Carlson Family Foundation
The Carlson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Urbandale, Iowa. Its 2025 filing lists grants to organizations working in areas including youth services, food assistance, housing, counseling, grief services, and health.
Carlson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Carlson Family Foundation gave $1.5M across 35 grants in 2025 (avg $42K), mostly in Iowa. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,455,000
- -22.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 35
- +9.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $41,571
- -28.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $40,000
- Total assets
- $5,505,162
- -5.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (6 of 35, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Iowa (84% 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 Carlson 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: 3811 127Th Street, Urbandale, IA 50323
Phone: (515) 278-5764
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Carlson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was YSS ($250K). Together the top 10 received $740K.
Grant Size Distribution
156 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 106 grants of 156 (68%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, grant dollars went primarily to Iowa recipients (84%), followed by recipients in Missouri (11%), Maryland (4%), and Kansas (2%). These shares total 101% as reported.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 35 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Carlson Family Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 35 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $73K; repeat grants $35K. How we count
Medians: $45K first-time, $35K repeat.
- 77% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 53% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 259% 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
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $555K (2020) to $1.9M (2024). In 2025 it made 35 grants totaling $1.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| YSS Des Moines, IA | Youth Services | $250,000 |
| Meals from the Heartland Clive, IA | Meals for the Poor | $60,000 |
| Dmarc Des Moines, IA | General Fund | $60,000 |
| Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Bethesda, MD | General Fund | $60,000 |
| Iowa Homeless Youth Centers Ames, IA | General Fund | $60,000 |
| Food Bank of Iowa Des Moines, IA | FOOD | $50,000 |
| Love Inc Liberty, MO | Youth Services | $50,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Des Moines, IA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Hope Ministries Des Moines, IA | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Ellipsis Johnston, IA | Youth Services | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Carlson 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 | $5,505,162 | $1,183,523 | $1,481,844 | $1,455,000 | 35 | $1,456,897 | $1,158,576 | $563,143 |
| 2024 | $5,803,483 | $1,052,606 | $1,877,147 | $1,870,000 | 32 | $1,870,513 | $1,045,972 | $601,513 |
| 2023 | $6,628,024 | $1,824,074 | $1,711,484 | $1,710,000 | 32 | $1,710,487 | $434,673 | $577,748 |
| 2022 | $6,515,434 | $497,790 | $966,377 | $950,000 | 27 | $950,437 | $317,052 | $566,668 |
| 2021 | $6,984,021 | $765,907 | $605,197 | $597,500 | 30 | $597,925 | $765,180 | $593,486 |
| 2020 | $6,823,311 | $416,016 | $560,635 | $554,500 | 29 | — | $415,292 | $489,860 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Carlson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $563K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations addressing youth services, food assistance, homelessness, counseling, grief services, and other needs.
The grantees describe their own work in varied terms. Meals from the Heartland says it brings people together to prepare food packets for distribution to people facing hunger. Hope Ministries describes providing meals, shelter, and life-recovery support to people experiencing homelessness, hunger, abuse, or addiction. The Food Bank of Iowa says it distributes food to nonprofit member agencies serving people in need. Ellipsis describes its mission as helping children and families build healthy relationships. Newhouse says it supports survivors of domestic violence through services focused on safety, self-sufficiency, and healing, while Sunflower House describes protecting children from abuse through education, advocacy, and related services.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 35 grants totaling $1,455,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $250,000, with a median grant of $40,000. The largest award was $250,000 to YSS for youth services. Other large grants included $60,000 each to Meals from the Heartland, DMARC, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Iowa Homeless Youth Centers. The foundation also reported grants of $50,000 each to the Food Bank of Iowa, Love INC, Habitat for Humanity, Hope Ministries, Ellipsis, Mind and Spirit, and EveryStep.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dean Carlson as president, Sandra Carlson as secretary, Timothy A. Carlson as vice president, and Jody Carlson as director.
Carlson Family Foundation is led by Dean Carlson, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Dean Carlson
President
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jody Carlson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sandra Carlson
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Timothy A. Carlson
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 Carlson Family Foundation
How much does Carlson Family Foundation give each year?
Carlson Family Foundation gave $1.5M across 35 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.9M across 32 grants.
What is Carlson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Carlson Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $40,000, and its average grant was $41,571, across 35 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Carlson Family Foundation that year got $73K on average.
Where does Carlson Family Foundation give grants?
Carlson Family Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 84% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Missouri (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Des Moines, IA (17 grants), Kansas City, MO (5 grants), Johnston, IA (2 grants) and Urbandale, IA (2 grants).
Does Carlson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 43% of Carlson Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (15 of 35) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Youth Services" (11 grants) and "Gen Fund" (3 grants).
Who are Carlson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Carlson Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include YSS ($250,000), Meals from the Heartland ($60,000) and Dmarc ($60,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Carlson Family Foundation?
Carlson Family Foundation reported $5.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $563K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Carlson Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations addressing youth services, food assistance, homelessness, counseling, grief services, and other needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Carlson 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 Carlson Family Foundation's EIN?
Carlson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1891960. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Carlson 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 October 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 April 9, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 23, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 9, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Carlson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/carlson-family-foundation-morg_3184abbfec854d84b883da608d106489
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391891960_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Carlson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/carlson-family-foundation-morg_3184abbfec854d84b883da608d106489},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 Carlson 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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