Westwood Endowment: Grants for Global Development

OVERVIEW: The Westwood Endowment does not specify which global development causes it chooses to support, but its past grantmaking suggests a preference for education and leadership development programs aimed at poverty alleviation and economic security.

IP TAKE: Westwood is not the most approachable funder, and it maintains a low public profile. However, grantseekers should not be discouraged from applying, as several new groups appear each year on its roster. This is not an accessible funder, but reach out and see if they are accepting new grantees.

PROFILE: Founded in the mid-1980s, the Tennessee-based Westwood Endowment focuses its grantmaking on least-developed countries around the world. The endowment does not specify which global development causes it supports; however, past grantmaking reveals a preference for education and leadership development programs, with an eye on poverty alleviation and economic security.

While this funder does not award many grants annually, about 15 to 20, its awards are relatively substantial and range from $20,000 to $60,000. The endowment supports secular and non-secular organizations based in the U.S. and abroad. Westwood offers multi-year support on occasion, but from its tax filings, the endowment appears to award single year grants most often.

Westwood Endowment's public profile is nearly non-existent. It does not operate a website or employ a formal staff. It does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding, making it difficult for grantseekers to get an audience with the foundation’s staff. That said, new grantees appear on its grants roster each year. Its tax filings reveal its tendency to fund smaller organizations over larger ones. 

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CONTACT:
Westwood Endowment
820 Broad Street
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402
(423) 755-3964