Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It reported 19 grants totaling $65,000 in filing year 2025, all to Wisconsin recipients.
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc gave $65K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Wisconsin. 11% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $65,000
- -1.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,421
- -1.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,342,768
- +4.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 11% first-time grantees (2 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (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 Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
-
Submit an application in writing to Julia Petri. No particular form is required. The foundation’s filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Review Cycle
- None; the filing lists no deadlines.
- Deadline
- None; the filing lists no deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Julia Petri
Mailing address: 32279 West Oakland Road, Nashotah, WI 53058
Phone: (262) 241-3537
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Milwaukee Public Museum Inc ($10K). Together the top 10 received $53K.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 96 grants of 96 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
11%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 19 grantees (11%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 79% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+11%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (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 $59K (2022) to $69K (2020). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $65K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Public Museum Inc Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $10,000 |
| St Marcus School Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $10,000 |
| Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Inc Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $8,500 |
| Milwaukee Repertory Theater Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $8,000 |
| Lifestriders Waukesha, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $5,000 |
| Milwaukee Rescue Mission Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $3,000 |
| First Stage Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $2,500 |
| Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens Hales Corners, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $2,000 |
| Risen Savior Youth Services Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $2,000 |
| Literacy Services of Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | Unrestricted Grant | $2,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc?
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 | $1,342,768 | $134,314 | $76,267 | $65,000 | 19 | $65,000 | $125,974 | $67,025 |
| 2024 | $1,284,021 | $159,677 | $76,883 | $66,000 | 19 | $66,000 | $150,293 | $64,555 |
| 2023 | $1,203,228 | $68,585 | $69,515 | $61,000 | 18 | $61,000 | $58,815 | $62,372 |
| 2022 | $1,204,158 | $-31,292 | $76,026 | $58,500 | 16 | $58,500 | $10,450 | $61,608 |
| 2021 | $1,309,305 | $510,832 | $73,296 | $62,000 | 24 | $64,042 | $501,578 | $60,362 |
| 2020 | $873,208 | $-16,811 | $69,520 | $69,000 | 21 | — | $39,372 | $60,953 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $67K 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 a range of organizations. For example, the Milwaukee Public Museum says it inspires curiosity and promotes preservation of natural and cultural diversity through exhibitions, education, collections, and research. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra describes its work as reaching diverse audiences through concerts and education and outreach programs. Milwaukee Repertory Theater says it creates theater experiences intended to entertain, provoke, and inspire dialogue.
Other 2025 recipients describe work that includes providing services to people with special needs and their families (LifeStriders), helping children and families thrive through equity, learning, healing, and wellness (Wellpoint Care Network), and promoting nature, horticulture, recreation, and the environment (Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens). These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $65,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest listed grants were $10,000 each to Milwaukee Public Museum and St Marcus School, followed by $8,500 to Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, $8,000 to Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and $5,000 to LifeStriders. These grants were listed as unrestricted.
The foundation’s 2025 filing says applications must be in writing to receive consideration; no particular form is required. It lists no restrictions on awards.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Julia Petri as president and director, Carrie P Gale as treasurer and director, and Kathy Pederson as secretary and director.
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc is led by Julia Petri, President & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Julia Petri
President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Pederson
Secretary & Director
Treasurer & Director → Secretary & Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Carrie P. Gale
Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Sandra Dionisopoulos (2024) — Secretary & Director
- Former: Sandy Dionisopoulos (2020–2023) — Secretary & Director
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 Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc
How much does Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc give each year?
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc gave $65K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $66K across 19 grants.
What is Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,421, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc that year got $4K on average.
Where does Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc give grants?
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (16 grants).
Does Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Milwaukee Public Museum Inc ($10,000), St Marcus School ($10,000) and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Inc ($8,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc?
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $65K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $67K (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 Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, the Milwaukee Public Museum says it inspires curiosity and promotes preservation of natural and cultural diversity through exhibitions, education, collections, and research. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc?
Submit an application in writing to Julia Petri. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc's EIN?
Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1232384. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/charles-d-ortgiesen-foundation-inc-morg_439d23a64fa040a8ab5425b694198027
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_391232384_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/charles-d-ortgiesen-foundation-inc-morg_439d23a64fa040a8ab5425b694198027},
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 Charles D Ortgiesen Foundation Inc'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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