Whiting Foundation
| Founded | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Flora Ettlinger Whiting |
| Type | Private foundation |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, U.S. |
Key people | Constantia Constantinou (executive director) |
| Website | www |
The Whiting Foundation (legally the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation) is an American private foundation based in New York City. Founded in 1973 through a bequest from Flora Ettlinger Whiting, it makes grants in literature and the humanities. The foundation is known for administering the Whiting Awards, annual grants to emerging writers.[1][2][3]
History
Mrs. Flora Whiting died in 1971, and a contemporaneous report in The New York Times identified the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation as one of the principal beneficiaries of her estate.[4] The Bookseller reported that the foundation has funded humanities work since 1973.[1] According to the foundation, its first program was the Whiting Dissertation Fellowship, which ran from 1973 to 2015.[5][6] In 1985, it established the Whiting Awards.[3]
Programs
The foundation's literary programs include the Whiting Awards, which are given annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.[3][7]
The Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress began in 2016.[8][1] In 2022, The Bookseller reported that the program expanded from eight United States writers to ten writers and opened to applicants from Britain and Canada with qualifying publishing contracts.[1] The program is now titled the Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress.[9]
The foundation launched the Whiting Literary Magazine Prizes in 2017.[10] Publishers Weekly reported that the program was revised in 2023, when the foundation moved to awarding cohorts of magazines on a three-year cycle and changed eligibility rules and grant amounts.[11]
Beyond its literary programs, the foundation's grantmaking has included dissertation and teaching fellowships, public engagement programs for humanities scholars, and more recent grants in high-school humanities and cultural heritage preservation.[6][12][13]
Organization
In December 2024, Constantia Constantinou was appointed executive director, succeeding Daniel Reid.[14]
According to ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer, the foundation reported $5,300,964 in revenue, $4,811,750 in expenses, and $75,886,402 in total assets for fiscal year 2024.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Tivnan, Tom (February 11, 2022). "A solid foundation: the Whiting non-fiction grants come to the UK". The Bookseller. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b "Mrs Giles Whiting Foundation". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b c "10 emerging writers receive $50,000 Whiting Awards". Associated Press. April 14, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "Estate of Mrs. Flora Whiting Estimated at $2.5-Million". The New York Times. March 19, 1971. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "History". Whiting Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b "Past Programs". Whiting Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "About the Whiting Awards". Whiting Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "8 nonfiction authors receive $40,000 Whiting grants". Associated Press. December 10, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress". Whiting Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "Whiting Foundation Launches Whiting Literary Magazine Prizes". Publishers Weekly. September 19, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Stewart, Sophia (September 13, 2022). "Whiting Introduces Changes to Literary Magazine Prizes". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "To Lift up the Humanities, a Foundation Backs High School Teachers and Curriculum". Inside Philanthropy. April 27, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Scutari, Mike (December 19, 2024). "How the Whiting Foundation Supports Writers and Literary Arts Organizations". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Stewart, Sophia (December 10, 2024). "Constantia Constantinou Tapped to Lead Whiting Foundation". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 20, 2026.