Charlson Foundation
Charlson Foundation is a private foundation based in Edina, Minnesota. Its 2025 filing lists grants to Minnesota organizations working in areas that include youth services, healthcare, disability services, food access, housing, and community support.
Charlson Foundation at a glance
In short: Charlson Foundation gave $560K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $29K), mostly in Minnesota. 26% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $560,000
- +45.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- +26.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $29,474
- +14.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $6,463,898
- +2.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 26% first-time grantees (5 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- 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 September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Charlson 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: 5275 Edina Industrial Blvd, Edina, MN 55439
Phone: (952) 938-6968
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Charlson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Oasis for Youth ($65K). Together the top 10 received $410K.
Grant Size Distribution
94 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 91 grants of 94 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars in 2025 went to recipients in Minnesota.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Charlson Foundation open to new grantees?
26%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 19 grantees (26%) 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 $23K; repeat grants $32K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $33K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 86% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 152% 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 $302K (2022) to $1.0M (2020). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $560K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Oasis for Youth Bloomington, MN | General Operations | $65,000 |
| Cornerstone Bloomington, MN | SBS + Clinical Services | $50,000 |
| Immigrant Law Center of MN St. Paul, MN | General Operations | $45,000 |
| HealthFinders Collaborative Inc Faribault, MN | General Operations | $45,000 |
| True Friends Annandale, MN | Capital Campaign | $40,000 |
| Normandale Community College Founda Bloomington, MN | Sirtify | $35,000 |
| Young Hearts Open Minds St. Paul, MN | General Operations and Building | $35,000 |
| Chum Duluth, MN | Food Shelf and General Operations | $35,000 |
| Veap Bloomington, MN | Challenge Grant | $30,000 |
| Vail Communities Hopkins, MN | Housing projects | $30,000 |
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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 | $6,463,898 | $780,054 | $625,432 | $560,000 | 19 | $592,060 | $773,196 | $389,241 |
| 2024 | $6,309,276 | $587,063 | $454,322 | $385,000 | 15 | $424,691 | $557,697 | $379,711 |
| 2023 | $6,166,742 | $579,732 | $390,503 | $330,000 | 18 | $356,114 | $558,916 | $356,327 |
| 2022 | $6,417,129 | $557,780 | $388,291 | $301,500 | 15 | $321,814 | $507,879 | $543,917 |
| 2021 | $9,865,915 | $419,766 | $707,831 | $580,039 | 27 | $626,951 | $340,115 | $607,269 |
| 2020 | $10,153,980 | $1,201,498 | $1,120,067 | $1,022,178 | 44 | — | $1,148,708 | $682,903 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Charlson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $389K 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 general operations, a capital campaign, housing projects, food shelf services, and clinical services.
The grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the kinds of organizations supported. Oasis for Youth says it provides youth with individualized case management, supportive services, and connections to housing and community resources. HealthFinders Collaborative describes its work as providing accessible, culturally sensitive healthcare to low-income and uninsured residents. True Friends says it provides experiences intended to enhance independence and self-esteem for children and adults with disabilities.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation gave $560,000 through 19 grants. Grants ranged from $10,000 to $65,000, with a median award of $30,000. It gave $385,000 through 15 grants in 2024 and $330,000 through 18 grants in 2023.
Among its 2025 grants, Oasis for Youth received $65,000 for general operations; Cornerstone received $50,000 for SBS and clinical services; Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and HealthFinders Collaborative each received $45,000 for general operations; and True Friends received $40,000 for a capital campaign. Other listed awards included $30,000 to VEAP for a challenge grant and $25,000 to The Lift Garage for general operations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Leslie Stiles as president; Karen McElrath as secretary; and Thomas Stiles, Katie McElrath, and Ryan McElrath as directors.
Charlson Foundation is led by Leslie Stiles, President since 2021 (on filings since 2020); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Leslie Stiles
President
Vice President → President, 2021
On filings since 2020
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katie McElrath
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ryan McElrath
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Stiles
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen McElrath
Secretary
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Kim Herzog (2020) — President
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 Charlson Foundation
How much does Charlson Foundation give each year?
Charlson Foundation gave $560K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $385K across 15 grants.
What is Charlson Foundation's typical grant size?
Charlson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $30,000, and its average grant was $29,474, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Charlson Foundation that year got $23K on average.
Where does Charlson Foundation give grants?
Charlson 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 Bloomington, MN (4 grants), Minneapolis, MN (4 grants), St. Paul, MN (2 grants) and St Louis Park, MN (2 grants).
Does Charlson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 53% of Charlson Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (10 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Food Shelf" (3 grants).
Who are Charlson Foundation's largest grantees?
Charlson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Oasis for Youth ($65,000), Cornerstone ($50,000) and Immigrant Law Center of MN ($45,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Charlson Foundation?
Charlson Foundation reported $6.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $592K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $389K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Charlson Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for general operations, a capital campaign, housing projects, food shelf services, and clinical services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Charlson 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 Charlson Foundation's EIN?
Charlson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-1313302. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Charlson Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 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 November 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 25, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 25, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 21, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 22, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Charlson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/charlson-foundation-morg_52cb83b215c74ba583b307d4a2c99ef6
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_411313302_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Charlson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/charlson-foundation-morg_52cb83b215c74ba583b307d4a2c99ef6},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Charlson 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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