Brownell Family Foundation
The Brownell Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Grinnell, Iowa. Its 2025 filing lists 21 charitable grants totaling $426,981 to organizations including groups focused on gun rights, support for U.S. special operations forces, opera, wildlife conservation, and education.
Brownell Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Brownell Family Foundation gave $427K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), mostly in Iowa. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $426,981
- -6.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- +10.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,332
- -15.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $2,039,266
- +3.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Iowa (58% 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 Brownell Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3006 Brownells Pkwy, Grinnell, IA 50112
Phone: (641) 623-5401
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Brownell Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Gun Owners of America Inc ($102K). Together the top 10 received $388K.
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 76 grants of 99 (77%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 58% of grant dollars went to recipients in Iowa, 24% to Virginia, 6% to Washington, 5% to Montana, and 2% to Utah.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Brownell Family Foundation gives
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 43% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 401% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $198K (2020) to $1.1M (2021). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $427K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gun Owners of America Inc Springfield, VA | Charitable | $102,309 |
| Soww Grinnell, IA | Charitable | $82,502 |
| Des Moines Metro Opera Indianola, IA | Charitable | $75,000 |
| Claude W & Dolly Ahrens Foundation Grinnell, IA | Charitable | $27,500 |
| Second Amendment Foundation Vellevue, WA | Charitable | $25,335 |
| Iowa Firearms Coalition Moville, IA | Charitable | $25,335 |
| Boone and Crockett Club Foundation Inc Missoula, MT | Charitable | $20,000 |
| Linn County Izaak Walton League Cedar Rapids, IA | Charitable | $15,000 |
| Crime Prevention Research Salt Lake City, UT | Chariable | $10,000 |
| Command and General Staff College Foundation Inc Fort Leavenworth, KS | Charitable | $5,000 |
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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 | $2,039,266 | $745,257 | $675,809 | $426,981 | 21 | $231,737 | $140,658 | — |
| 2024 | $1,969,817 | $143,886 | $510,922 | $456,792 | 19 | $463,792 | $67,859 | $115,671 |
| 2023 | $2,269,409 | $85,512 | $500,157 | $438,090 | 19 | $438,090 | $30,257 | $123,829 |
| 2022 | $2,684,054 | $25,041 | $799,950 | $751,775 | 19 | $751,775 | $47,200 | $152,079 |
| 2021 | $3,458,963 | $1,581,618 | $1,160,864 | $1,111,280 | 21 | $1,149,611 | $35,665 | $134,495 |
| 2020 | $3,039,799 | $3,224,782 | $233,207 | $197,750 | 5 | — | $362 | $12,271 |
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 filing describes its program as “Gain on life insurance proceeds - excess of cash surrender value.” Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Gun Owners of America says its mission is to defend gun owners’ Second Amendment rights through education and advocacy; SOWW says it supports active and veteran U.S. Special Operations Forces members through charitable outdoor events, family retreats, and therapeutic treatments; and Des Moines Metro Opera says it creates theatrical experiences and learning opportunities.
Other 2025 recipients include the Boone and Crockett Club Foundation, which says it supports wildlife research to preserve and enhance North American wildlife; the Iowa College Foundation, which says it furthers the growth and development of private colleges and universities in Iowa; and Pheasants Forever, which says it works to conserve wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education, and advocacy.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 21 grants totaling $426,981. Grant amounts ranged from $150 to $102,309, with a median grant of $5,000. Notable grants included $102,309 to Gun Owners of America Inc, $82,502 to SOWW, $75,000 to Des Moines Metro Opera, $27,500 to Claude W & Dolly Ahrens Foundation, and $25,335 each to Second Amendment Foundation and Iowa Firearms Coalition.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Peter R Brownell is listed as a trustee on the 2025 filing.
Brownell Family Foundation is led by Peter R Brownell, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Peter R Brownell
Trustee
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Frank R Brownell III (2020–2024) — Trustee
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 Brownell Family Foundation
How much does Brownell Family Foundation give each year?
Brownell Family Foundation gave $427K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $457K across 19 grants.
What is Brownell Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Brownell Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $20,332, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Brownell Family Foundation give grants?
Brownell Family Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 58% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (24%) and Washington (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Grinnell, IA (7 grants) and Des Moines, IA (2 grants).
Does Brownell Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on Brownell Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable" (20 grants).
Who are Brownell Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Brownell Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Gun Owners of America Inc ($102,309), Soww ($82,502) and Des Moines Metro Opera ($75,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Brownell Family Foundation?
Brownell Family Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $745K.
What does Brownell Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 filing describes its program as “Gain on life insurance proceeds - excess of cash surrender value.” Its grants include support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Brownell Family Foundation?
The foundation 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 Brownell Family Foundation's EIN?
Brownell Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1276134. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Brownell Family Foundation 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
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 2, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 2, 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 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Brownell Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/brownell-family-foundation-morg_d5218dc91a7343048e7b4dd32acfdb78
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421276134_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Brownell Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/brownell-family-foundation-morg_d5218dc91a7343048e7b4dd32acfdb78},
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 Brownell Family Foundation'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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