Updated:
Joseph & May Winston Foundation
The Joseph & May Winston Foundation formed on November 5, 2001, as a Virginia-based 501(c)(3) private foundation. Allan B.
Joseph & May Winston Foundation
The Joseph & May Winston Foundation formed on November 5, 2001, as a Virginia-based 501(c)(3) private foundation. Allan B. Winston serves as president alongside Diana B. Winston, secretary and treasurer, with Julia and Joshua Winston rounding out the board — a family-governed structure that has remained consistent since inception. The foundation operates from a post office box in Merrifield, Virginia, with no secondary offices. The foundation's deployment consolidates exclusively around three programmatic pillars: higher education, scientific and medical research, and classical symphonic and chamber music and opera. Scholarship commitments flow to Washington University in St. Louis and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, while medical research grants target Washington University School of Medicine's Divisions of Ophthalmology, Visual Sciences, and Endocrinology. Music and cultural sponsorships span the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Fourth Wall Ensemble, Washington Performing Arts, and The Phillips Collection. Allan B. Winston concurrently practices law at Winston & Winston, a firm with offices in Scarsdale, New York, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The foundation's total asset base and annual grant volumes are not publicly disclosed. In 2025 the foundation made grants to at least eight organizations spanning its three programmatic pillars, with Wolf Trap Foundation and Washington University School of Medicine appearing as recurring recipients. The foundation's structural signature is its refusal to diversify mandate or professionalize management beyond the family board. While many private foundations layer in program officers or shift toward hybrid impact investing, the Joseph & May Winston Foundation remains governed by four family directors making direct grant decisions across a fixed set of institutional beneficiaries — a pattern unchanged for two decades.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
2001
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Merrifield
Corporate office
Merrifield, VA, United States
Principals
Allan B. Winston
President and Director
Diana B. Winston
Secretary and Treasurer
Altss tracks 2 additional named team members for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
Book a demoSector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment and grant decisions at the foundation?
A family board of four directors governs the foundation. Allan B. Winston serves as president and director, Diana B. Winston as secretary and treasurer, with Julia Winston and Joshua Winston also serving as directors. The board makes all grant decisions directly, with no external investment committee or program officers disclosed.
What institutions receive the foundation's recurring support?
Recurring higher education partners include Washington University in St. Louis and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. Medical research grants flow to Washington University School of Medicine's Divisions of Ophthalmology, Visual Sciences, and Endocrinology. Music and cultural partners include Wolf Trap Foundation, Wolf Trap Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Fourth Wall Ensemble, Washington Performing Arts, and The Phillips Collection.
Does the foundation make grants outside the United States?
Yes. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheva, Israel, is a named grantee and appears as a recurring recipient in foundation materials. The foundation's other named partners are US-based institutions in Missouri, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
Is the foundation affiliated with any operating businesses?
President Allan B. Winston is also an attorney at Winston & Winston, a law firm with offices in Scarsdale, New York, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The foundation and the law firm operate as separate entities, though Diana B. Winston is associated with both organizations.
Does the foundation accept unsolicited grant applications?
The foundation's website does not mention an open application process or grant guidelines. Its grantmaking pattern suggests a closed-circle model targeting long-standing institutional partners rather than a publicly accessible request-for-proposal cycle.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on endowments & foundations?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: