CFT Foundation
CFT Foundation is a private foundation based in Mason City, Iowa. It makes contributions to charitable organizations it selects; its filing states that it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
CFT Foundation at a glance
In short: CFT Foundation gave $600K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in Iowa. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $600,225
- +1182.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- +40.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $28,582
- +816.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $6,826,121
- -7.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Iowa (65% 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 CFT Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. It selects charitable organizations based on decisions made at directors’ meetings; the recipients may vary.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5 Arrowwood Drive, Mason City, IA 50401-2524
Phone: (641) 424-3238
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who CFT Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Iowa Foundation ($300K). Together the top 10 received $570K.
Grant Size Distribution
80 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 69 grants of 80 (86%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, Iowa recipients received 65% of grant dollars, followed by New York (11%), Minnesota (8%), Kansas (8%), and Illinois (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How CFT Foundation gives
- 19% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 29% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 140% 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 $47K (2024) to $600K (2025). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $600K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa Foundation Iowa City, IA | GIFT | $300,000 |
| Alzheimer's Research St. Paul, MN | GIFT | $50,000 |
| American Red Cross Des Moines, IA | GIFT | $50,000 |
| Parkinsons Foundation New York City, NY | GIFT | $50,000 |
| Wounded Warrior Topeka, KS | GIFT | $50,000 |
| Alight Lincolnshire, IL | GIFT | $20,000 |
| Meals on Wheels Mason City, IA | GIFT | $20,000 |
| ACLU New York, NY | GIFT | $10,000 |
| Blood Cancer United Washington, DC | GIFT | $10,000 |
| Ronald McDonald House Des Moines, IA | GIFT | $10,000 |
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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 | $6,826,121 | $231,681 | $749,100 | $600,225 | 21 | $600,225 | $175,523 | $430,114 |
| 2024 | $7,343,540 | $3,051,093 | $108,580 | $46,800 | 15 | $46,800 | $2,989,313 | $416,834 |
| 2023 | $4,401,026 | $384,650 | $267,055 | $218,114 | 34 | $218,114 | $339,539 | $324,751 |
| 2022 | $4,283,432 | $214,477 | $540,185 | $465,500 | 5 | $465,500 | $166,817 | $331,011 |
| 2021 | $4,609,140 | $1,470,561 | $518,711 | $430,800 | 5 | $430,800 | $1,411,161 | $424,134 |
| 2020 | $3,657,299 | $863,824 | $325,951 | $279,500 | 15 | — | $828,279 | $277,146 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, CFT Foundation reported a distributable amount of $430K 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 organizations working in areas such as health research, disaster relief, food access, animal welfare, and community culture. For example, Blood Cancer United says its mission is to cure blood cancers and improve patients’ and families’ quality of life. The Mason City Foundation says it works to support the community’s cultural environment, and Feeding America says it works to advance equitable access to nutritious food.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 21 grants totaling $600,225. Grant sizes ranged from $500 to $300,000, with a median of $5,000.
The largest reported grants included $300,000 to the University of Iowa Foundation; $50,000 each to Alzheimer’s Research, the American Red Cross, Parkinsons Foundation, and Wounded Warrior; and $20,000 each to Alight and Meals on Wheels. Other reported grants included $10,000 to ACLU, Blood Cancer United, and Ronald McDonald House; $5,000 to Mason City Foundation, Shriners Children’s, and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital; and $2,000 each to Humane Society of North Iowa and Feeding America.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jill C Thoreson as President, Joseph D Thoreson as Vice Preside, Erika Tristan as Secretary, and Kirk Thoreson as Treasurer.
CFT Foundation is led by Jill C. Thoreson, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jill C. Thoreson
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Erika Tristan
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Joseph D. Thoreson
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Kirk Thoreson
Treasurer
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 CFT Foundation
How much does CFT Foundation give each year?
CFT Foundation gave $600K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $47K across 15 grants.
What is CFT Foundation's typical grant size?
CFT Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $28,582, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does CFT Foundation give grants?
CFT Foundation gives mostly in Iowa: 65% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (11%) and Minnesota (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Mason City, IA (4 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Des Moines, IA (2 grants) and Washington, DC (2 grants).
Does CFT Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on CFT Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Gift" (21 grants).
Who are CFT Foundation's largest grantees?
CFT Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Iowa Foundation ($300,000), Alzheimer's Research ($50,000) and American Red Cross ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 67% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is CFT Foundation?
CFT Foundation reported $6.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $600K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $430K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does CFT Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for organizations working in areas such as health research, disaster relief, food access, animal welfare, and community culture. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from CFT Foundation?
The foundation 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 CFT Foundation's EIN?
CFT Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1519192. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does CFT 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 May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 19, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 31, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). CFT Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/cft-foundation-morg_3ff8ea9238e04a689bcffa0670dcdf66
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421519192_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{CFT Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/cft-foundation-morg_3ff8ea9238e04a689bcffa0670dcdf66},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 CFT 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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