Draft:Whiting Foundation
American private foundation supporting literature, the humanities, and cultural heritage preservation
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The Whiting Foundation (legally the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) private foundation based in New York City that makes grants in support of literature, the humanities, and cultural heritage preservation.[1][2] It is best known for the Whiting Awards, annual $50,000 grants to emerging writers.[3] Other programs have included grants for nonfiction works in progress, support for literary magazines, humanities fellowships and public-engagement grants, and funding partnerships focused on safeguarding documentary heritage in areas affected by conflict or disaster.[4][5][6]
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| Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation | |
| Founded | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Flora Ettlinger Whiting |
| Type | Private foundation |
| Focus | Literature; humanities; cultural heritage preservation; humanities education |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Area served | United States (primarily); selected international cultural-heritage preservation grants |
| Method | Grants and prizes |
Key people | Constantia Constantinou (executive director) |
| Website | www |
History
The foundation was established in 1973 through a bequest from arts patron and collector Flora Ettlinger Whiting, who died in 1971.[7] A 1971 New York Times report on Whiting's estate identified the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation as one of its principal beneficiaries.[8] The Bookseller reported that the foundation initially focused on humanities scholarship before expanding into literary and other grantmaking, and Publishers Weekly said it began with a $10 million bequest from Whiting's estate.[7][9]
In 1985, the foundation launched the Whiting Awards, establishing a long-running program of annual grants for emerging writers.[3] The foundation later expanded its portfolio to include a works-in-progress grant for creative nonfiction, support for literary magazines, and humanities initiatives focused on public engagement and secondary education.[4][5][10]
Programs and grantmaking
Literature
Whiting Awards
The Whiting Awards (originally the Whiting Writers’ Awards) provide annual $50,000 grants to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.[3]
The Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress
The foundation’s Creative Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress provides $40,000 grants to authors working on book-length nonfiction projects in progress; the Associated Press reported that the program was established in 2016 and typically recognizes ten writers in a given year.[4][7]
Whiting Literary Magazine Prizes
In 2017, the foundation launched the Whiting Literary Magazine Prizes, a grant program for literary magazines.[5]
Humanities and education
Dissertation and teaching fellowships
For several decades, the foundation supported humanities scholarship through dissertation and teaching fellowships; The Bookseller reported that the dissertation fellowship program was later sunset as the foundation broadened its activities.[7] (The foundation’s website provides a historical list of these programs and dates.)[11]
Public engagement in the humanities
The foundation developed humanities initiatives aimed at public-facing work by scholars, including a fellowship program highlighted in higher-education reporting in 2017.[12]
High-school humanities
In 2021, Inside Philanthropy described a slate of Whiting grants focused on the high-school years, including support for teacher professional development, curriculum development, and student enrichment programs in the humanities.[10]
Cultural heritage preservation
The foundation has supported projects aimed at safeguarding documentary heritage at risk from conflict or disaster, including a partnership with Cultural Emergency Response for emergency and recovery grants.[6] Inside Philanthropy has described this portfolio as part of the foundation’s broader humanities funding.[1]
The foundation has also funded cultural-heritage infrastructure projects. In 2017, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) announced a Whiting Foundation grant to prototype the Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME).[13] A 2018 Qatar Foundation press release about the DLME prototype described it as developed by CLIR and partners and supported by Whiting Foundation funding.[14]
Organization and leadership
Finances
The foundation files U.S. tax returns as a private foundation. ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer lists the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation (EIN 13-6154484) and reports that for the fiscal year ending December 2024, the foundation reported approximately $5.3 million in revenue, $4.81 million in expenses, and $75.9 million in total assets.[2]
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