David & Janis Larson Foundation
Minneapolis, MN · EIN 41-1957525. Reported 132 grants totalling $33.2M to 52 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation told the IRS it does not accept unsolicited requests: it contributes only to organizations it selects itself.
Does this foundation accept applications?
No -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation to check a box if it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds". David & Janis Larson Foundation checked it on its most recent filing, as 78% of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered did. An unsolicited request is unlikely to go anywhere.
Organizations it funds that make grants of their own
3 of the organizations David & Janis Larson Foundation funded make grants themselves, and it reported 6 grants totalling $1,320,000 to them. That is 7% of the $19.1M of its giving we could match to a registered organization. Each is classified by the IRS as a philanthropy or grantmaking organization, reported grants to at least 25 organizations of its own, and has at least 10 funders behind it.
All of them file Form 990, which never asks whether an organization funds only groups it picks, so there is no answer on record either way.
What that does not mean. It does not mean an application to any of them reaches this foundation's money. A private foundation's grant to a community foundation or a federated campaign is often a donor-advised fund or a gift designated for a purpose the foundation chose, and has nothing to do with any open programme the receiving organization runs. Its return's purpose text sometimes names a family fund or a designated purpose, which is the plainest case of money no applicant can reach; where it names none, neither return says which. The list is who this foundation paid that also makes grants. Whether any of them would fund you is a question for its own page.
| Grantmaker | Kind | State | Received | Grants | Years | Last | Only funds organizations it picks? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Croix Valley Foundation | community foundation | Wisconsin | $1,200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 | Its form does not ask |
| Children's Cancer Research Fund | grantmaking organization | Minnesota | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 | Its form does not ask |
| Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc | grantmaking organization | Georgia | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 | Its form does not ask |
A floor, not a full list. A grantmaker appears here only where this foundation's return named it clearly enough for us to match the name to an EIN, which we manage for about two thirds of 990-PF grant rows, and only where that grantmaker has a page on this site. There may be more. Dollars here are summed by EIN across every spelling on its returns, so a figure can differ from the matching row in the full list below, which groups names as written. And the IRS classification cannot tell a grantmaker from a funders' association or a donor-advised fund sponsor, so a payment to one of these may be dues or an account rather than support for a grants programme.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $107,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $50,000 and $300,000; the smallest was $3,500 and the largest $2,200,000.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas University Endowment Association | Lawrence, KS | $6,610,250 | 11 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pinky Swear Foundation | Edina, MN | $5,580,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Voyageur Outward Bound School | St Paul, MN | $3,740,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Sanneh Foundation | St Paul, MN | $1,451,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Central Square Cultural and Civic Center | Glenwood, MN | $1,400,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| YMCA of the North | Minneapolis, MN | $1,325,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Big Brothers and Big Sisters | St Paul, MN | $1,200,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Croix Valley Foundation | Hudson, WI | $1,200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $975,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pope County Historical Society | Glenwood, MN | $970,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| College Possible Twin Cities | St Paul, MN | $868,750 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Redwood Historical Society | Redwood Falls, MN | $800,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| University of Minnesota Athletics | Minneapolis, MN | $600,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Aahs Deca Foundation | Alexandria, MN | $500,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| City of Redwood Falls Library | Redwood Falls, MN | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Redwood Area Library Foundation | Redwood Falls, MN | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Alexandria Technological and Community College | Alexandria, MN | $400,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Pinky Swear Foundation Kansas City | Kansas City, MO | $400,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Guthrie Theater Foundation | Minneapolis, MN | $350,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Adult & Teen Challenge | Minneapolis, MN | $300,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Just Like You Films | Prairie Village, KS | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Washburn Center for Children | Minneapolis, MN | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Camp Fire Minnesota | Excelsior, MN | $290,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Children's Mercy Hospital | Kansas City, MO | $255,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Folds of Honor of Minnesota | Wayzata, MN | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans | St Paul, MN | $235,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Food for Hungry Minds | Minneapolis, MN | $230,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Grief Club of Minnesota | Chanhassen, MN | $225,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Every Third Saturday | Minneapolis, MN | $185,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of America | St Paul, MN | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ridgedale YMCA | Minnetonka, MN | $125,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Children's Cancer Research Fund | Minneapolis, MN | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Dav of Minnesota Foundation | St Paul, MN | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Minnesota Military Family Foundation | Golden Valley, MN | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Ann's Catholic School | Hamel, MN | $98,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Capable Partners | Golden Valley, MN | $95,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Rockhurst High School | Kansas City, MO | $80,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Minnesota State Univerisity Foundation | Mankato, MN | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Als Association | St Paul, MN | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kids in Need | Little Canada, MN | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mankato University Minnesota | Mankato, MN | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Kansas City Christian School | Prairie Village, KS | $35,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Als Association - Mid-America Chapter | Mission, KS | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Next Steps Kansas City | Leawood, KS | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Abnormal Society | Kansas City, MO | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| National Christian Foundation | Edina, MN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Full Throttle Foundation Kc | Overland Park, KS | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Teresa's Academy | Kansas City, MO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lincoln Prep - Inner City Accelerated School | Kansas City, MO | $11,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Iglesia Del Dios Vivo Coumbia Y Apoyo De La Verdad | Denver, CO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Agnes Church | St Paul, MN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ymam San Diego | Chula Vista, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
31 of 52 (60%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 90%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one, and this foundation told the IRS it does not.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Pinky Swear Foundation
GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES - Kansas University Endowment Association
LARSON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP FUND - Big Brothers and Big Sisters
GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES - OPERATING - St Croix Valley Foundation
CAPISTRANT PARKINSON'S FOUNDATION - University of Minnesota Foundation
DAVE LARSON SCHOLARSHIP FUND, JANIS LARSON SCHOLARSHIP FUND, LARSON FAMILY ENDOWMENT FOR CLA LEARNING - Camp Fire Minnesota
YOUTH IN NATURE & LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 64 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21 | $7,525,000 | $200,000 |
| 2022 | 30 | $9,300,000 | $150,000 |
| 2023 | 36 | $8,000,000 | $150,000 |
| 2024 | 45 | $8,390,000 | $100,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
73% of its giving went to organizations in Minnesota.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more. Unlike this foundation, none of them is on record as funding only organizations it picks, and each page says what its filings show.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from David & Janis Larson Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 250 Marquette Avenue 520, Minneapolis, MN, 55401. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS.
EIN 41-1957525 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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