Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Oakland, NE EIN: 20-2629290

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Oakland, Nebraska. In its 2025 filing, it reported making 13 grants totaling $1,074,003, all to recipients in Nebraska.

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc at a glance

In short: Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc gave $1.1M across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $83K), mostly in Nebraska. 54% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$1,074,003
-42.3% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
13
+8.3% vs 2024
Average grant
$82,616
-46.7% vs 2024
Median grant
$32,000
Total assets
$16,532,670
+1.0% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
54% first-time grantees (7 of 13, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Nebraska (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 Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc

Contact

Application contact: Clarence Mock
Mailing address: 918 S 111 Plaza, Omaha, NE 68154
Phone: (402) 372-5166

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Village of Beemer: $250KVillage of Beemer$250KBurt County Fair Foundation: $200KBurt County Fair Foundation$200KCumming County Fair: $200KCumming County Fair$200KBurt County: $175KBurt County$175KWakefield Community Center: $81KWakefield Community Center$81KOakland Heights: $61KOakland Heights$61KRosalie Rural Fire Department: $32KRosalie Rural Fire Department$32KHartington-Newcastle Public School: $25KHartington-Newcastle PublicSchool$25KVillage of Dodge: $20KVillage of Dodge$20KBeemer Senior Center: $10KBeemer Senior Center$10K

The largest 2025 recipient was Village of Beemer ($250K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.

Grant Size Distribution

76 grants across all recorded years

38<$50K13$50–100K19$100–250K3$250–500K2$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 38 grants of 76 (50%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to Nebraska recipients.

Grant Distribution by State

4states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

Cities

West PointTekamahOaklandBancroftHartingtonKennesawLyonsWalthillBeemerBlairDecaturFremontOklahoma CityCraigEmersonHooperHowellsLincolnOmahaPapillion

Is Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

54%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 7 of 13 grantees (54%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $110K; repeat grants $51K. How we count

Medians: $81K first-time, $18K repeat.

  • 31% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−11%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 99% 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

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M13 grants2019 21 grants2020 20 grants2021 20 grants2022 11 grants2023 12 grants2024 13 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $851K (2020) to $1.9M (2024). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $1.1M.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Village of Beemer Beemer, NEGeneral Support$250,000
Burt County Fair Foundation Tekamah, NEGeneral Support$200,000
Cumming County Fair West Point, NEGeneral Support$200,000
Burt County Tekamah, NEGeneral Support$175,000
Wakefield Community Center Wakefield, NEGeneral Support$80,503
Oakland Heights Oakland, NEGeneral Support$61,000
Rosalie Rural Fire Department Rosalie, NEGeneral Support$32,000
Hartington-Newcastle Public School Hartington, NEGeneral Support$25,000
Village of Dodge Dodge, NEGeneral Support$20,000
Beemer Senior Center Beemer, NEGeneral Support$10,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$16,532,670$1,383,871$1,241,396$1,074,00313$1,074,003$629,709$1,084,046
2024$16,366,332$1,898,030$2,035,271$1,860,06012$1,860,060$646,592$1,046,056
2023$19,604,858$-189,676$1,498,722$1,340,50011$1,340,500$629,746$1,087,109
2022$21,327,552$706,254$1,378,501$1,207,27820$1,207,278$804,069$1,177,453
2021$21,467,545$3,247,348$1,862,641$1,693,10520—$514,625$1,189,035
2020$24,165,350$145,988$1,011,823$850,98321—$724,834$1,099,084
2019$23,021,231$2,911,729$1,074,164$910,50913—$848,490$1,087,407

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $1.1M 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 is provided. The 2025 grantees include villages, counties, fair organizations, community and senior centers, a rural fire department, a public school, and foundations.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $1,074,003. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $250,000, with a median of $32,000. Among the largest listed grants were $250,000 to Village of Beemer, $200,000 each to Burt County Fair Foundation and Cumming County Fair, $175,000 to Burt County, and $80,503 to Wakefield Community Center. Each was reported for general support.

The foundation’s 2023 filing states that giving is not restricted to preselected organizations. It lists Clarence Mock as the contact; application form and materials, deadlines, and award restrictions are listed as N/A.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Clarence Mock as director and president, Sara J Rief as director and vice president, and Jeff Baldwin as director, secretary, and treasurer.

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc is led by Clarence Mock, Director & President on every filing since 2019; all 3 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Clarence Mock

    Director & President

    On filings since 2019

    3 hrs/week

    $32K (2019) → $32K (2025)

  • Jeff Baldwin

    Director, Secretary & Treasurer

    Director & Secretary → Director, Secretary & Treasurer, 2021

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    $10K (2019) → $10K (2025)

  • Sara J. Rief

    Director & Vice President

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    $2K (2024) → $5K (2025)

Former officers (2)
  • Former: Sara A. Neilson (2020–2023) — Director & Vice President
  • Former: Sara A. Nielson (2019) — Director & Vice President

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Clarence Mock — Director/President: $32KClarence MockDirector/President$32KJeff Baldwin — Director/Sec/Treasur: $10KJeff BaldwinDirector/Sec/Treasur$10KSara J Rief — Director/VP: $5KSara J RiefDirector/VP$5K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $32K, to Clarence Mock (Director/President). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Frequently asked questions about Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc

How much does Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc give each year?

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc gave $1.1M across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.9M across 12 grants.

What is Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $32,000, and its average grant was $82,616, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc that year got $110K on average.

Where does Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc give grants?

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc 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 Tekamah, NE (2 grants), Beemer, NE (2 grants) and West Point, NE (2 grants).

Does Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Village of Beemer ($250,000), Burt County Fair Foundation ($200,000) and Cumming County Fair ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc?

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc reported $16.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.1M (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 Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grantees include villages, counties, fair organizations, community and senior centers, a rural fire department, a public school, and foundations. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc?

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.

What is Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc's EIN?

Donald E Nielsen Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-2629290. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(8)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 15, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 6, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 23, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 17, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 3, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 15, 2025)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 6, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from Donald E Nielsen 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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