Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust is a private foundation based in Kearney, Nebraska. In its 2025 filing, it reported 25 grants totaling $780,000, all to recipients in Nebraska. Its grants included support for rural health education, community facilities and capital projects, and other charitable activities.
Key facts about Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust
In short: Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust gave $780K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), mostly in Nebraska. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 36-3693227
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $780,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- Average grant
- $31,200
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (5 of 23, 2025)
- Total assets
- $7,712,907
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- None.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$7.7M
-7.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$780K
+0.6% YoY
Grant Count
25
+25.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$31K
-19.5% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust reported a distributable amount of $833K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 23 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $29K; repeat grants $35K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $23K repeat.
- 35% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 94% 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for projects including a rural health education building, school and church facilities, a visitors center, lighting and HVAC upgrades, a Head Start capital campaign, a kitchen renovation, and veterinary costs.
Among its grantees, the University of Nebraska Foundation says it grows relationships and resources that enable the University of Nebraska to change and save lives. Crossroads Center says it provides a Christ-centered ministry of shelter, assistance, and acceptance to homeless people in its area. Kearney Rescue Cats says it works to humanely reduce Kearney’s feral cat population and prepare tame cats for adoption.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 25 grants totaling $780,000. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $200,000, with a median grant of $25,000. The largest was $200,000 to the University of Nebraska Foundation for rural health education. Other notable grants included $50,400 to Kearney Area Community Foundation for a capital campaign; $50,000 each to Kearney Catholic Foundation for an outdoor facilities project, Kearney Community Sustainable Housing for a capital campaign, Kearney Public Schools Foundation for the Hanny Arram Center addition, Prince of Peace Catholic Church for an addition, and Safe Center for a capital campaign. The foundation also awarded $40,000 to Kearney Partnership for a visitors center and $35,000 to World Theater for lighting and HVAC upgrades.
Review Cycle
None.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Nebraska. The listed grants include support for organizations and projects in Kearney and other Nebraska communities.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $664K (2020) to $800K (2022). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $780K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Nebraska Foundation ($225K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $638K.
Grant Size Distribution
102 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 72 grants of 102 (71%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska Foundation Kearney, NE | Rural Health Education | $200,000 |
| Kearney Area Communty Foundation Kearney, NE | Capital Campaign | $50,400 |
| Kearney Catholic Foundatoin Kearney, NE | 2/5 of Outdoor Facilities Project | $50,000 |
| Kearney Community Sustainable Housg Kearney, NE | Capital Campaing | $50,000 |
| Kearney Public Schools Foundatoin Kearney, NE | Hanny Arram Center Additiona | $50,000 |
| Prince of Peace Catholic Church Kearney, NE | Addition | $50,000 |
| Safe Center Kearney, NE | Capital Campaing | $50,000 |
| Kearney Partnership Kearney, NE | Visitors Center | $40,000 |
| World Theater Kearney, NE | Upgrade Lighting, Hvac | $35,000 |
| Community Action Partnership Kearney, NE | Capital Campaign - Head Start | $25,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,712,907 | $325,553 | $934,572 | $780,000 | 25 |
| 2024 | $8,321,926 | $1,395,455 | $892,036 | $775,000 | 20 |
| 2023 | $7,818,507 | $283,920 | $865,659 | $760,000 | 17 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $7,712,907 | $8,321,926 | $7,818,507 |
| Revenue | $325,553 | $1,395,455 | $283,920 |
| Expenses | $934,572 | $892,036 | $865,659 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $780,732 | $775,687 | $760,688 |
| Net Investment Income | $205,081 | $1,279,106 | $159,205 |
| Distributable Amount | $832,739 | $777,427 | $723,228 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 21, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 2, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 30, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 25, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William Oldfather as Secretary/Treasurer, Sherry Morrow as President, Rachelle Bryant as Vice-President, and Cindy Walker and Richard Hranac as trustees.
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust is led by Sherry Morrow, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sherry Morrow
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Cindy Walker
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Richard Hranac
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rachelle Bryant
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
William Oldfather
Secretary
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.
Contact
Application contact: William Oldfather
Mailing address: PO Box 1775, 22033 Central Ave, Kearney, NE 68848
Phone: (308) 237-4571
Email: bill@oldfatherfinancial.com
Frequently asked questions about Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust
How much does Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust give each year?
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust gave $780K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $775K across 20 grants.
What is Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust's typical grant size?
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $31,200, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust that year got $29K on average.
Where does Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust give grants?
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust gives mostly in Nebraska: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Kearney, NE (23 grants).
Does Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 25 grants with a stated purpose on Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (4 grants).
Who are Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust's largest grantees?
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust's largest 2025 grantees include University of Nebraska Foundation ($225,000 across 2 grants), Kearney Public Schools Foundatoin ($62,600 across 2 grants) and Kearney Area Communty Foundation ($50,400), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust?
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust reported $7.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $781K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $833K (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 Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for projects including a rural health education building, school and church facilities, a visitors center, lighting and HVAC upgrades, a Head Start capital campaign, a kitchen renovation, and veterinary costs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust?
The filing says the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust's EIN?
Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-3693227. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Cope Ron & Carol Foundation Trust by hand.
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