Funders › Indiana

The Semler Family Foundation Inc

Indianapolis, IN · EIN 20-3523866. Reported 189 grants totalling $554,250 to 89 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$1,000median grant
$554,250granted, 2021-2025
89recipients, as named on its returns
57%of grantees funded again the next year
$2,217,606assets, latest filing

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. The Semler Family Foundation Inc did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $1,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $200 and $5,000; the smallest was $100 and the largest $25,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

Under $1,000
78 grants
$1,000 - $5,000
61 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
22 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
27 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
1 grant

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.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Marian UniversityIndianapolis, IN$47,700442025
Indiana Repertory TheatreIndianapolis, IN$46,000442025
Connor PrairieFishers, IN$43,500552025
United Catholic Appeal (arch of Indianapolis)Indianapolis, IN$37,500332023
500 Festival FoundationIndianapolis, IN$32,000442024
Bishop Chatard High School-Kyle Guyton MemorialIndianapolis, IN$25,000112021
Indiana Historical SocietyIndianapolis, IN$24,500552025
Cld WorldwideLos Angeles, CA$20,000222024
Guerin Catholic High SchoolNoblesville, IN$20,000332025
Providence Cristo Rey High School-GrantIndianapolis, IN$16,500552025
Holy Angels IncBelmont, NC$15,500222025
MdrtPark Ridge, IL$15,000332023
Purdue University FoundationWest Lafayette, IN$12,000332025
Gleaners Food BankIndianapolis, IN$11,900552025
Riley Childrens FoundationIndianapolis, IN$11,200552025
Crossroads of America CouncilIndianapolis, IN$10,500552025
Bishop Chatard High School IncIndianapolis, IN$10,000112025
CldIndianapolis, IN$10,000112021
Connor Prairie (capital Campaign)Fishers, IN$10,000112021
IrtIndianapolis, IN$10,000112021
Hoosier Art SalonIndianapolis, IN$8,500332024
Archdiocese of IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN$8,000442024
St MeinradSt Meinred, IN$7,000222022
Seeds of HopeIndianapolis, IN$6,600552025
Hoosier Salon Patrons AssocIndianapolis, IN$6,500112021
Lake Maxinkuckee AssociationCulver, IN$6,000552025
Sagamore Institute IncIndianapolis, IN$6,000332025
Lake Max Enviromental FundCulver, IN$5,250442024
Boyscouts Crossroads of America Gov LunchIndianapolis, IN$5,100222023
Sisters of St FrancisOldenburg, IN$5,100222025
Ato Foundation (ga Ross Fund)Indianapolis, IN$5,000112022
Indianapolis ZooIndianapolis, IN$5,000112022
St Mary's Catholic ChurchIndianapolis, IN$5,000112022
The Central Indiana Police Foundation IncIndianapolis, IN$3,500222025
Indianapolis Symphony OrchestraIndianapolis, IN$3,000332023
Center for Leadership Development IncIndianapolis, IN$2,900112025
Hospital Sisters of St Francis Foundation IncSpringfield, IL$2,300112023
Merciful Help Center-GrantCarmel, IN$2,200442025
Antiquarian Historical SocietyCulver, IN$2,000112022
Culver Boys & Girls ClubCulver, IN$2,000222022
Freeman Army Airfield MuseumSeymour, IN$2,000112021
Little Sisters of the PoorIndianapolis, IN$2,000222025
Sycamore FoundationIndianapolis, IN$2,000112021
Boy Scout Troop 131Bolingbrook, IL$1,600222025
Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site IncIndianapolis, IN$1,000112023
Catholic Relief Services UsccbBaltimore, MD$1,000112023
Christel HouseIndianapolis, IN$1,000112022
Early Learning IndianaIndianapolis, IN$1,000112021
Eiteljorg MuseumIndianapolis, IN$1,000112021
Impact InternationalPlantation, FL$1,000112022
Iu FoundationIndianapolis, IN$1,000112021
LmecCulver, IN$1,000112022
Purdue University - Leroy Keyes FellowshipWest Lafayette, IN$1,000112021
United Way of Marshall CountyPlymouth, IN$1,000112021
Winged Victory FundCarmel, IN$1,000112023
Hear IndianaIndianapolis, IN$800442025
Folds of Honor FoundationOwasso, OK$700332025
Indiana Golf FoundationIndianapolis, IN$700332025
Kate's KartFt Wayne, IN$700442025
National Eating Disorders AssociationNew York, NY$700552025
Liam & Reece Kelly FoundationCarmel, IN$600442025
Franciscan Health Foundation IncMishawaka, IN$500332025
Joseph Maley FoundationIndianapolis, IN$500222023
K9 for WarriorsPonte Verda, FL$500222025
The Julian Center IncIndianapolis, IN$500332025
Francine's Friends (ff Mammography)Fort Wayne, IN$400112025
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation-GrantIndianapolis, IN$300332023
Little Angel Gowns LtdIndianapolis, IN$300222024
Boys & Girls Club of Tippecanoe CoLafayette, IN$200222023
Children's Flight of HopeRaleigh, NC$200112025
Lafayette Urban Ministry IncLafayette, IN$200112025
Make a WishIndianapolis, IN$200112021
National Alliance for Mental Health and Substance Abuse RecoveryHumble, TX$200112024
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence IncSan Francisco, CA$200112025
American Heart AssociationIndianapolis, IN$100112021
Barstool Fund-30 Day Fund-GrantCharlottesville, VA$100112021
Blessings in a Backpack IncLousiville, KY$100112023
First Tee of IndianaFranklin, IN$100112021
Humane Society of IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN$100112022
Kidney Cancer FoundationChicago, IL$100112021
Lauren Hanawalt Scholarship FundIndianapolis, IN$100112022
Make-a-Wish Foundation of AmericaPhoenix, AZ$100112023
O'connor HouseCarmel, IN$100112022
Phi Gamma Delta Foundation-GrantLexington, KY$100112021
Retreiving IndependenceNashville, IN$100112022
Second Helpings-GrantIndianapolis, IN$100112021
St Agnes Catholic School-GrantChicago Heights, IL$100112021
The Kidney Cancer AssociationHouston, TX$100112023
The Tatum Parker Project IncIndianapolis, IN$100112023

43 of 89 (48%) 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 57%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. 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.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 80 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.

Arts & Culture
15 grants
Philanthropy & Grantmaking
11 grants
Human Services
10 grants
Education
8 grants
Youth Development
6 grants
Mental Health
6 grants
Environment
5 grants
Public & Societal Benefit
4 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
202142$127,800$1,000
202242$132,650$1,000
202340$97,700$750
202431$95,000$1,000
202534$101,100$1,000

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

89% of its giving went to organizations in Indiana. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.

Indiana
$495K
California
$20K
Illinois
$19K
North Carolina
$16K
Florida
$2K
Maryland
$1K
Oklahoma
$700
New York
$700

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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.

Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund34 shared recipientsDonor Advised Charitable Giving Inc28 shared recipientsAmerican Online Giving Foundation Inc24 shared recipientsVanguard Charitable Endowment Program21 shared recipientsCentral Indiana Community Foundation Inc20 shared recipientsLilly Endowment Inc19 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $1,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Indiana.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 The Semler Family Foundation Inc'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: 7920 Beaumont Green West Dr, Indianapolis, IN, 46250. 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 20-3523866 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.