Burnett Family Foundation
The Burnett Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Des Moines, Iowa. Its 2025 filing reports 13 grants totaling $1,176,994, including support for the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation, Blank Park Zoo, and other organizations.
Burnett Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Burnett Family Foundation gave $1.2M across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $91K), mostly in Iowa. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,176,994
- +472.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- +8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $90,538
- +428.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,130,328
- -25.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (4 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (100% 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 Burnett Family Foundation
- 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: 300 Walnut Street Suite 270, Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (515) 244-3069
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Burnett Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines ($996K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 41 grants of 49 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to Iowa recipients and less than 1% to New York recipients. The listed grants include a $1,200 award to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in New York, New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Burnett Family Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 12 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $27K; repeat grants $134K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 800% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 603% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $7K (2019) to $1.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines Des Moines, IA | General Support | $650,000 |
| Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines Des Moines, IA | General Support | $345,544 |
| Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation Des Moines, IA | General Support | $100,000 |
| Blank Park Zoo Des Moines, IA | General Support | $25,000 |
| Des Moines Symphony Des Moines, IA | General Support | $20,000 |
| Variety Club of Iowa Des Moines, IA | General Support | $10,000 |
| Food Bank of Iowa Des Moines, IA | General Support | $10,000 |
| John Stoddard Cancer Center Des Moines, IA | General Support | $5,000 |
| Central Iowa Shelter Services Des Moines, IA | General Support | $5,000 |
| Easter Seals - Iowa Des Moines, IA | General Support | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Burnett Family Foundation?
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 | $3,130,328 | $152,067 | $1,203,151 | $1,176,994 | 13 | $1,180,702 | $129,617 | $195,818 |
| 2024 | $4,176,132 | $156,236 | $240,852 | $205,500 | 12 | $215,694 | $131,078 | $228,898 |
| 2023 | $4,260,744 | $82,795 | $243,351 | $209,500 | 10 | $220,279 | $74,176 | $213,036 |
| 2022 | $4,212,390 | $61,317 | $173,216 | $130,750 | 9 | $138,295 | $66,266 | $226,415 |
| 2021 | $4,330,524 | $94,245 | $148,590 | $109,600 | 5 | — | $67,465 | $238,792 |
| 2020 | $4,384,869 | $120,412 | $399,951 | $367,300 | 7 | — | $93,780 | $237,528 |
| 2019 | $4,664,408 | $135,905 | $37,268 | $6,500 | 4 | — | $114,683 | $230,586 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Burnett Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $196K 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 show support for organizations working in areas including community philanthropy, parks and conservation, arts and culture, food assistance, shelter services, and health-related causes.
The Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation describes its mission as developing and executing a master plan for Water Works Park that combines recreation, education, and conservation with clean-water production. The Food Bank of Iowa says it receives, warehouses, and distributes salvageable food to nonprofit member agencies serving people in need. Central Iowa Shelter & Services describes its work as providing emergency and transitional shelter, meals, and resource assistance to homeless adults.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $1,176,994. The reported grant amounts ranged from $250 to $650,000, with a median of $10,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $650,000 and $345,544 to the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, both for general support; $100,000 to Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation; $25,000 to Blank Park Zoo; and $20,000 to Des Moines Symphony. Other reported grants included $10,000 each to Variety Club of Iowa and Food Bank of Iowa, and $5,000 each to John Stoddard Cancer Center and Central Iowa Shelter Services.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists these trustees: Robert A Burnett Jr, Gregory Van Burnett, Douglas Worth Burnett, Penelope Gloria Burnett, David Mark Burnett, and H Stephen Burnett.
Burnett Family Foundation's 2025 filing lists 6 officers; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Mark Burnett
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Douglas Worth Burnett
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Gregory Van Burnett
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
H. Stephen Burnett
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Penelope Gloria Burnett
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Robert A. Burnett Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Burnett Family Foundation
How much does Burnett Family Foundation give each year?
Burnett Family Foundation gave $1.2M across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $206K across 12 grants.
What is Burnett Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Burnett Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $90,538, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Burnett Family Foundation that year got $27K on average.
Where does Burnett Family Foundation give grants?
Burnett Family Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (11 grants).
Does Burnett Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Burnett Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Burnett Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Burnett Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines ($995,544 across 2 grants), Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation ($100,000) and Blank Park Zoo ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 95% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Burnett Family Foundation?
Burnett Family Foundation reported $3.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $196K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Burnett Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in areas including community philanthropy, parks and conservation, arts and culture, food assistance, shelter services, and health-related causes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Burnett Family Foundation?
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 Burnett Family Foundation's EIN?
Burnett Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1482240. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Burnett 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Burnett Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Burnett Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/burnett-family-foundation-morg_58bd77ab749b41bc9807c74cc6459dd4
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421482240_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Burnett Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/burnett-family-foundation-morg_58bd77ab749b41bc9807c74cc6459dd4},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Burnett 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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