Colony Brands Foundation Inc
Colony Brands Foundation Inc is a public charity based in Monroe, Wisconsin. Formed in 2004, it states that its mission is to support Madison Community Foundation, a Section 501(c)(3) organization.
Colony Brands Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Colony Brands Foundation Inc gave $6.6M across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $387K), mostly in Wisconsin. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,583,323
- +45.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -19.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $387,254
- +79.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $35,000
- Total assets
- $2,721,226
- -33.8% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Colony Brands Foundation Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 1112 7Th Avenue, Monroe, WI 53566
Phone: (608) 328-8400
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Colony Brands Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Green County Family YMCA ($4.0M). Together the top 10 received $6.5M.
Grant Size Distribution
110 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 88 grants of 110 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Colony Brands Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 14 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. How we count
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $692K (2021) to $6.6M (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $6.6M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Green County Family YMCA Monroe, WI | General Support | $4,000,000 |
| School District of Monroe WI Monroe, WI | Sponsorship/Naming Rights | $1,000,000 |
| Green County Development Corp Monroe, WI | Housing Development Projects | $510,000 |
| UW-Madison Foundation Madison, WI | Kohl Center Expansion | $300,000 |
| Main Street Monroe Inc Monroe, WI | Underwriting & general support | $290,764 |
| Family Promise of Green Cty Monroe, WI | General Support | $181,660 |
| City of Monroe - Parks & Rec Monroe, WI | Pickleball Court | $100,000 |
| UW-Madison Foundation Madison, WI | Recruiting flights & gen. support | $59,257 |
| Green County Cheese Days Inc Monroe, WI | — | $35,000 |
| Monroe Arts Center Monroe, WI | Building funding & general support | $22,522 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,721,226 | $5,294,311 | $6,685,919 | $6,583,323 | 17 | $253,603 |
| 2024 | $4,112,834 | $1,735,236 | $4,688,990 | $4,530,507 | 21 | $1,735,236 |
| 2023 | $7,066,588 | $296,695 | $857,684 | $717,554 | 21 | $296,695 |
| 2022 | $7,627,577 | $3,693,946 | $1,127,990 | $978,780 | 20 | $293,946 |
| 2021 | $5,061,621 | $1,320,294 | $920,158 | $692,000 | 31 | $439,305 |
| 2020 | $4,661,485 | $336,754 | $1,207,840 | $1,041,882 | 41 | $336,754 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to support Madison Community Foundation. Its 2025 filing also describes support for community development, parks and recreation, university recruiting and general support, and an employee donation-matching program.
The grantees’ own mission statements illustrate the kinds of organizations receiving support. Green County Family YMCA says it works to help individuals and families thrive by nurturing children’s potential, promoting healthy living, and fostering social responsibility. Green County Development Corporation says it operates for educational and charitable purposes and, where appropriate, to lessen the burdens of government. Main Street Monroe says it works to improve residents’ quality of life through economic stability, historic integrity, and a strong downtown. Monroe Arts Center says its mission is to nurture appreciation of the arts, support individual creative development, and preserve its historic facility.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $6,583,323. Grant amounts ranged from $5,714 to $4,000,000, with a median grant of $35,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $4,000,000 to Green County Family YMCA for general support; $1,000,000 to the School District of Monroe for sponsorship/naming rights; $510,000 to Green County Development Corporation for housing development projects; $300,000 to UW–Madison Foundation for the Kohl Center expansion; and $290,764 to Main Street Monroe for underwriting and general support. Other reported grants included $181,660 to Family Promise of Green County for general support and $100,000 to the City of Monroe Parks & Recreation for a pickleball court.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John Baumann as president; Paula Ludwig as secretary; and Bob Sorge, R Ryan Kubly, David W Reinecke, and Tracy Meier as directors. It also states that, at all times, at least a majority of the foundation’s directors were appointed by the Madison Community Foundation Board of Directors.
Colony Brands Foundation Inc is led by John Baumann, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 6 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John Baumann
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Bob Sorge
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
David W Reinecke
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
R Ryan Kubly
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Tracy Meier
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Paula Ludwig
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Kimberly Markham (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Katherine Frey (2020–2023) — 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 Colony Brands Foundation Inc
How much does Colony Brands Foundation Inc give each year?
Colony Brands Foundation Inc gave $6.6M across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.5M across 21 grants.
What is Colony Brands Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Colony Brands Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $35,000, and its average grant was $387,254, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Colony Brands Foundation Inc give grants?
Colony Brands Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Monroe, WI (12 grants) and Madison, WI (4 grants).
Does Colony Brands Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Yes: 56% of Colony Brands Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 16) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Colony Brands Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Colony Brands Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Green County Family YMCA ($4,000,000), School District of Monroe WI ($1,016,214 across 3 grants) and Green County Development Corp ($510,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 84% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Colony Brands Foundation Inc?
Colony Brands Foundation Inc reported $2.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.3M.
What does Colony Brands Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support Madison Community Foundation. Its 2025 filing also describes support for community development, parks and recreation, university recruiting and general support, and an employee donation-matching program. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Colony Brands Foundation Inc?
Colony Brands Foundation Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Colony Brands Foundation Inc's EIN?
Colony Brands Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1344988. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 21, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 3, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 30, 2026)
Live grants for the work Colony Brands Foundation Inc funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Colony Brands Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/colony-brands-foundation-inc-morg_6e51580b941e49ad83354e6e44ba83c8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201344988_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Colony Brands Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/colony-brands-foundation-inc-morg_6e51580b941e49ad83354e6e44ba83c8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Colony Brands 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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