Central Farm Service Foundation
Central Farm Service Foundation is a private foundation based in Truman, Minnesota. Its contribution policy says it serves communities where the cooperative has members, employees, and facilities, with giving centered on agriculture, agriculture education, hunger relief, and community safety.
Central Farm Service Foundation at a glance
In short: Central Farm Service Foundation gave $41K across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $1K), mostly in Minnesota. 50% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $41,250
- -12.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- -16.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,375
- +4.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $921,416
- +10.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (15 of 30, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Minnesota (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 Central Farm Service Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Submit the donation request form available through the CFS website. The website says requests are reviewed in March, July, and November, with submission deadlines of February 28, June 30, and October 31; approved payments take 6–8 weeks to process. The 2024 filing describes quarterly review on CFS’s fiscal year in January, April, July, and October.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists October 31 as the deadline for its November review. Its February 28 and June 30 deadlines are past for 2026.
- Deadline
- The website lists October 31 as the deadline for its November review.
- Contact
Application contact: Ms Stephanie Peterson
Mailing address: 233 W Ciro Street PO Box 68, Truman, MN 56088
Phone: (507) 776-2831
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Central Farm Service Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hunger - Feeding Our Communities Partners ($5K). Together the top 10 received $28K.
Grant Size Distribution
118 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 118 grants of 118 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s policy describes serving communities where CFS has members, employees, and facilities, and its 2024 filing refers to community functions in the cooperative’s trade territory and school districts. All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to Minnesota recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Central Farm Service Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 30 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $1K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $500 repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 163% from 2022 to 2025. 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 (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $15K (2023) to $47K (2024). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $41K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hunger - Feeding Our Communities Partners North Mankato, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $5,000 |
| Hunger - Heaven's Table - Fairmont Fairmont, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $5,000 |
| Children's Museum of Southern MN Mankato, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $2,500 |
| Fire Department - Freeborn Freeborn, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $2,500 |
| Fire Department - Hayfield Hayfield, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $2,500 |
| Fire Department - Medford Fire Department Medford, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $2,500 |
| Fire Department - Welcome Welcome, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $2,500 |
| Hunger - Blooming Prairie Backpack Program Blooming Praire, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $2,000 |
| Hunger - St James Backpack Program St James, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $1,750 |
| Fire Department - Waldorf Waldorf, MN | The contribution is for the organization to promote agriculture. | $1,500 |
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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 | $921,416 | $129,695 | $44,037 | $41,250 | 30 | $41,250 | $54,815 | $44,243 |
| 2024 | $835,759 | $43,252 | $52,743 | $47,375 | 36 | $47,375 | $41,975 | $40,743 |
| 2023 | $845,249 | $39,274 | $19,885 | $15,000 | 10 | $15,000 | $39,274 | $39,116 |
| 2022 | $825,861 | $474,403 | $19,969 | $15,675 | 16 | $15,675 | $25,909 | $29,176 |
| 2021 | $371,426 | $20,791 | $39,891 | $35,625 | 26 | — | $20,791 | $18,520 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Central Farm Service Foundation reported a distributable amount of $44K 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 separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s contribution policy identifies agriculture-related requests, agriculture education, hunger relief, and community safety as priorities. Its 2024 filing also describes support for community functions in its trade territory, school districts, agriculture-related organizations, and student organizations such as 4-H, FHA, and FFA.
Examples in the 2025 grants include food programs, fire departments, a children’s museum, and 4-H. The Blooming Prairie Backpack Food Program has described using CFS Foundation support for food for its granola project, backpack program, and high school food pantry. The Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota describes its agriculture education day as a hands-on opportunity for children to learn about agriculture.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 30 grants totaling $41,250. Grants ranged from $500 to $5,000, with a median of $1,000. Notable awards included $5,000 each to Hunger - Feeding Our Communities Partners and Hunger - Heaven’s Table - Fairmont; $2,500 each to the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota and the Freeborn, Hayfield, Medford, and Welcome fire departments; and $2,000 to the Blooming Prairie Backpack Program.
The foundation’s website says requests must be submitted using its donation request form; it does not accept phone or in-person requests. The 2024 filing says organizations that meet the foundation’s criteria must submit a formal request form and briefly explain how the event benefits the community and how the foundation will receive recognition. It also lists information to provide, including the organization and event details, date, place and time, anticipated attendance or people affected, a contact person, and the amount requested. The website says matching funds will not be awarded for direct funding to individuals, trade and business associations, political, lobbying, or fraternal groups, or religious groups for religious activities. The 2024 filing also says the foundation will not support individuals directly to participate in an activity or function.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kurt Koehler as chairman, John Peach as vice chairman, Trent Frederickson as secretary/treasurer, and Jay Landsteiner, Jason Smith, Jeff Eckhardt, David Estrem, Dale Stensrud, and Lance Peterson as directors. KC Graner is listed as CEO.
Central Farm Service Foundation is led by Kc Graner, CEO on the 2025 filing; none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kc Graner
CEO
New on the 2025 filing
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kurt Koehler
Chairman
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dale Stensrud
Director
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Estrem
Director
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Eckhardt
Director
Secretary & Treasurer → Director, 2022
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason Smith
Director
On filings since 2022
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jay Landsteiner
Director
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lance Peterson
Director
On filings since 2023
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cathy Smith
CFO
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Peach
Vice Chairman
Director → Vice Chairman, 2022
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Trent Frederickson
Secretary & Treasurer
Vice Chairman → Secretary & Treasurer, 2022
On filings since 2021
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Merlyn Kruger (2021–2024) — CEO
- Former: Kevin Poppel (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Marvin Spindler (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Eric Schrader (2021) — Director
- Former: Ken Wangen (2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Central Farm Service Foundation
How much does Central Farm Service Foundation give each year?
Central Farm Service Foundation gave $41K across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $47K across 36 grants.
What is Central Farm Service Foundation's typical grant size?
Central Farm Service Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $1,375, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Central Farm Service Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Central Farm Service Foundation give grants?
Central Farm Service Foundation gives mostly in Minnesota: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were New Richland, MN (3 grants), Mankato, MN (2 grants), Hayfield, MN (2 grants) and Medford, MN (2 grants).
Does Central Farm Service Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 30 grants with a stated purpose on Central Farm Service Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Central Farm Service Foundation's largest grantees?
Central Farm Service Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hunger - Feeding Our Communities Partners ($5,000), Hunger - Heaven's Table - Fairmont ($5,000) and Children's Museum of Southern MN ($2,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 30% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Central Farm Service Foundation?
Central Farm Service Foundation reported $921K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $41K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $44K (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 Central Farm Service Foundation fund?
No separate mission statement is provided. The foundation’s contribution policy identifies agriculture-related requests, agriculture education, hunger relief, and community safety as priorities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Central Farm Service Foundation?
Submit the donation request form available through the CFS website. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Central Farm Service Foundation's EIN?
Central Farm Service Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8935618. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Live grants for the work Central Farm Service Foundation funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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