food Banks to reach more communities through annual in-store campaigns

Standing up in the fight against hunger drives us each and every day. Wawa’s origins as a dairy and establishment as a food retailer compel us to continue this fight…and win.

Heroes

The Wawa Foundation is committed to Supporting the Heroes Making a Difference Every Day by:

• Showing appreciation and care to our military, veterans, first responders and other heroes in our local communities 
• Enhancing the education and mentoring of at-risk youth in grades K-12.
• Supporting heroes through crisis response, blood drives, and volunteering

Wawa is committed to being there when our communities need us the most, so it’s natural for us to lend a helping hand to those who serve and protect and who inspire our youth or enrich our education system.

NOTE: We have implemented some critical changes to our funding priorities. We have moved to a model where the engagement of Foundation family members in the work or cause of an organization is an overarching requirement for funding. That said, if none of our family members are involved with your organization, funding is unlikely, especially if you have not been funded by us in the past.

Our Mission

To support individuals and families as they build productive and meaningful lives.

We Value

• The legacy of M.B. and Edna Zale
• Jewish identity, heritage, and Tikkun Olam*
  • *Hebrew: “Repair the world” – Humanity’s shared responsibility to heal, repair, and transform the world.
• The power of community
• The diversity and passion of our family members
• The creativity and dedication of our nonprofit partners

Funding Areas

The Foundation has an interest in four areas of funding:

Community Services

Programs that serve the poor and disenfranchised, especially those programs that:

• Strengthen families
• Develop children
• Address the senior population
• Train people in job skills
• Provide health services

Health

Programs that address the prevention and treatment of illness and disease.

Education

Programs that assist the financially disadvantaged with:

• Equality of access
• Early intervention
• Academic assistance and enrichment

Jewish Heritage

Programs that address:

• Identity and heritage
• Continuity
• Education
• Human services

We Fund

• Education
• Early childhood development
• Job training
• Hunger and homelessness relief
• Health care
• Jewish culture and continuity

Priority is given to programs and organizations that:

• Promote organization or personal self-sufficiency.
• Are innovative approaches to solving social problems.
• Articulate clear outcomes and are accountable for them.
• Can be replicated or scaled for larger impact.

NOTE:  The application deadline has been  extended to December 1, 2023.

About School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN).

Utilizing a unique framework of funding systems offered by the Department of Health and Human Services, managed care organizations, health insurers, and private donors, SBHSN promotes a system of care model (Coaching Model℠) offering a mix of evidenced-based intervention, prevention, and care coordination services to children in grades K-12. The Coaching Model aims to expand quality mental healthcare access on public school campuses and improve children's social, emotional, behavioral, family, and wellness outcomes.

School-Based Mental Health Implementation Grant

In response to the growing number of students who need mental health counseling, the School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network (SBHSN) is accepting applications from Local Education Agencies (LEA), Public and Private Universities, State and local Colleges, Charter School Management Companies, Public Schools, Charter Schools, and Non-Profit Organizations (501c3) to implement and expand mental health program services on local school campuses. Grantees will receive direct funding and reimbursement to support the following activities: 

• Expanding access to School-Based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
• Coordinating mental healthcare services with school administration and staff. 
• Delivering mental healthcare services and coordinating academic-support activities to students with a history of attendance, behavior, and poor academic performance.

FUNDING

5-Years, renewable based on meeting performance goals 5-year award ceiling is $5,500,000.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to advance justice in the areas of civil and human rights, environmental justice, and poverty law. Since being founded in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 700 recoverable grants totaling more than $8 million for impact litigation. 

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force during a Black Lives Matter protest.
• In Maine, the state fails to safely monitor the prescription and administration of powerful psychotropic medications to foster youth.
• In Missouri, a Medicaid agency fails to arrange for in-home nursing services for children with medically complex conditions.
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.
• In West Virginia, incarcerated individuals do not receive adequate medical and mental health care, and jails do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These are often cases no one else will support. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin the proposed expansion of a highway will divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and bring pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violate the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into the Delta, the Sacramento River, and the American River.
• In Fresno, California, the city’s efforts to streamline industrial development fail to protect vulnerable neighborhoods from adverse environmental and public health impacts.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporations accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target homeless vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of homeless individuals and employ forced evictions from public spaces.
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

NOTE: Application deadlines

• October 1 - January 31: Applications accepted during this time period for organizations focused in the following areas: 
• Health care and medical research 
  • Children’s medical, heart disease, and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Churches & Religion
• February 1 - May 31:  Applications accepted during this time period for organizations focused in the following areas: 
• Education 
  • Institutional scholarships (need-based awarded to and by colleges and universities)
• At-Risk Youth & Families
  • Abused, neglected, and disadvantaged children; adoption & foster care; victims of domestic abuse; and homelessness
• International humanitarian aid 
• June 1 - September 30: Applications accepted during this time period for organizations focused in the following areas: 
• U.S. military personnel and family support
• Animal Welfare & Advocacy
• Food Pantries & Feeding Programs

Mission

The mission of the Gratis Foundation is to support programs in the fields of education, health care and medical research, humanitarian services, abused and neglected children, and assisting U.S. Military personnel and their families. It is the intent of the foundation to award grants based on achievement, excellence, significance, or leadership in a specific field or charitable endeavor.

Program areas

• Animal Welfare & Advocacy
• At-Risk Youth & Families
• Churches & Religion
• Education
• Food Pantries & Feeding Programs
• Health Care & Medical Research
• International Humanitarian Aid
• U.S. Military Personnel & Family Support

Program limitations 

Supports programs in the fields of education, health care and medical research, humanitarian services, abused and neglected children, and assisting U.S. Military personnel and their families.

States served 

• District of Columbia 
• Florida 
• Massachusetts 

The Wawa Foundation provides financial grants on a local, regional and national level ensuring that our commitment extends from the local communities Wawa serves to the regional footprint Wawa occupies in the mid-Atlantic and Florida. Only registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations operating in Wawa’s six-state area are eligible to apply. Organizations must fall into The Wawa Foundation’s three key areas of focus: Health, Hunger and Everyday Heroes. To learn more, review our Criteria for Success.

Wawa Foundation Financial Grants

Our submission windows for grants over $2,500 will be the months of January, April, July and October. Qualified organizations can submit grant requests and Letters of Inquiry during those timeframes. Requests will be reviewed and organizations will receive a response before the next grant submission window opens.

Areas of Focus

Health

The Wawa Foundation will provide funding to organizations committed to saving and improving lives in the communities Wawa serves. Specifically, The Wawa Foundation will support organizations dedicated to Championing Life-saving Research & Care for People in Need by:

• Providing grants to hospitals with a focus on pediatric institutions
• Funding research
• Supporting care and comfort Initiatives

Hunger

The Wawa Foundation will play a leading role in hunger relief in the communities Wawa serves. To achieve this, we will support programs that enable us to Lead Hunger Relief Efforts by:

• Providing food donations to local pantries daily through Wawa Share
• Improving access to food through financial grants
• Enabling Feeding America Food Banks to reach more communities through annual in-store campaigns

Heroes

The Wawa Foundation is committed to Supporting the Heroes Making a Difference Every Day by:

• Showing appreciation and care to our military, veterans, first responders and other heroes in our local communities
• Enhancing the education and mentoring of at-risk youth in grades K-12.
• Supporting heroes through crisis response, blood drives, and volunteering

NOTE: We evaluate proposals on a quarterly basis. To be considered during a particular quarter, you must submit an application by the first of February, May, August, or November.

Stellar Foundation

In 2006, our fully integrated design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm established the Stellar Foundation to formalize our commitment to giving back to the community. The mission of the Foundation is to build communities, developing an environment that supports stronger families and promotes a cycle of giving that stretches from our backyard in Jacksonville to communities around the world. Our philanthropy is employee-driven.

Employees form the heart of the Foundation, donating their time, talent and energy for a multitude of worthwhile causes across the First Coast and beyond. Many of our employees serve on the boards of local nonprofits such as Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Dreams Come True, the Sulzbacher Center and many more.

Our employees live out Stellar’s core values of quality, integrity, customer satisfaction, creativity, innovation and commitment in everything they do, whether it’s designing and building a range of commercial, public sector or industrial facilities or hosting an annual holiday luncheon to feed the homeless.

To invest in the next generation and continue the cycle of caring, we also encourage employees to make their volunteering efforts a family affair, creating ways for their entire family to participate in giving back. We want our employees to be proud of the company they work for, and their unparalleled devotion to philanthropy makes us proud they’re working for us.

Criteria

Applicants must operate in—and improve the quality and availability of—healthcare, education, artistic and cultural events, or community services. At the time of application, organizations should have the resources and manpower to develop, implement, and successfully complete their proposed goals.

The Gladys Brooks Foundation was created under the will of Gladys Brooks Thayer of New York. 

Its purpose is to provide for the intellectual, moral and physical welfare of the people of this country by establishing and  supporting non-profit libraries, educational institutions, hospitals and clinics.

Scope of Grants Considered

The Foundation will consider major grant applications for innovative projects in the fields of libraries, education, hospitals and clinics.

Grants for Libraries 

Grant applications will be considered generally for resource Endowments (print, film, electronic database, speakers/workshops) capital construction and innovative equipment. Projects fostering broader public access to global information sources utilizing collaborative efforts, pioneering technologies and equipment are encouraged.

Grants for Educational Institutions

Grant applications from universities, colleges and secondary schools will be considered generally for:

• educational endowments to fund scholarships based solely on educational achievements, leadership and academic ability of the student; 
• endowments to support fellowships and teaching chairs for educators who confine their activities primarily to classroom instruction in the liberal arts, mathematics and the sciences during the academic year;
• erection or endowment of buildings, wings or additions thereto of buildings, and equipment for educational purposes;
• capital equipment for educational purposes.

Grants for Hospitals & Clinics

Grant proposals from hospitals and clinics where the proposal addresses a new health need, an improvement in the quality of health care or reduced health costs with better patient outcomes will be considered generally for:

• endowments for programs;
• erection or endowment of buildings, wings of or additions to buildings;
• capital equipment.