Chris Mikesell Foundation
The Chris Mikesell Foundation is a private foundation based in Clearwater, Kansas. It made 12 grants totaling $43,500 in 2025 to charitable organizations in Colorado, Kansas, New York, and Vermont.
Chris Mikesell Foundation at a glance
In short: Chris Mikesell Foundation gave $44K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Colorado. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $43,500
- +1.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -20.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,625
- +26.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,750
- Total assets
- $892,336
- +3.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (1 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Colorado (68% 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 Chris Mikesell 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: 112 S Lee, Clearwater, KS 67026
Phone: (316) 258-9163
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Chris Mikesell Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Western State Colorado Univ Foundation ($7K). Together the top 10 received $42K.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 66 grants of 66 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Colorado (68%), Kansas (18%), New York (11%), and Vermont (2%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Chris Mikesell Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 11 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 91% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−4%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 95% 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 (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $33K (2020) to $46K (2022). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $44K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Western State Colorado Univ Foundation Gunnison, CO | Wilderness Based Orientation and Wilderness Pursuits Programs Support | $7,000 |
| Bartlett Arboretum Belle Plaine, KS | 2022 Treehouse Concert Series Sponsorship | $6,000 |
| Crested Butte Land Trust Crested Butte, CO | Opportunity Fund-The Shutt Conservation Easement | $5,000 |
| UNICEF USA New York City, NY | To Assist Children in Need | $5,000 |
| Community Foundation of Gunnison Va Gunnison, CO | Community Grants | $5,000 |
| Paradise Place Preschool Crested Butte, CO | Scholarship/Programming Support | $4,500 |
| Crested Butte Avalanche Center Inc Crested Butte, CO | Assistance with New Snowmobile Purchase for avalanche observation & safety | $3,000 |
| Black Canyon High School Montrose, CO | Outdoor Gym Project | $3,000 |
| High Country Conservation Advocates Crested Butte, CO | Environmental Conservation - Public Land Advocacy | $2,000 |
| Freedom Hooves Therapeutic Riding C Wichita, KS | To Assist Persons with Disabilities | $1,000 |
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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 | $892,336 | $88,879 | $59,227 | $43,500 | 12 | $43,500 | $69,293 | $45,825 |
| 2024 | $862,684 | $63,153 | $57,657 | $43,000 | 15 | $43,000 | $44,227 | $42,603 |
| 2023 | $857,188 | $42,786 | $62,862 | $45,000 | 16 | $45,000 | $19,573 | $42,362 |
| 2022 | $852,264 | $43,230 | $67,047 | $45,500 | 13 | $45,500 | $16,916 | $44,169 |
| 2021 | $876,081 | $289,542 | $59,957 | $33,500 | 10 | $33,500 | $21,883 | $44,480 |
| 2020 | $646,496 | $41,917 | $54,195 | $32,600 | 14 | — | $23,301 | $33,515 |
| 2019 | $658,774 | $47,942 | $46,627 | $34,800 | 15 | — | $32,765 | $32,827 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Chris Mikesell Foundation reported a distributable amount of $46K 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 supported organizations and activities including wilderness programs, land and conservation work, community grants, preschool scholarships and programming, outdoor safety, and assistance for children and people with disabilities.
Among its grantees, the Crested Butte Land Trust says its mission is to protect and steward open lands for vistas, recreation, wildlife, and ranching. High Country Conservation Advocates describes itself as a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to protecting public lands, waters, and wildlife in Colorado’s Gunnison Country. The Keewaydin Foundation says it provides outdoor summer activities and wilderness trips for boys and girls. The Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams says its mission is to ensure the future of wetlands, streams, and adjacent riparian areas as part of Kansas’s heritage and landscape.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $43,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $7,000, with a median grant of $3,750. Notable awards included $7,000 to an individual recipient Colorado University Foundation for wilderness-based orientation and wilderness pursuits programs; $6,000 to Bartlett Arboretum for its 2022 Treehouse Concert Series; $5,000 each to Crested Butte Land Trust for the Opportunity Fund–The Shutt Conservation Easement, UNICEF USA to assist children in need, and the Community Foundation of Gunnison Valley for community grants; and $4,500 to Paradise Place Preschool for scholarship and programming support.
The foundation also awarded $3,000 to Crested Butte Avalanche Center for a snowmobile purchase for avalanche observation and safety, $3,000 to Black Canyon High School for an outdoor gym project, $2,000 to High Country Conservation Advocates for environmental conservation and public-land advocacy, and $1,000 each to Freedom Hooves Therapeutic Riding, The Keewaydin Foundation, and the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kendall S. Mikesell as President, Sherry L. Mikesell as Vice President, Laura Mikesell Egedy as Secretary, Julie Mikesell Maloney as Treasurer, and William R. McVey as CFO.
Chris Mikesell Foundation is led by Kendall S. Mikesell, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kendall S. Mikesell
President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Sherry L. Mikesell
Vice President
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
William R. McVey
CFO
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Julie Mikesell Maloney
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Laura Mikesell Egedy
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Julie A. Riggan (2019) — Treasurer
- Former: Laura R. Mikesell (2019) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 Chris Mikesell Foundation
How much does Chris Mikesell Foundation give each year?
Chris Mikesell Foundation gave $44K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $43K across 15 grants.
What is Chris Mikesell Foundation's typical grant size?
Chris Mikesell Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $3,750, and its average grant was $3,625, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Chris Mikesell Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Chris Mikesell Foundation give grants?
Chris Mikesell Foundation gives mostly in Colorado: 68% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Kansas (18%) and New York (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Crested Butte, CO (4 grants) and Gunnison, CO (2 grants).
Does Chris Mikesell Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Chris Mikesell Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Chris Mikesell Foundation's largest grantees?
Chris Mikesell Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Western State Colorado Univ Foundation ($7,000), Bartlett Arboretum ($6,000) and Crested Butte Land Trust ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Chris Mikesell Foundation?
Chris Mikesell Foundation reported $892K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $44K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $46K (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 Chris Mikesell Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants supported organizations and activities including wilderness programs, land and conservation work, community grants, preschool scholarships and programming, outdoor safety, and assistance for children and people with disabilities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Chris Mikesell 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 Chris Mikesell Foundation's EIN?
Chris Mikesell Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1597133. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Chris Mikesell 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 28, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Figures come from Chris Mikesell 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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