Brian & Sonya Emerick Family
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family is a private foundation based in Columbia City, Indiana. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including religious and youth organizations, schools, arts organizations, and community-serving organizations.
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family at a glance
In short: Brian & Sonya Emerick Family gave $103K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Indiana. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $103,086
- -37.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- -20.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,482
- -21.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $28,456
- -31.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (2 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Indiana (98% 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 Brian & Sonya Emerick Family
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5865 E State Road 14, Columbia City, IN 46725
Phone: (260) 625-4281
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Brian & Sonya Emerick Family funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Youth for Christ ($35K). Together the top 10 received $94K.
Grant Size Distribution
120 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 118 grants of 120 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Columbia City, Indiana. In 2025, 98% of grant dollars went to recipients in Indiana, 1% to recipients in Ohio, and less than 1% each to recipients in Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Brian & Sonya Emerick Family open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 23 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $750; repeat grants $5K. How we count
Medians: $750 first-time, $2K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 37% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above 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 $85K (2023) to $165K (2024). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $103K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Youth for Christ Fort Wayne, IN | Religion for Youth | $35,000 |
| Emmanuel Community Church Fort Wayne, IN | Religious | $24,000 |
| Unity Performing Arts Foundation Fort Wayne, IN | Operations | $10,000 |
| Emmanuel Christian School Fort Wayne, IN | Religious | $5,000 |
| Ronald McDonald House Indianapolis, IN | Operations | $5,000 |
| Star 883 Fort Wayne, IN | Operations | $5,000 |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes Roanoke, IN | Operations | $4,000 |
| Huntington University Huntington, IN | Education/Forester Fund | $2,000 |
| The Center for Whitley County Youth Columbia City, IN | Operations | $2,000 |
| Whitco FFA Larwill, IN | Operations | $2,000 |
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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 | $28,456 | $90,788 | $103,832 | $103,086 | 23 | $103,086 | $17,693 | $21 |
| 2024 | $41,500 | $175,616 | $165,532 | $164,717 | 29 | $164,717 | $38,220 | $412 |
| 2023 | $31,416 | $69,196 | $86,124 | $85,288 | 27 | $85,288 | $23,805 | $3,631 |
| 2022 | $48,344 | $122,053 | $164,445 | $163,991 | 21 | $163,991 | $9,604 | $3,564 |
| 2021 | $90,736 | $2,189 | $96,072 | $93,738 | 20 | $93,738 | $395 | $9,641 |
| 2020 | $184,619 | $12,925 | $110,303 | $104,190 | 25 | — | $1,981 | $10,991 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Brian & Sonya Emerick Family reported a distributable amount of $21 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 religious purposes, youth, education, and organizational operations. The supported organizations describe their own work in varied terms: Youth For Christ says it communicates the message of Jesus Christ to young people and equips local churches; Alliance Defending Freedom says it advances the right to live and speak the truth; and LC Nature Park says it promotes learning about Indiana ecosystems and protects native flora and fauna.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 23 grants totaling $103,086. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $35,000, with a median of $1,000.
The largest reported grants included $35,000 to Youth For Christ, $24,000 to Emmanuel Community Church, $10,000 to Unity Performing Arts Foundation, $5,000 each to Emmanuel Christian School, Ronald McDonald House, and STAR 883, and $4,000 to Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Other reported grants included $2,000 to Huntington University, The Center for Whitley County Youth, and Whitco FFA; $1,886 to Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo; and $1,000 to A Hope Center. The foundation also reported $500 grants to Alliance Defending Freedom and LC Nature Park.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Brian Emerick as president and Sonya Emerick as secretary.
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family is led by Brian Emerick, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Brian Emerick
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Sonya Emerick
Secretary
On filings since 2020
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 Brian & Sonya Emerick Family
How much does Brian & Sonya Emerick Family give each year?
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family gave $103K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $165K across 29 grants.
What is Brian & Sonya Emerick Family's typical grant size?
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $4,482, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Brian & Sonya Emerick Family that year got $750 on average.
Where does Brian & Sonya Emerick Family give grants?
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family gives mostly in Indiana: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Fort Wayne, IN (9 grants), Columbia City, IN (3 grants), Indianapolis, IN (2 grants) and Roanoke, IN (2 grants).
Does Brian & Sonya Emerick Family give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Brian & Sonya Emerick Family's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Operations" (18 grants).
Who are Brian & Sonya Emerick Family's largest grantees?
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family's largest 2025 grantees include Youth for Christ ($35,000), Emmanuel Community Church ($24,000) and Unity Performing Arts Foundation ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Brian & Sonya Emerick Family?
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family reported $28K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $103K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $21 (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Brian & Sonya Emerick Family fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for religious purposes, youth, education, and organizational operations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Brian & Sonya Emerick Family?
The foundation states that it 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 Brian & Sonya Emerick Family's EIN?
Brian & Sonya Emerick Family's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1925185. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Brian & Sonya Emerick Family 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Brian & Sonya Emerick Family funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/brian-and-sonya-emerick-family-morg_3d971ab5c00749f0bc2689b7b62541b6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_261925185_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Brian \& Sonya Emerick Family funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/brian-and-sonya-emerick-family-morg_3d971ab5c00749f0bc2689b7b62541b6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 Brian & Sonya Emerick Family'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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