Gardner Foundation

MILWAUKEE, WI EIN: 39-6076956

Gardner Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The foundation has been tax-exempt since March 1948 and operates as a grantmaking foundation.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

Annual Giving

$225K

+3.4% YoY

Grant Count

55

+3.8% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$4K

-0.3% YoY

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

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

2states

Cities

BROOKFIELDCUDAHYGERMANTOWNGREENFIELDMEQUONMILWAUKEENEWBURGOAKLANDUNION GROVEWAUWATOSAWEST ALLIS

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Most Recent Year (2024):

  • Total Assets: $1,388,447
  • Total Giving: $225,000
  • Revenue: $371,000
  • Expenses: $239,000
  • Total Liabilities: $0

Organization Details:

  • EIN: 39-6076956
  • Year Formed: 1948
  • Number of Employees: 0
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$0.275$0.55$0.8250000000000001$1.1201920202021202220232024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
Distributable Amount

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$57K$114K$171K$228K50 grants201944 grants202049 grants202157 grants202253 grants202355 grants2024

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

FEEDING AMERICA EASTERN …$10KPABST MANSION$8KMILWAUKEE RESCUE MISSION$7KASCENSION WISCONSIN FOUN…$5KBEYOND VISION$5KGRAND AVENUE CLUB$5KHEAR WISCONSIN INC$5KHOPE HOUSE OF MILWAUKEE …$5KHUNGER TASK FORCE INC$5KNEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE OF MI…$5K

Grant Size Distribution

243 grants across all recorded years

243<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin ($10,000), Pabst Mansion ($7,500), Milwaukee Rescue Mission ($7,000).

RecipientPurposeAmount
ABOVE THE CLOUDS MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$1,000
ARTISTS WORKING IN EDUCATION MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$4,000
ARTS AT LARGE MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$4,000
ASCENSION WISCONSIN FOUNDATION MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$5,000
BETTY BRINN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$4,000
BEYOND VISION WEST ALLIS, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$5,000
BROADSCOPE DISABILITY SVC INC GREENFIELD, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$3,000
CIVIC MUSIC ASSC OF MILWAUKEE MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$3,000
COLLEGE POSSIBLE MILWAUKEE MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$4,500
CORE EL CENTRO MILWAUKEE, WIOPERATING EXPENSES$3,500

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

NameTitleHoursCompensation
THEODORE FRIEDLANDER IIIPRESIDENT
GARDNER LR FRIEDLANDERDIRECTOR
CLIFFORD M ASMUTHDIRECTOR
C FREDERICK GEILFUSSSECRETARY/TR
LOUISE FRIEDLANDERDIRECTOR
KAREN FRIEDLANDERDIRECTOR
MARGARET BRINIGVICE PRESIDE
SARAH O ZIMMERMANDIRECTOR

Frequently Asked Questions

What size grants does Gardner Foundation award?

In 2024, Gardner Foundation awarded 55 grants totaling $225K — an average of about $4K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

What is Gardner Foundation's EIN?

Gardner Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-6076956. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.

Explore Open Grants

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

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