Elis Olsson Memorial Foundation
West Point, VA · EIN 54-6062436. Reported 345 grants totalling $1,997,500 to 111 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Elis Olsson Memorial Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $5,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $2,500 and $5,000; the smallest was $500 and the largest $25,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts Alive Inc | West Point, VA | $100,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Thrive Virginia | New Kent, VA | $75,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Greater West Point Family YMCA | West Point, VA | $69,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Historical Society of West Point | West Point, VA | $56,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| West Point Volunter Fire Dept & Rescue Squad | West Point, VA | $55,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic | Kilmarnock, VA | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| St Andrews School | Richmond, VA | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Bay Aging | Urbanna, VA | $48,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Melvin Rosson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8356 | West Point, VA | $48,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Cure Alzheimers Fund | Wellesley Hills, MA | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Virginia Institute of Marine Science Foundation | Gloucester Point, VA | $43,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| International Rescue Committee Inc | Albert Lea, MN | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| West Point Public Schools | West Point, VA | $38,810 | 6 | 4 | 2024 |
| The International Women's Fishing Association | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The National Multiple Sclerosis Society | Ark, VA | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The Int'l Womens Fishing Assoc Scholarship Trust | Ft Lauderdale, FL | $30,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Cure Alzheimers Fund | Wellesley Hills, ME | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Science Museum of Virginia Foundation | Richmond, VA | $30,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The National Multiple Sclerosis Society | New York, NY | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Walkerton Community Fire Association | Walkerton, VA | $30,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Angels of Mercy Medical Clinic | Williamsburg, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Beach Food Pantry Inc | Kill Devil Hills, NC | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Boykin Spaniel Foundation | Camden, SC | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Childrens Hospital Foundation | Richmond, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters | Norfolk, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Community Care Clinic of Dare | Kitty Hawk, NC | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Feedmore | Richmond, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Preschool | West Point, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Proclaiming Grace Outreach | Barhamsville, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Rappahannock Community College - Nursing Program | Warsaw, VA | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Remote Area Medical | Rockford, TN | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| St Margaret's School | Tappahannock, VA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Cornerstone Community Development Center | Aylett, VA | $25,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| The Doorways | Richmond, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Menokin Foundation | Warsaw, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Victory Junction Gang Inc | Randleman, NC | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Virginia Union University | Richmond, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| West Point Ministers Association | West Point, VA | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Bridges of Change | New Kent, VA | $23,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Hands Across Mathews | Mathews, VA | $22,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jamestown Yorktown Foundation | Williamsburg, VA | $22,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Mercy Medical Angels | Virginia Beach, VA | $22,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Outer Banks SPCA | Maneo, NC | $21,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| West Point Schools Combined PTO | West Point, VA | $21,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Friends of Pitt County Animal Shelter | Greenville, NC | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Spay Today Inc | Greenville, NC | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University - Massey Cancer Center | Hampton, VA | $20,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Jacob's Ladder Inc | Urbanna, VA | $19,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Gloucester-Mathews Care Clinic | Hayes, VA | $18,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Feeding America | Chicago, IL | $15,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| International Medical Corps | Washington, DC | $15,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Versability Resources | Hampton, VA | $15,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| American Red Cross - Boone Office | Boone, NC | $14,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Central King & Queen Volunteer Fire Dept | King Queen, VA | $14,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Operation Shoestring | Jackson, MS | $13,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Parent-Child Development Corporation | West Point, VA | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Circles Rva | Richmond, VA | $12,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Lower King & Queen Fire-Ems Inc | Shaclkefords, VA | $11,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Doctors Without Borders | New York, NY | $11,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| American Red Cross - Florida | Fort Myers, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross - Kentucky | Louisville, KY | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross - Virginia | Richmond, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross for California Wildfires | Boone, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Direct Relief for Hurricane Melissa | Santa Barbara, CA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| International Game Fish Association | Dania Beach, FL | $10,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| St Margarets School | Tappahannock, VA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Billfish Foundation | Ft Lauderdale, FL | $10,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| United Nations | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Virginia Forestry Educational Foundation | Richmond, VA | $8,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Virginia Living Museum | Newport News, VA | $7,048 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Doctors Without Borders | Hagerstown, MD | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Partners in Health | Frederick, MD | $7,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Virginia Air & Space Science Center | Hampton, VA | $5,547 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Alzheimers Association - Greater Richmond Chapter | Richmond, VA | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| American Civil War Museum | Richmond, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Red Cross | Honolulu, HI | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| American Red Cross - Puerto Rico | Boone, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross - Southeasr Lousiana Chapter | New Orleans, LA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Red Cross for Texas Floods | Boone, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Braille Circulating Library for the Blind | Richmond, VA | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Christchurch School | Christchurch, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Community Foundation of Washington County | Hagerstown, MD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department | Fairfield, NC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Indian Rivers Humane Society | Aylett, VA | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Jewish Agency for Israel - US | New York, NY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rural Infant Services Program | Saluda, VA | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Richmond | Richmond, VA | $5,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wings of Hope Inc | St Louis, MO | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Boykin Spaniel Rescue Inc | Boiling Springs, SC | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Foundation for Historic Christ Church Inc | Irvington, VA | $4,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Mariners Museum and Park | Newport News, VA | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Middlesex County Volunteer Rescue Squad | Deltaville, VA | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Providence Forge Volunteer Fire Dept | New Kent, VA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| West Point High School Drama Department | West Point, VA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Alaska Community Foundation | Anchorage, AK | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Casting for Cats Inc | Islamorada, FL | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Christopher Newport University Educational Foundation | Newport News, VA | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Community Foundation | Baltimore, MD | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| The Community Foundation | Richmond, VA | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Williamsburg Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Memory | Williamsburg, VA | $1,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Bonefish & Tarpon Trust | Miami, FL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Boykin Spaniel Rescue Inc | Charlottesville, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Carolina Honduras Health Foundation | Winstonsalem, NC | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Chesapeake Bay Foundation | Richmond, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Providence Forge Volunteer Fire Department | Providence Forge, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Quickstart Children of Virginia | Williamsburg, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Community Foundation Mark Smith Neale II Memorial Scholarship Fund | Richmond, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Vmppbs Va Public Media | Richmond, VA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Partners in Health | Boston, MA | $595 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
76 of 111 (68%) received money in more than one year over the 5 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 87%, across 4 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.
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.
- St Margarets School
100 YR IN HONOR OF STURE & SHIRLEY OLSSON - American Red Cross - Virginia
FOR WESTERN VA FLOOD RELIEF - American Red Cross
HAWAII RED CROSS FIRE RELIEF - The Community Foundation
MARK SMITH NEALE II MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 202 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 | 67 | $397,500 | $5,000 |
| 2022 | 69 | $400,000 | $5,000 |
| 2023 | 73 | $400,000 | $5,000 |
| 2024 | 62 | $400,000 | $5,000 |
| 2025 | 74 | $400,000 | $5,000 |
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
70% of its giving went to organizations in Virginia. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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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: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $5,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Virginia.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Elis Olsson Memorial Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). 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: Po Box 300, West Point, VA, 23181. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 54-6062436 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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