Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Elm Grove, WI EIN: 39-6238856

The Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation is a private foundation based in Elm Grove, Wisconsin. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations in Wisconsin, including educational institutions, a hospital foundation, a museum, a nature center, and human-service organizations.

Key facts about Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation

In short: Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation gave $1.0M across 94 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in Wisconsin. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
39-6238856
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$1,019,050
Grants made (2025)
94
Average grant
$10,841
Median grant
$1,500
New grantees (estimate)
21% first-time grantees (20 of 94, 2025)
Total assets
$16,253,799
Primary geography
Wisconsin (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
How to apply
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 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

$16.3M

+9.2% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.0M

-40.9% YoY

Grant Count

94

-9.6% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$11K

-34.6% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.2M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation open to new grantees?

21%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 20 of 94 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $44K; repeat grants $2K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 53% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−18%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 103% 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Marquette University describes its mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university focused on truth, learning, faith, leadership, and service. Froedtert Hospital Foundation describes its mission as advancing community health through excellence and discovery. Other recipients describe work in areas including natural and cultural heritage, conservation education, homelessness, food access, and animal welfare.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation awarded 94 grants totaling $1,019,050. Grant amounts ranged from $350 to $400,000, with a median of $1,500. The largest grants were $400,000 to Marquette University, $240,000 to Froedtert Hospital Foundation, and $200,000 to Medical College of Wisconsin; each was designated for program support. Other listed grants included $10,000 to Milwaukee Public Museum, $7,000 to Riveredge Nature Center, and $5,000 each to The Women’s Center of Waukesha, Hunger Task Force, Milwaukee Rescue Mission, and Hope House of Milwaukee.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation’s filing states that awards are restricted to Wisconsin. All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Wisconsin.

Grant Distribution by State

5states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 94 itemized grants.

Cities

MilwaukeeWaukeshaWest AllisWauwatosaMadisonBrookfieldGreen BayMukwonagoSaukvilleBarabooBaysideElm GroveGlendaleMequonFranklinGermantownNew LondonWest BendChicagoHales Corners

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M141 grants2020 133 grants2021 111 grants2022 132 grants2023 104 grants2024 94 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $895K (2023) to $1.7M (2024). In 2025 it made 94 grants totaling $1.0M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Marquette University: $400KMarquette University$400KFroedtert Hospital Foundation: $240KFroedtert Hospital Foundation$240KMedical College of Wisconsin Kern Learning Program: $200KMedical College of WisconsinKern Learning Program$200KMilwaukee Public Museum: $10KMilwaukee Public Museum$10KUnited Performing Arts Foundation (Upaf): $9KUnited Performing ArtsFoundation (Upaf)$9KRiveredge Nature Center: $7KRiveredge Nature Center$7KThe Women's Center of Waukesha: $5KThe Women's Center of Waukesha$5KHunger Task Force: $5KHunger Task Force$5KMilwaukee Rescue Mission: $5KMilwaukee Rescue Mission$5KHope House of Milwaukee Inc: $5KHope House of Milwaukee Inc$5K

The largest 2025 recipient was Marquette University ($400K). Together the top 10 received $886K.

Grant Size Distribution

574 grants across all recorded years

561<$50K2$50–100K6$100–250K4$250–500K$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 561 grants of 574 (98%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Marquette University Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$400,000
Froedtert Hospital Foundation Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$240,000
Medical College of Wisconsin Kern Learning Program Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$200,000
Milwaukee Public Museum Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$10,000
United Performing Arts Foundation (Upaf) Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$8,500
Riveredge Nature Center Newburg, WIProgram Support$7,000
The Women's Center of Waukesha Waukesha, WIProgram Support$5,000
Hunger Task Force West Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$5,000
Milwaukee Rescue Mission Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$5,000
Hope House of Milwaukee Inc Milwaukee, WIProgram Support$5,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Grants awarded Number of grants
2025 $1,019,050 94
2024 $1,723,000 104
2023 $895,005 132
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$1M$2M$3M$4M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$16,253,799$14,879,708$14,941,960
Revenue$2,729,204$2,072,936$1,298,458
Expenses$1,353,022$2,131,232$1,268,345
Qualifying Distributions$1,209,738$1,934,525$1,104,355
Net Investment Income$2,606,941$1,915,812$1,144,620
Distributable Amount$1,179,447$1,138,889$1,072,695

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS December 23, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 9, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 6, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 10, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS November 5, 2025)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Stephanie Lockwood and Sharon Smallwood as trustees.

Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; all 2 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Sharon Smallwood

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    30 hrs/week

    $12K (2020) → $12K (2025)

  • Stephanie Lockwood

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    $12K (2020) → $75K (2025)

Former officers (1)
  • Former: Thomas Smallwood (2020–2023) — Trustee

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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Stephanie Lockwood — Trustee: $75KStephanie LockwoodTrustee$75KSharon Smallwood — Trustee: $12KSharon SmallwoodTrustee$12K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $75K, to Stephanie Lockwood (Trustee). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Contact

Application contact: Stephanie Lockwood
Mailing address: PO Box 147, Elm Grove, WI 53122
Phone: (262) 784-9778

Frequently asked questions about Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation

How much does Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation give each year?

Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation gave $1.0M across 94 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.7M across 104 grants.

What is Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's typical grant size?

Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,500, and its average grant was $10,841, across 94 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation that year got $44K on average.

Where does Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation give grants?

Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation gives mostly in Wisconsin: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Milwaukee, WI (73 grants), Waukesha, WI (4 grants), West Allis, WI (4 grants) and Madison, WI (2 grants).

Does Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 94 grants with a stated purpose on Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (94 grants).

Who are Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's largest grantees?

Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Marquette University ($400,000), Froedtert Hospital Foundation ($240,000) and Medical College of Wisconsin Kern Learning Program ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 82% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation?

Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation reported $16.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.2M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation fund?

No foundation mission statement is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, Marquette University describes its mission as a Catholic, Jesuit university focused on truth, learning, faith, leadership, and service. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation?

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 Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's EIN?

Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-6238856. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

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

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