Archie & Viola Meinerz

Private foundation · Grantmaker Milwaukee, WI EIN: 39-1713840

Archie & Viola Meinerz is a private foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its reported grants support organizations working in areas including education, religious activity, animal welfare, and care for people with disabilities.

Archie & Viola Meinerz at a glance

In short: Archie & Viola Meinerz gave $294K across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $18K), mostly in Wisconsin. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$294,000
-9.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
16
-11.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$18,375
+2.1% vs 2024
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$6,428,354
-2.6% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
13% first-time grantees (2 of 15, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Wisconsin (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. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Archie & Viola Meinerz

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Contact

Mailing address: 622 North Water Street Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 273-3939

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Archie & Viola Meinerz funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

St Augustine Preparatory Academy: $50KSt Augustine PreparatoryAcademy$50KHappy Endings No Kill Cat Shelter Inc: $30KHappy Endings No Kill CatShelter Inc$30KMarquette University: $28KMarquette University$28KSt Ann Center for Intergenerational CA: $25KSt Ann Center forIntergenerational CA$25KThree Holy Women Parish: $15KThree Holy Women Parish$15KArcadia Education Foundation: $10KArcadia Education Foundation$10KHales Corners Lutheran Church & School: $10KHales Corners Lutheran Church& School$10KMilwaukee School of Engineering: $10KMilwaukee School ofEngineering$10KPreborn: $10KPreborn$10KTunnel to Towers Foundation: $10KTunnel to Towers Foundation$10K

The largest 2025 recipient was St Augustine Preparatory Academy ($50K). Together the top 10 received $198K.

Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($67,000), which are not listed by name.

Grant Size Distribution

80 grants across all recorded years

72<$50K8$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 72 grants of 80 (90%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Wisconsin. The remaining shares went to Indiana (3%), New York (3%), and Nevada (2%).

Grant Distribution by State

6states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.

Cities

MilwaukeeArcadiaGreenfieldHendersonSt FrancisFranklinHales CornerHales CornersJanesvilleWauwatosaGreen BayIndianapolisIrondaleStaten IslandArlingtonMinocqua

Is Archie & Viola Meinerz open to new grantees?

13%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 2 of 15 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $28K; repeat grants $13K. How we count

Medians: $28K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 87% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−15%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 83% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. 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

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K15 grants2020 18 grants2021 13 grants2022 15 grants2023 18 grants2024 16 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $284K (2023) to $345K (2022). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $294K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
1 individual scholarship Recipients not named —$67,000
St Augustine Preparatory Academy Milwaukee, WIEducation$50,000
Happy Endings No Kill Cat Shelter Inc Greenfield, WIFinding of permanent homes for unwanted, stray, abused or feral animals.$30,000
Marquette University Milwaukee, WITo provide scholarships to allow worthy students to attend marquette university$28,000
St Ann Center for Intergenerational CA Milwaukee, WITo provide quality, compassionate care to children, elders, and adults of all ages with disabilities$25,000
Three Holy Women Parish Milwaukee, WIReligious$15,000
Arcadia Education Foundation Arcadia, WIEducation and to provide scholarships for arcadia high school.$10,000
Hales Corners Lutheran Church & School Hales Corner, WIReligious and Education$10,000
Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WIEducation and to provide a scholarship fund for msoe.$10,000
Preborn Indianapolis, INTo provide ultrasounds and rescources for mothers and their preborn babies.$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$6,428,354$193,900$366,147$294,00016$294,000$169,143$353,545
2024$6,600,601$2,215,059$360,642$324,00018$324,000$2,191,698$301,552
2023$4,746,184$202,112$315,474$284,00015$284,000$181,638$291,121
2022$4,859,546$307,863$377,258$345,00013$345,000$285,767$302,377
2021$4,928,941$408,616$357,285$323,00018$323,000$384,487$342,236
2020$4,877,610$148,823$315,922$286,50015—$129,417$281,601

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Archie & Viola Meinerz reported a distributable amount of $354K 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

No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants include support for education and scholarships, religious organizations, animal sheltering, and services for children, elders, and adults with disabilities. For example, Happy Endings No Kill Cat Shelter received support for finding permanent homes for unwanted, stray, abused, or feral animals; St Ann Center for Intergenerational Care received support for providing care to people of different ages and abilities.

The foundation also supported several organizations in 2024. Marquette University describes its mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university’s pursuit of truth, learning, personal and professional excellence, faith, and service. Milwaukee Diaper Mission says it provides free diapers, wipes, and period supplies to local families through nonprofit partners. Milwaukee County War Memorial says its mission is to honor the dead and serve the living by commemorating those who died in defense of freedom and sharing the stories and experiences of veterans and their families.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 16 grants totaling $294,000. Grants ranged from $4,000 to $67,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest awards included $67,000 to an individual recipient High School for education and scholarships, $50,000 to St Augustine Preparatory Academy for education, $30,000 to Happy Endings No Kill Cat Shelter, and $28,000 to Marquette University for scholarships. Other listed grants included $25,000 to St Ann Center for Intergenerational Care and $15,000 to Three Holy Women Parish.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Luann Namowicz (secretary/director), Nancy Meinerz (president/director), and Gregory J Ricci (treasurer/director).

Archie & Viola Meinerz is led by Nancy Meinerz, President & Director since 2022 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Nancy Meinerz

    President & Director

    Secretary & Director → President & Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Luann Namowicz

    Secretary & Director

    On filings since 2022

    No compensation reported

  • Gregory J. Ricci

    Treasurer & Director

    On filings since 2023

    No compensation reported

Former officers (2)
  • Former: William Fitzhugh Fox (2020–2022) — Treasurer & Director
  • Former: Leigh Peterson (2020–2021) — President & Director

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 Archie & Viola Meinerz

How much does Archie & Viola Meinerz give each year?

Archie & Viola Meinerz gave $294K across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $324K across 18 grants.

What is Archie & Viola Meinerz's typical grant size?

Archie & Viola Meinerz's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $18,375, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Archie & Viola Meinerz that year got $28K on average.

Where does Archie & Viola Meinerz give grants?

Archie & Viola Meinerz gives mostly in Wisconsin: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (6 grants).

Does Archie & Viola Meinerz give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on Archie & Viola Meinerz's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are Archie & Viola Meinerz's largest grantees?

Archie & Viola Meinerz's largest 2025 grantees include St Augustine Preparatory Academy ($50,000), Happy Endings No Kill Cat Shelter Inc ($30,000) and Marquette University ($28,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($67,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Archie & Viola Meinerz?

Archie & Viola Meinerz reported $6.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $294K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $354K (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 Archie & Viola Meinerz fund?

No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants include support for education and scholarships, religious organizations, animal sheltering, and services for children, elders, and adults with disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Archie & Viola Meinerz?

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Archie & Viola Meinerz's EIN?

Archie & Viola Meinerz's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1713840. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Archie & Viola Meinerz accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated October 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

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 10, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 24, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Archie & Viola Meinerz funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/archie-and-viola-meinerz-morg_6e69c73c5ed94bda9f5a7aabef8e41c7

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391713840_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Archie \& Viola Meinerz funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/archie-and-viola-meinerz-morg_6e69c73c5ed94bda9f5a7aabef8e41c7},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Archie & Viola Meinerz'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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