Greater Watertown Community Health, based in Watertown, Wisconsin, is a public charity that works to improve health and wellbeing across the region. It serves residents of Dodge and Jefferson Counties, with priority given to projects affecting communities served by specified local school districts.
Key facts about Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc
In short: Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc gave $1.2M across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $48K), mostly in Wisconsin. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 39-1030310
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,191,708
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- Average grant
- $47,668
- Median grant
- $23,400
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (6 of 25, 2025)
- Total assets
- $134,324,904
- Primary geography
- Wisconsin (92% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The foundation’s grant materials direct applicants to submit proposals through its online grants management software. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990, 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 · View filing
Total Assets
$134.3M
+2.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.2M
-76.1% YoY
Grant Count
25
-19.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$48K
-70.4% YoY
Is Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 25 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $56K. How we count
Medians: $22K first-time, $31K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s mission is “to inspire collaboration, mobilize resources and encourage innovation that measurably contributes to the wellbeing of our community.” Its stated investment priorities include Every Child Thrives, social-emotional wellbeing of youth, and healthy living. Its more detailed priorities include strong families, kindergarten readiness, school success, social-emotional wellbeing, and healthy eating and active living.
The foundation funds capacity building, leadership development, technical assistance, health and social-determinants-of-health programs, planning related to its strategic priorities, and durable equipment and supplies for targeted results. Its 2024 grants illustrate support for varied community organizations. For example, Rock River Community Clinic describes its mission as improving healthcare coordination and access and health outcomes for low-income residents. Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County says it brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. The Gathering Source says it works on hunger education and wellness in rural communities with schools, churches, and organizations.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 31 grants totaling $4,995,109. Grant amounts ranged from $5,200 to $3,687,189, with a median of $25,500. The largest awards included $3,687,189 to Glacial Community YMCA for purposes including employer-sponsored care, an Every Child Thrives focus group, an ASQ Hub grant, and social-isolation and loneliness work; $254,850 to Rock River Community Clinic for management transition, board support, and mental-health access grant writing; and $121,000 to Watertown Unified School District for purposes including an early-learning systems coordinator and a mental-health/social-emotional-learning coordinator.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation serves residents of Dodge and Jefferson Counties in Wisconsin, prioritizing projects affecting communities served by the Dodgeland, Hustisford, Ixonia, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Waterloo, and Watertown school districts. In 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to Wisconsin recipients and 1% to Minnesota recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2025) to $5.0M (2024). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Rock River Community Clinic ($326K). Together the top 10 received $950K.
Grant Size Distribution
153 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 108 grants of 153 (71%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rock River Community Clinic Whitewater, WI | Management transition, foundation for growth, grant writing services, board gift 2024 rrcc | $326,321 |
| Glacial Community YMCA Oconomowoc, WI | Collective transition, ymca building community, employer sponsored care, ymca dhs social isolation & loneliness (PG), board gift 2024 wttn ymca | $206,593 |
| Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County Waukesha, WI | Compeer financial rural collaboration grant, habitat for humanity; building a better Jefferson county | $125,200 |
| Reading & Math Inc (Wisconsin Reading Corps) Minneapolis, MN | WI Reading Corp (SY21-Ongoing) | $60,000 |
| School District of Jefferson Jefferson, WI | Playworks jefferson ms, asq hub grant, playworks active recess | $51,825 |
| Maranatha Baptist University Inc Watertown, WI | Watertown Employer Sponsored Care | $41,670 |
| Waterloo School District Waterloo, WI | Playworks active recess - middle & elem, youth wellbeing summit 2025 | $38,600 |
| Dodgeland School District Juneau, WI | Asq hub grant, board gift 2024 ed fnd wttn | $35,530 |
| Rainbow Hospice Jefferson, WI | All the lonely people screening, rainbow dhs social isolation and loneliness (PG) | $33,695 |
| Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (Weca) Fitchburg, WI | Raising Wisconsin Policy Agenda, Weca Childcare Consulting | $30,648 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $131,180,063 | $31,092,438 | $30,731,222 | $4,995,109 |
| 2023 | $115,519,180 | $26,319,032 | $26,379,805 | $1,720,055 |
| 2022 | $104,353,166 | $43,510,687 | $26,345,206 | $2,100,558 |
The 2024 grant total covered 31 grants.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $134,324,904 | $131,180,063 | $115,519,180 |
| Revenue | $37,133,573 | $31,092,438 | $26,319,032 |
| Expenses | $31,955,537 | $30,731,222 | $26,379,805 |
| Net Investment Income | $7,534,343 | $6,436,099 | $3,389,729 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 28, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 16, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 12, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2024 filing include Tina Crave, president; Deb Portman, secretary; Mike Sullivan, chair; Margaret Hanrahan, vice chair; and Randy Phelps, treasurer. The filing also lists Steven Battenberg, Elliot Clark, and Orlando Dominguez as directors. Andrea Merfeld is listed as secretary through January 2024, and Charles Eggert as a director through December 2023.
Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc is led by Benjamin Whemeier, President & CEO on the 2025 filing; 5 of 18 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Benjamin Whemeier
President & CEO
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$11K (2025)
Margaret Hanrahan
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carol Quest
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karla Mullen
Director
Chair → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marcy Tessmann
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mike Sullivan MD
Director
Director → Chair, 2022
Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Randy Phelps
Director
Treasurer → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tim Schuler
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elliot Clark
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mick Selck
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Orlando Dominguez
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barb Gudgeon
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Grajewski MD
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tina Crave
Chief Transformation Officer
President → Chief Transformation Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$152K (2019) → $200K (2025)
Nathan Peters
CFO & Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer → CFO & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$122K (2023) → $142K (2025)
Deb Portman
Secretary
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$51K (2024) → $49K (2025)
Kimberly Melcher
Chief Impact Officer
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$126K (2024) → $121K (2025)
Steven Battenberg
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (13)
- Former: Nate Salas (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: William Oswald (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Charles Eggert (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Megan Hartwick (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Andrea Merfeld (2022–2024) — Secretary
- Former: David Schroeder (2019–2023) — Vice Chair
- Former: Juan Muniz Jr. (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Kelly Cieslak (2022) — Vice President Strategy & Org Development
- Former: Fred Gremmels DO (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Dale Schmidt - Termed (2020) — Director
- Former: Charles Eggert - Termed (2019) — Director
- Former: Dale Schmidt (2019) — Director
- Former: John David - Termed (2019) — Director
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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $200K, to Tina Crave (Chief Transformation Officer). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 672 Johnson St 300, Watertown, WI 53094-3827
Phone: (920) 390-4000
Website: https://watertownhealthfoundation.com
Frequently asked questions about Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc
How much does Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc give each year?
Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc gave $1.2M across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $5.0M across 31 grants.
What is Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $23,400, and its average grant was $47,668, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc that year got $20K on average.
Where does Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc give grants?
Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc gives mostly in Wisconsin: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Minnesota (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Watertown, WI (5 grants), Jefferson, WI (4 grants), Oconomowoc, WI (2 grants) and Waukesha, WI (2 grants).
Does Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 25 grants with a stated purpose on Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Rock River Community Clinic ($326,321), Glacial Community YMCA ($206,593) and Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County ($125,200), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 55% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc?
Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc reported $134.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $37.1M.
What does Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc fund?
The foundation’s mission is “to inspire collaboration, mobilize resources and encourage innovation that measurably contributes to the wellbeing of our community.” Its stated investment priorities include Every Child Thrives, social-emotional wellbeing of youth, and healthy living. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc?
The foundation’s grant materials direct applicants to submit proposals through its online grants management software. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc's EIN?
Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 39-1030310. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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