Larson Foundation
Sioux Falls, SD · EIN 46-0412311. Reported 158 grants totalling $21.9M to 99 recipients across tax years 2020-2024. 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. Larson 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 $30,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $10,000 and $75,000; the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $12.8M. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD | $12.8M | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Childrens Home Society | Sioux Falls, SD | $1,000,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity | Brookings, SD | $980,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Red Cloud Indian School | Pine Ridge, SD | $775,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains | Brookings, SD | $440,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Oneheart | Rapid City, SD | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Teach for America - South Dakota | Mission, SD | $300,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| South Dakota Network Against Family Violence & Sexual Assault | Sioux Falls, SD | $260,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Working Against Violence Inc | Rapid City, SD | $260,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Abbott House | Mitchell, SD | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brookings Area United Way | Brookings, SD | $232,014 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Lakota Waldorf School | Kyle, SD | $220,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Teach for America - Sd | Mission, SD | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Youth & Family Services Inc | Rapid City, SD | $168,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Rosebud | Mission, SD | $150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Sd Network Against Family Violence & Sexual Assault | Sioux Falls, SD | $145,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Native American Community Board | Lake Andes, SD | $137,525 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Boys and Girls Club N Plains | Brookings, SD | $130,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Brookings Area Habitat Humanity | Brookings, SD | $130,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| South Dakota Humanities Council | Brookings, SD | $130,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Cheyenne River Youth Project | Eagle Butte, SD | $115,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mitchell Area Safehouse | Mitchell, SD | $115,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| East Central CASA Program | Brookings, SD | $110,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Abbot House | Mitchell, SD | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Brookings Behavioral Health & Wellness | Brookings, SD | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Dakota Abilities | Sioux Falls, SD | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Rural America Initiatives | Rapid City, SD | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Rapid City Club for Boys | Rapid City, SD | $95,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| One Spirit | Rapid City, SD | $90,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Avera Mckennan | Sioux Falls, SD | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Boys and Girls Club Rosebud | Brookings, SD | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| The Banquet | Sioux Falls, SD | $75,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| First Peoples Fund | Rapid City, SD | $70,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Bishop Dudley Hospitality House | Flandreau, SD | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Dakotabilities | Sioux Falls, SD | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Yankton Contact Center | Yankton, SD | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| The Wholeness Center | Flandreau, SD | $55,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Volunteer Service Bank | Brookings, SD | $55,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Aberdeen Family YMCA | Aberdeen, SD | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Black Hills Playhouse | Custer, SD | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Center for Disaster Philanthropy Inc | Washington, DC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Feeding South Dakota | Sioux Falls, SD | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Multi-Cultural Center | Sioux Falls, SD | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Onespirit | Rapid City, SD | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sioux Falls Multicultural Center | Sioux Falls, SD | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Friends of the Brookins Public Library | Brookings, SD | $49,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Call to Freedom | Sioux Falls, SD | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Passages Women's Transitional Living | Rapid City, SD | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sd Humanities Council | Brookings, SD | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Sicangu Community Development | Mission, SD | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Southeast Pierre Community Center | Pierre, SD | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls | Sioux Falls, SD | $37,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Brookings Backpack Project | Brookings, SD | $35,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Harmony South Dakota | Sioux Falls, SD | $35,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota | Sioux Falls, SD | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Red Cloud Renewable | Pine Ridge, SD | $33,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| East Central CASA | Brookings, SD | $30,959 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Avera Behavioral Health of Brookings | Brookings, SD | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Brookings Salvation Army | Brookings, SD | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Native Am Community Board | Lake Andes, SD | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Wavi | Rapid City, SD | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Simply Smiles | Westport, CT | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sotera Youth & Family Services Collaborative | Pierre, SD | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Furniture Mission | Sioux Falls, SD | $20,590 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program | Brookings, SD | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter | Brookings, SD | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Emily's Hope | Sioux Falls, SD | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| NAMI Sd | Sioux Falls, SD | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Oceti Sakowin Community Academy | Rapid City, SD | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| South Dakota Nonprofit Network | Fort Pierre, SD | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Domestic Violence Network | Madison, SD | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Accelerate | Sioux Falls, SD | $18,900 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| The Teddy Bear Den | Sioux Falls, SD | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Community Outreach | Sioux Falls, SD | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Furniture Mission of Sd | Sioux Falls, SD | $14,200 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| American Cancer Society | Sioux Falls, SD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American National Red Cross | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Red Cross | Sioux Falls, SD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| American Red Cross | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Red Cross Serving Eastern South Dakota | Sioux Falls, SD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brookings County Youth Mentoring | Brookings, SD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Sioux Falls Public Schools | Sioux Falls, SD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Special Olympics South Dakata Inc | Sioux Falls, SD | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Veterans Community Project of Sious Falls | Kansas City, MO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Vermillion Food Pantry | Vermillion, SD | $9,835 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Black Hills Works Inc | Rapid City, SD | $8,629 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Avera Medical Group | Brookings, SD | $7,800 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues | Sioux Falls, SD | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society | Sioux Falls, SD | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dakota State University Foundation | Madison, SD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Horsepower | Sioux Falls, SD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Kelly Mcgeough Foundation | Brookings, SD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lower Brule Research Institute | Lower Brule, SD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Pine Ridge Girls' School | Porcupine, SD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Pine Rodge Girls School | Pine Ridge, SD | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Campbell County Christian | Herreid, SD | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Employee Match | Brookings, SD | $2,275 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Lake Mills Community School | Lake Mills, SD | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lake Mills School | Lake Mills, SD | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
30 of 99 (30%) 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 34%, across 4 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.
- South Dakota State University
LARSON FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP. - Youth & Family Services
HEALTHY CONNECTIONS PROGRAM
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 78 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 43 | $1,896,748 | $30,000 |
| 2021 | 22 | $14.1M | $25,000 |
| 2022 | 30 | $2,076,579 | $38,750 |
| 2023 | 34 | $2,328,400 | $35,000 |
| 2024 | 29 | $1,427,500 | $30,000 |
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
100% of its giving went to organizations in South Dakota. 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 $30,000. 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 South Dakota.
- 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 Larson Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). 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: 222 South Main Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD, 57104. 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 46-0412311 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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