Alice M O'Brien Foundation
The Alice M O’Brien Foundation is a private foundation based in West St. Paul, Minnesota. Its mission is to support the charitable interests of three generations of Alice M. O’Brien’s family, honoring Alice’s commitment to philanthropy.
Alice M O'Brien Foundation at a glance
In short: Alice M O'Brien Foundation gave $224K across 39 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Minnesota. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $224,250
- -9.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 39
- -9.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,750
- -0.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,500
- Total assets
- $2,565,227
- -0.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (16 of 39, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (61% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Alice M O'Brien Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its website says organizations must be invited to make a grant proposal.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1914 Nature View Lane, West St Paul, MN 55118
Phone: (612) 910-1926
Website: https://aobfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Alice M O'Brien Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Marine Mills Folk School ($53K). Together the top 10 received $187K.
Grant Size Distribution
203 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 200 grants of 203 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Minnesota recipients received 61% of grant dollars, followed by New York at 18%, Virginia at 11%, the District of Columbia at 3%, and Wisconsin at 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 39 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Alice M O'Brien Foundation open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 16 of 39 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $2K repeat.
- 51% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 21% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 106% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $157K (2023) to $248K (2024). In 2025 it made 39 grants totaling $224K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Mills Folk School Marine on Saint Croix, MN | Continuing Operations | $53,000 |
| Brain & Behavior Research Foundatio New York, NY | Continuing Operations | $20,750 |
| Cathedral Heritage Foundation Eden Prarie, MN | Continuing Operations | $20,750 |
| Fasd United Inc McLean, VA | Continuing Operations | $20,000 |
| Ehlers-Danlos Society New York, NY | Continuing Operations | $19,500 |
| Catholic Charities Minneapolis, MN | Continuing Operations | $16,750 |
| Second Harvest Hartland Brooklyn Park, MN | Continuing Operations | $16,500 |
| University of Minnesota Foundation Minneapolis, MN | Continuing Operations | $10,750 |
| Planned Parenthood Federation of Am Washington, DC | Continuing Operations | $4,500 |
| Standing Cedars Community Land Cons Osceola, WI | Continuing Operations | $4,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Alice M O'Brien Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,565,227 | $227,110 | $247,819 | $224,250 | 39 | $226,676 | $208,089 | $213,561 |
| 2024 | $2,585,936 | $193,332 | $267,931 | $248,000 | 43 | $250,037 | $175,438 | $204,707 |
| 2023 | $2,660,535 | $43,680 | $175,240 | $156,750 | 41 | $159,003 | $53,461 | $185,247 |
| 2022 | $2,792,095 | $198,392 | $220,408 | $185,500 | 38 | $187,176 | $178,199 | $193,226 |
| 2021 | $2,815,733 | $457,949 | $210,195 | $185,500 | 42 | $187,081 | $435,652 | $212,090 |
| 2020 | $2,566,134 | $199,102 | $204,748 | $185,000 | 41 | — | $181,351 | $169,649 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Alice M O'Brien Foundation reported a distributable amount of $214K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation states that it supports the charitable interests of three generations of Alice M. O’Brien’s family. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including traditional arts and crafts, historic preservation, health and medical research, and social services. For example, Marine Mills Folk School describes its mission as supporting communities and strengthening connections through traditional arts and crafts; the Cathedral Heritage Foundation describes its work as preserving and maintaining the Cathedral of Saint Paul; and the Ehlers-Danlos Society says it advances research and education related to Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 39 grants totaling $224,250. Grant amounts ranged from $750 to $53,000, with a median of $1,500. The largest award was $53,000 to Marine Mills Folk School. Other large grants included $20,750 each to Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and Cathedral Heritage Foundation; $20,000 to FASD United; $19,500 to Ehlers-Danlos Society; $16,750 to Catholic Charities; and $16,500 to Second Harvest Heartland. The filing lists each of these grants as supporting continuing operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Alice O’Brien Berquist as president; Alvina O’Brien and Katherine M. O’Brien as secretaries; and Robin Brooksbank, Terence O’Brien Jr., and Thomond O’Brien Jr. as directors.
Alice M O'Brien Foundation is led by Alice O'Brien Berquist, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alice O'Brien Berquist
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robin Brooksbank
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Terence O'Brien Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomond O'Brien Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alvina O'Brien
Secretary P
Secretary → Secretary P, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Katherine M. O'Brien
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Alice M O'Brien Foundation
How much does Alice M O'Brien Foundation give each year?
Alice M O'Brien Foundation gave $224K across 39 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $248K across 43 grants.
What is Alice M O'Brien Foundation's typical grant size?
Alice M O'Brien Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $5,750, across 39 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Alice M O'Brien Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Alice M O'Brien Foundation give grants?
Alice M O'Brien Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 61% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (18%) and Virginia (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Minneapolis, MN (8 grants), Saint Paul, MN (7 grants), New York, NY (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does Alice M O'Brien Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 39 grants with a stated purpose on Alice M O'Brien Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Continuing Operations" (39 grants).
Who are Alice M O'Brien Foundation's largest grantees?
Alice M O'Brien Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Marine Mills Folk School ($53,000), Brain & Behavior Research Foundatio ($20,750) and Cathedral Heritage Foundation ($20,750), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Alice M O'Brien Foundation?
Alice M O'Brien Foundation reported $2.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $227K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $214K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Alice M O'Brien Foundation fund?
The foundation states that it supports the charitable interests of three generations of Alice M. O’Brien’s family. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including traditional arts and crafts, historic preservation, health and medical research, and social services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Alice M O'Brien Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Alice M O'Brien Foundation's EIN?
Alice M O'Brien Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-6018991. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Alice M O'Brien Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 8, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 29, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Alice M O'Brien Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/alice-m-o-brien-foundation-morg_a4884dcf1fb24ed987f32dc5694eaadd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_416018991_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Alice M O'Brien Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/alice-m-o-brien-foundation-morg_a4884dcf1fb24ed987f32dc5694eaadd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Alice M O'Brien Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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