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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Wisconsin
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 5,928 grantmakers listed 71,562 grants totaling $3.8 billion to 22,875 organizations in Wisconsin. 5,377 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 551 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 1,457 are based in Wisconsin; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Wisconsin organization was $5,000. Milwaukee County received the most grants (17,079, from 2,024 funders), followed by Dane County (9,898) and Brown County (3,936). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (10,927 grants), children & youth (6,157 grants) and health & mental health (4,290 grants).
Green Bay Packers Foundation (Green Bay, WI) funded the most different Wisconsin organizations: 872, through 981 grants with a typical size of $4,000.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Wisconsin organizations
Ranked by the number of different Wisconsin organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to WI organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green Bay Packers Foundation Green Bay, WI · EIN 39-1577137 | 981 | 872 | $4,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 2 | Greater Milwaukee Foundation Inc Milwaukee, WI · EIN 39-6036407 | 662 | 662 | $32,602 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 3 | Herbert H Kohl Charities Inc Milwaukee, WI · EIN 39-1300476 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 583 | 444 | $3,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Inc Milwaukee, WI · EIN 39-1661743 | 1,134 | 418 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | Otto Bremer Trust St Paul, MN · EIN 41-6019050 | 568 | 411 | $50,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County Inc Milwaukee, WI · EIN 39-0806190 | 884 | 392 | $43,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 7 | Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region Inc Appleton, WI · EIN 39-1548450 | 354 | 354 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 8 | Greater Green Bay Community Foundation Inc Green Bay, WI · EIN 39-1699966 | 299 | 299 | $19,630 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 9 | Madison Gas and Electric Foundation Inc Madison, WI · EIN 39-6098118 | 405 | 276 | $2,259 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Generac Foundation Inc Waukesha, WI · EIN 88-1928522 | 567 | 270 | $1,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Kunes Family Foundation Delavan, WI · EIN 47-2405427 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 349 | 237 | $1,160 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Land O'lakes Foundation St Paul, MN · EIN 41-1864977 | 342 | 227 | $600 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Ruth St John & John Dunham West Foundation Inc Manitowoc, WI · EIN 39-6056375 | 397 | 214 | $15,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 14 | Emil Ewald Family Foundation Inc Oconomowoc, WI · EIN 39-1687505 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 326 | 207 | $2,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Us Ventureschmidt Family Foundation Appleton, WI · EIN 39-1540933 | 241 | 204 | $10,250 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County | 17,079 | 2,024 | $1.2 billion | Top 5 funders |
| Dane County | 9,898 | 1,778 | $726.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Brown County | 3,936 | 431 | $120.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Waukesha County | 3,676 | 825 | $91.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Walworth County | 1,722 | 338 | $26.3 million | Top 5 funders |
| La Crosse County | 1,682 | 276 | $36.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| Outagamie County | 1,617 | 344 | $58.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Marathon County | 1,581 | 181 | $73.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Sheboygan County | 1,520 | 207 | $143.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Racine County | 1,233 | 298 | $33.0 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 10,927 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 6,157 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 4,290 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 4,015 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 3,708 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 2,955 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 1,720 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 1,586 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 1,338 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 508 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 488 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 280 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 47 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Wisconsin ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.