Bent Family Foundation Inc
Bent Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In its 2025 filing, it reported giving $126,000 through 10 grants to charitable organizations, with listed purposes including environmental and educational charitable purposes.
Bent Family Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Bent Family Foundation Inc gave $126K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Illinois. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $126,000
- +14.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +100.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,600
- -42.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $9,000
- Total assets
- $1,892,294
- +6.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Illinois (50% 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 Bent Family Foundation Inc
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 410 Hunt Club Way, Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Phone: (262) 384-3700
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bent Family Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Nature Conservancy ($30K). Together the top 10 received $126K.
Grant Size Distribution
19 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 16 grants of 19 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants were distributed among organizations in Illinois (50% of grant dollars), Wisconsin (24%), Washington (16%), and Colorado (10%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
How Bent Family Foundation Inc gives
- 10% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−1%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% 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 (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 $102K (2020) to $127K (2022). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $126K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Nature Conservancy Madison, WI | Environmental Charitable Purpose | $30,000 |
| John G Shedd Aquarium Chicago, IL | Educational Charitable Purpose | $30,000 |
| Griffin Museum of Science & Industry Chicago, IL | Educational Charitable Purpose | $25,000 |
| American Friends of Canadian Conservation Bellingham, WA | Environmental Charitable Purpose | $10,000 |
| Raincoast Conservation Foundation Seattle, WA | Environmental Charitable Purpose | $10,000 |
| Lake Forest Open Lands Association Lake Forest, IL | Enviromental Charitable Purpose | $8,000 |
| Greenwood Wildilfe Rehabilitation Center Boulder, CO | Environmental Charitable Purpose | $6,000 |
| Cal-Wood Education Center Jamestown, CO | Educational Charitable Purpose | $5,000 |
| Dharma's Garden Boulder, CO | Educational Charitable Purpose | $1,000 |
| Jarrow Montessori School Inc Boulder, CO | Educational Charitable Purpose | $1,000 |
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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 | $1,892,294 | $270,449 | $148,413 | $126,000 | 10 | $126,000 | $251,391 | $136,047 |
| 2024 | $1,769,567 | $225,699 | $129,175 | $110,000 | 5 | $110,000 | $206,524 | $125,410 |
| 2023 | $1,672,110 | $79,415 | $130,730 | $113,000 | 2 | $113,000 | $61,685 | $110,099 |
| 2022 | $1,722,857 | $71,424 | $151,026 | $127,000 | 1 | $127,000 | $53,745 | $113,581 |
| 2021 | $1,801,770 | $302,871 | $121,451 | $102,000 | 1 | $102,000 | $283,980 | $126,677 |
| 2020 | $1,620,337 | $124,806 | $119,063 | $102,000 | 1 | — | $107,743 | $102,362 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bent Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $136K 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 environmental and educational charitable purposes. Examples of grantees’ work include Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s efforts to protect marine and terrestrial environments in northwestern North America, and Lake Forest Open Lands Association’s preservation and maintenance of local native landscapes and habitats. Cal-Wood Education Center describes its work as offering outdoor education experiences to youth and adults and fostering appreciation for the natural world.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 10 grants totaling $126,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $30,000, with a median grant of $9,000. Its largest grants were $30,000 each to The Nature Conservancy in Madison, Wisconsin, for an environmental charitable purpose, and John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, for an educational charitable purpose. Griffin Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago received $25,000 for an educational charitable purpose. Other grants included $10,000 each to American Friends of Canadian Conservation and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, both for environmental charitable purposes.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Seth L. Bent as director and president; Winslow S. Bent as director and vice president; and Walter W. Bell as director, treasurer, and secretary.
Bent Family Foundation Inc is led by Seth L. Bent, Director & President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Seth L. Bent
Director & President
Director & Vice President → Director & President, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Walter W. Bell
Director, Treasurer & Secretary
Treasurer & Secretary → Director, Treasurer & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Winslow S. Bent
Director & Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Stephen P. Bent (2020–2023) — Director & President
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 Bent Family Foundation Inc
How much does Bent Family Foundation Inc give each year?
Bent Family Foundation Inc gave $126K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $110K across 5 grants.
What is Bent Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Bent Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $9,000, and its average grant was $12,600, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Bent Family Foundation Inc give grants?
Bent Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in Illinois: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Wisconsin (24%) and Washington (16%). The most frequent recipient cities were Boulder, CO (3 grants) and Chicago, IL (2 grants).
Who are Bent Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Bent Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include The Nature Conservancy ($30,000), John G Shedd Aquarium ($30,000) and Griffin Museum of Science & Industry ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bent Family Foundation Inc?
Bent Family Foundation Inc reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $126K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $136K (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 Bent Family Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included environmental and educational charitable purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bent Family Foundation Inc?
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 Bent Family Foundation Inc's EIN?
Bent Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-2423639. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Bent Family Foundation Inc 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
(6)
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 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 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 May 15, 2026)
Live grants for the work Bent Family Foundation Inc funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bent Family Foundation Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bent Family Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bent-family-foundation-inc-morg_65ac0c07a4af494da15d153d8f090255
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_262423639_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bent Family Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bent-family-foundation-inc-morg_65ac0c07a4af494da15d153d8f090255},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Bent Family 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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