Alva J Field Memorial Trust
Alva J Field Memorial Trust is a private foundation based in Williston, North Dakota. It supports college education for eligible students from Williams County through a student loan program and scholarships.
Alva J Field Memorial Trust at a glance
In short: Alva J Field Memorial Trust gave $1.4M across 224 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in North Dakota. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,425,787
- +15.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 224
- +0.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,365
- +13.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,500
- Total assets
- $24,955,325
- +8.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- North Dakota (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Alva J Field Memorial Trust
- How to Apply
-
The trust’s website directs students applying for scholarships to apply through Williston State College if they plan to attend that institution. Other scholarship applications are submitted to the law office. Loan applicants submit an application and supporting materials, including a current transcript; the loan application instructions also call for parent or guardian information and recommendations. The 2024 filing says loan requests are limited to boys and girls who graduated from high school in Williams County, North Dakota.
- Review Cycle
- For non-Williston State College scholarship applications, the website lists November 1 for spring semester and April 1 for fall semester.
- Deadline
- For non-Williston State College scholarship applications, the website lists November 1 for spring semester and April 1…
- Contact
Application contact: Neff Eiken Neff Pc
Mailing address: 1500 14Th Street W Suite 200, Williston, ND 58802
Phone: (701) 577-2000
Website: https://alvajfieldtrust.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Alva J Field Memorial Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 4 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Williston State College ($200K). Together the top 4 received $207K.
Organizations only. It also paid 220 individual scholarships ($1,218,787), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
1,153 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,148 grants of 1,153 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The trust is based in Williston, North Dakota. In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in North Dakota; the remaining listed shares went to Montana (2%), Tennessee (1%), Minnesota (1%), and Oklahoma (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 224 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Alva J Field Memorial Trust gives
- Giving grew 52% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 96% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $787K (2021) to $1.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 224 grants totaling $1.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Williston State College Williston, ND | Individual Scholarship | $200,000 |
| 49 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $468,000 |
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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 | $24,955,325 | $2,363,937 | $1,902,803 | $1,425,787 | 224 | $1,534,643 | $2,133,962 | $1,601,460 |
| 2024 | $23,049,130 | $5,023,321 | $1,583,499 | $1,240,314 | 222 | $1,385,612 | $4,819,234 | $1,477,346 |
| 2023 | $18,591,018 | $2,360,579 | $1,392,852 | $1,057,282 | 231 | $1,223,079 | $2,168,145 | $1,417,010 |
| 2022 | $16,410,094 | $2,415,371 | $1,280,052 | $935,150 | 233 | $1,073,112 | $2,199,313 | $1,246,532 |
| 2021 | $19,612,321 | $2,397,233 | $1,080,709 | $787,348 | 243 | — | $2,204,618 | $1,160,314 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Alva J Field Memorial Trust reported a distributable amount of $1.6M 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 trust’s stated purpose is to provide college education loan funds for worthy students who graduate from a Williams County high school. Its website also describes a scholarship program.
The loan program offers approved applicants loans of up to $3,000 per semester at 3% annual interest. The website’s stated requirements include graduating from an accredited Williams County high school, attending college full time, and maintaining a C average or better during the previous college semester. Scholarship applicants generally must be full-time students with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Williston State College students apply through the college; the trust’s scholarship funds for other students are paid to the college and may be used for tuition only.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the trust reported 224 grants totaling $1,425,787. Grant amounts ranged from $1,929 to $200,000, with a median of $4,500. The largest listed grant was $200,000 to Williston State College in Williston, North Dakota, for an individual scholarship. Other listed awards included $14,000 scholarships to individuals in North Dakota and Montana.
The trust also reported direct charitable activity through court-supervised and approved student loans: four new loans totaling $24,000 were made in its 2024 filing year.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Martin Hanson, Beau Anderson, Richard H Faidley, and Bernell Hirning as trustees.
Alva J Field Memorial Trust's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; 3 of 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Beau Anderson
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0 hrs/week
$300 (2021) → $600 (2025)
Martin Hanson
Trustee
On filings since 2021
3.8 hrs/week
$7K (2021) → $8K (2025)
Richard H Faidley
Trustee
On filings since 2023
0 hrs/week
$300 (2023) → $300 (2025)
Bernell Hirning
Trustee
On filings since 2024
0 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: Brent Lysne (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: F Dan Baker (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Jeffrey Thake (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Michael Campbell (2021–2023) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $8K, to Martin Hanson (Trustee). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Alva J Field Memorial Trust
How much does Alva J Field Memorial Trust give each year?
Alva J Field Memorial Trust gave $1.4M across 224 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 222 grants.
What is Alva J Field Memorial Trust's typical grant size?
Alva J Field Memorial Trust's median grant in 2025 was $4,500, and its average grant was $6,365, across 224 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Alva J Field Memorial Trust give grants?
Alva J Field Memorial Trust gives mostly in North Dakota: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Williston, ND (4 grants).
Does Alva J Field Memorial Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 224 grants with a stated purpose on Alva J Field Memorial Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Individual Scholarship" (224 grants).
Who are Alva J Field Memorial Trust's largest grantees?
Alva J Field Memorial Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Williston State College ($200,000), Rickett Alan - NCTC ($3,000) and Wiedrich Ty ($2,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 220 individual scholarships ($1,218,787), which are not listed by name. Together they received 14% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Alva J Field Memorial Trust?
Alva J Field Memorial Trust reported $25.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.6M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Alva J Field Memorial Trust fund?
The trust’s stated purpose is to provide college education loan funds for worthy students who graduate from a Williams County high school. Its website also describes a scholarship program. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Alva J Field Memorial Trust?
The trust’s website directs students applying for scholarships to apply through Williston State College if they plan to attend that institution. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Alva J Field Memorial Trust's EIN?
Alva J Field Memorial Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-6010789. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2024
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