Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Lansing, MI EIN: 27-1076561

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Lansing, Michigan. In its 2025 filing, it reported 11 grants totaling $105,000 to organizations in Michigan and Hawaii, including grants for emergency food assistance, child care, youth mentoring, and other services.

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc gave $105K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Michigan. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$105,000
+5.0% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
11
+0.0% vs 2024
Average grant
$9,545
+5.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$1,605,129
-0.1% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
10% first-time grantees (1 of 10, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Michigan (90% 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 Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc

How to Apply

The foundation’s filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Applicants should use the grant application and include a current copy of their 501(c)(3) determination letter. A copy of the application can be obtained by contacting the Wickens Foundation Grant Committee. No award restrictions are listed.

Contact

Application contact: Wickens Fdn Grant Committee
Mailing address: 2510 Kerry Street 102, Lansing, MI 48912
Phone: (517) 372-9600

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

Who Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Greater Lansing Food Bank: $15KGreater Lansing Food Bank$15KHoly Cross Services: $15KHoly Cross Services$15KRedeemer Church: $15KRedeemer Church$15KSt Thomas Aqunias: $15KSt Thomas Aqunias$15KBig Brothers Big Sisters: $10KBig Brothers Big Sisters$10KE Global Family: $10KE Global Family$10KCatholic Community of St Jude: $5KCatholic Community of St Jude$5KCommunity Baptist Church of Lansing: $5KCommunity Baptist Church ofLansing$5KGive-a-Kid Project: $5KGive-a-Kid Project$5KLansing Old Newsboys: $5KLansing Old Newsboys$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Greater Lansing Food Bank ($15K). Together the top 10 received $100K.

Grant Size Distribution

46 grants across all recorded years

46<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 46 grants of 46 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan (90%) and Hawaii (10%).

Grant Distribution by State

2states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.

Cities

LansingDewittGrand LedgeHoltHonoluluSaginawGraylingEast LansingGrand Rapids

Is Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

10%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 10 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $9K. How we count

Medians: $15K first-time, $10K repeat.

  • 90% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 112% 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

$0$50K$100K$150K14 grants2020 0 grants2021 12 grants2022 12 grants2023 11 grants2024 11 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $94K (2023) to $116K (2020). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $105K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Greater Lansing Food Bank Lansing, MIEmergency Food Assistance$15,000
Holy Cross Services Saginaw, MIFor Childcare program$15,000
Redeemer Church Lansing, MIFor Child Care Program$15,000
St Thomas Aqunias East Lansing, MIFor Child Care Program$15,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters Lansing, MIMentoring Middle School Youth$10,000
E Global Family Honolulu, HIAdvanced Education Program$10,000
Catholic Community of St Jude Dewitt, MIFinancial Assistance to the Underprivileged$5,000
Community Baptist Church of Lansing Grand Ledge, MIServices and Food to the Underprivileged$5,000
Give-a-Kid Project Holt, MIFinancial Assistance to the Underprivileged$5,000
Lansing Old Newsboys Lansing, MIPurchase of Children's Footwear for Underprivileged$5,000
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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$1,605,129$130,137$127,257$105,00011$106,570$128,225$95,036
2024$1,606,119$86,371$117,845$100,00011$101,732$70,892$92,405
2023$1,697,705$67,571$111,011$93,75012$95,355$52,773$87,080
2022$1,733,550$78,889$130,642$112,50012$113,958$63,160$90,594
2021$1,758,465$80,656$18,132——$1,098$64,381$106,009
2020$1,640,445$80,161$136,201$116,00014—$61,782$94,121

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $95K 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 for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for food assistance, child care programs, youth mentoring, advanced education, and services for people described in grant purposes as underprivileged.

Among its grantees, Greater Lansing Food Bank describes its mission as partnering to alleviate hunger and create a future where everyone has access to nourishing food. Holy Cross Services describes itself as a child care and family preservation agency serving children and families throughout Michigan. Big Brothers Big Sisters describes its mission as creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation gave $105,000 through 11 grants. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $15,000, with a median grant of $10,000.

Notable 2025 grants included:

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc is led by Stephen Wickens, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Stephen Wickens

    President

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Connie L. Wickens

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kimberly Beck

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kristen Johnson

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Cynthia M. Knowlton

    Secretary

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Theresa A. Wickens

    Vice President

    On filings since 2020

    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 Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc

How much does Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc give each year?

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc gave $105K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $100K across 11 grants.

What is Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $9,545, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc that year got $15K on average.

Where does Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc give grants?

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc gives mostly in Michigan: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Hawaii (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Lansing, MI (5 grants).

Does Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Greater Lansing Food Bank ($15,000), Holy Cross Services ($15,000) and Redeemer Church ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc?

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc reported $1.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $107K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $95K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for food assistance, child care programs, youth mentoring, advanced education, and services for people described in grant purposes as underprivileged. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc?

The foundation’s filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc's EIN?

Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-1076561. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(2)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Live grants for the work Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc funds

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bennie-c-wickens-foundation-inc-morg_119f6d73a4374eb7b759c486f28d8bb1

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_271076561_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/bennie-c-wickens-foundation-inc-morg_119f6d73a4374eb7b759c486f28d8bb1},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Bennie C Wickens Foundation Inc'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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