Jd Nelson and Debra Nelson
Clear Lake, IA · EIN 87-3928548. Reported 93 grants totalling $1,269,400 to 74 recipients across tax years 2022-2024. 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. Jd Nelson and Debra Nelson 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 $8,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $15,000; the smallest was $200 and the largest $100,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redeemer Bible Church | Minnetonka, MN | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Clear Lake Classical | Clear Lake, IA | $115,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| World Harvest Outreach | Shell Lake, WI | $95,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Plymouth Bible Baptist Church | Plymouth, IA | $90,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Open Bible Church | Clear Lake, IA | $79,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Infaith | Exton, PA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Southwest Christian High School | Chaska, MN | $50,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Trinity Academy Inc | Wichita, KS | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Youth Horizons | Wichita, KS | $45,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Goserv Global Inc | Eagle Grove, IA | $38,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes | Wichita, KS | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Youth for Christ | Mason City, IA | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Together for Good | St Paul, MN | $28,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Clear Lake Community Shools | Clear Lake, IA | $27,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mason City Family YMCA | Mason City, IA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| River City Community Church | Wichita, KS | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Salvation Army | Mason City, IA | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| St Johns Lutheran School | Chaska, MN | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank | Mason City, IA | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Iowa Regular Baptist Camp | Ventura, IA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Clear Lake Community Schools | Clear Lake, IA | $16,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bethel College | Saint Paul, MN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cedar Springs Camp | Floyd, IA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Christian Assn of Youth Mentoring | Witchta, KS | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Northern Lights Alliance for the Homeless | Mason City, IA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| United to Serve With Passion & Purp | Clear Lake, IA | $13,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Clear Lake Wrestling Club | Clear Lake, IA | $11,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Church Ministries International Inc | Plano, TX | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Clear Lake Open Bible Church | Clear Lake, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Helps Ministry | Asheville, NC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kansas University Christian Challenge | Lawrence, KS | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Onelink International | Wichita, KS | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bethel College | Redding, CA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lifepointe Church of Ames | Ames, IA | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Kitchen of North Iowa | Mason City, IA | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Freedom in His Grace | Mason City, IA | $7,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Cheer Fund | Mason City, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| ETHNOS360 | Sanford, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Globe Gazette Cheer Fund | Mason City, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Serving Workers for the Harvest | Riverview, FL | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| United to Serve With Passion & Purpose | Clear Lake, IA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Christian Association of Youth Mentoring | Wichita, KS | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ksu Christian Challenge | Manhattan, KS | $4,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Clear Lake Booster Club | Clear Lake, IA | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Concerned Women for America | Washington, DC | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Samaritans Purse | Boone, NC | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Caring Pregnancy Center | Mason City, IA | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fischer House Foundation Inc | Rockville, MD | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Alliance Defending Freedom | Scottsdale, AZ | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Judicial Watch Inc | Washington, DC | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| American Bible Association | Philadelphia, PA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| American Family Association | Tupelo, MS | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Campus Crusade for Christ Inc | Orlando, FL | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Clear Lake Volunteer Fire Dept | Clear Lake, IA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Heritage Foundation Inc | Thomasville, GA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hillsdale College | Hillsdale, MI | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Igor I Sikorsky Historical Archives | Stratford, CT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Iowa Profile Alliance | Urbandale, IA | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Medecins San Frontiers USA Inc | New York, NY | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mercy Ships | Lindale, TX | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mission Aviation Fellowship | Nampa, ID | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Athletes in Action | Orlando, FL | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Boys Town | Boys Town, NE | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Iowa PBS | Johnston, IA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| National Pro-Life Alliance | Springfield, VA | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Smile Train Inc | New York, NY | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| D James Kennedy | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hoover Presidential Foundation | West Branch, IA | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Iowa Special Olympics Inc | Grimes, IA | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jack Van Impe Ministries | Rochester, MI | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum Inc | Chanute, KS | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Our Daily Bread Ministries | Grand Rapids, MI | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Zions Hope Inc | Winter Garden, FL | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
14 of 74 (19%) received money in more than one year over the 3 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 38%, across 2 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. 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.
- World Harvest Outreach
BLDG. FLOAT PLANE, HANGAR - Christian Assn of Youth Mentoring
UGANDA TRAINING CONFERENCE
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11 | $125,000 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 57 | $379,900 | $2,500 |
| 2024 | 25 | $764,500 | $25,000 |
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
47% of its giving went to organizations in Iowa. 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 $8,000. 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 Iowa.
- 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.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Jd Nelson and Debra Nelson'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: Po Box 607, Clear Lake, IA, 50428. 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 87-3928548 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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